Why Use A Proxy Site?

By Author: jhon smith
Total Articles: 136
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There are a number of different reasons you might want to use a proxy site. First, let us discuss what a proxy site is.

Proxy sites are websites that will redirect your computer to a proxy server, effectually changing the originating IP address.

Why is that important? Most security measures are set up based upon the originating IP, or internet protocol, address. Whether you have set up parental controls, or you are working in an organization that has set firewalls up on their servers, these security measures will, in part, block your access to different websites, or content.

Using a proxy site, you are able to bypass the security protocol, by tricking the firewalls into thinking that your computer is originating at the proxy site, rather than its actual IP address. Suppose you are at work, and perform a search in order to complete a project. The website that you need to get to has been blocked by the security protocols at your company, possibly because it recognizes words that it has been programmed to scan for. You could contact your IT department and wait for them to have the time to get to your ...
... workstation and bypass that website for you, basically rewriting the protocols for you. Or, you could go to a proxy site, type in the website that you are trying to access, and bypass those rules on your own, saving both your company and yourself time as you complete your project.

Another reason you might want to use a proxy site would be to provide yourself some anonymity. An IP address is an individually identifiable series of numbers that not only identifies the computer, but the actual physical location of that computer. It is possible to 'ping' and IP address and trace it back to the originating user. Proxy sites essentially replace the original IP address with the proxy site. Since proxy IP addresses can be located almost anywhere in the world, using the proxy site will hide your actual location.

Using a proxy site is also a great way to avoid ad and malware being sent to your computer as you surf. Since adware and malware are both uploaded to the IP address from which the incoming traffic originated, they would be sent instead to the proxy address. This can free up resources on your computer that no longer have to be allocated to cleanup these programs in your computer.

Some authoritarian nations prevent their citizens and/or businesses from gaining access to the World Wide Web, in order to control the amount of information their people can receive. Checking first the legality of doing so, these citizens may use a proxy site to go to websites that would otherwise be blocked.

There are other legitimate reasons to use a proxy site; ethical hackers may use them to test security protocols, activists to find vulnerabilities in security protocols to report in more of a public forum to name just a couple more.

Some proxy site websites provide numerous proxy sites to choose from, as well as the ability to sign up to have new sites sent to you on a regular basis. These sites are very easy to use.

Find more information relating to proxy sites, and proxy site here.