Proxy servers provide an easy solution for online anonymity. Everyone knows that a proxy server operates in the following way: it receives a request from the device connected to the Internet and forwards the request to the computer that processes it. Then, during the data exchange a proxy server automatically replaces the IP address of the device that has sent the request, with its own address.
After the specified operations, it is usually hard, even impossible, to track which device connected to the proxy server has sent the request. A similar method is applied for the receipt of information. The data-processing computer sends a request on the proxy server’s address since it is the proxy server only that can identify the device that receives data.
On the face of it, everything seems easy and clear. The matter is that anonimity falls under several types.
Anonymous proxies
These proxies hide the device’s IP-address, but inform servers that when using the proxy the remote device transferred its access to a safe network.
Transparent proxies
These proxies are also called caching or forced proxy servers. Proxies of this kind do not provide a full web surfing anonimity when transferring a computer’s IP-address to remote devices, and inform them that the device is connected to the Internet via a proxy.
Distorting proxies
Their functional concept is similar to anonymous proxies, but a real IP address of the device is modified.
High anonymity (elite) proxies
These proxies hide your unique IP address from other servers and do not pass information that the proxy server processes requests from a specific computer. So, other devices consider an elite proxy to be a real client, and a real IP-address is hidden.
Web-proxies (anonymizers)
Though this type serves a function of a proxy server, it operates more like an online tool. To enter any website, you have to open an anonymizer and insert an URL of the website you want to visit.