Now we will try to understand what the program is for hiding the IP address, let's pay attention to what the principle of these solutions works, and what their functionality is. All these actions will be presented on specific examples worthy of the user's attention.
Anonymity on the Internet - what is it and why is it needed?
During surfing on the Internet, a person leaves a lot of different information about himself. At first glance, an average user who does not have a program to hide the IP address on the computer may think that there is nothing wrong with this, but no one can accurately know in whose hands this information comes and how it can be used.
Information about the user can be divided into two types:
data that the user voluntarily leaves on the pages of social networks and forums;
data that leaks into the network through the programs and technical means used without the user's permission.
The fact that the person places information about himself in his "VKontakte" profile, we leave on his conscience, and instead we will focus on the leak of deanonimizing information without the user's knowledge, as well as the ways by which it can be avoided. The most popular way to ensure your anonymity and security on the Internet is to hide your IP address.
List of programs for hiding IP addresses - diversity
There are a huge number of software solutions that allow anonymously to travel on the Internet, leaving no unnecessary tracks, both paid and free. Many users believe that the inclusion of incognito mode in the browser is a panacea in this matter, but this statement is erroneous. If you do not use a specialized program to hide the IP address, it is impossible to reliably state that your data did not fall into the wrong hands. In order to protect themselves and be calm for anonymity and security on the network, the following programs are usually used:
Free Hide IP - one of the most popular software solutions that allow you to hide the IP address. The program is conditionally free (there is a paid version with a lot of settings), it is downloaded by a direct link from the developer's site. Like other analogues, it connects the computer to an anonymous proxy server, which is an intermediary between the user and the requested Internet address.
SafeIP - the program for hiding the IP address in Russian, is completely free, does not affect the speed of the connection to the Internet and does not embed any advertisements and banners on top of the displayed pages. SafeIP has a simple, intuitive interface and will be almost the ideal solution for providing your own security on the Internet.
Hotspot Shield - another shareware program. You can hide IP through it by resorting to the help of a non-proxy server, as analogs do, but VPN. If you do not go into the technical details, the program on pressing one button connects you to a virtual local area network, allowing you to disguise your real IP address as an American one. This program for hiding the IP address is downloaded directly from the manufacturer's website, and you pay only that a small banner will be displayed on top of the displayed pages, which can be disabled using browser extensions blocking advertising.
We will dwell in detail on each of them.
Free Hide IP
The installation of the program is no different from installing other programs. Download, run the installation file, follow the instructions on the screen and wait for the completion. It should be noted that during the installation the program also offers sponsors' toolbars, so we remove the checkmarks to prevent the computer from becoming unnecessary applications. After starting the program, we will see a miniature window that displays our real IP address and a new one, allegedly located in the United States. The parameter "Launch on Startup" adds the program to startup, therefore, whenever you turn on your computer, Free Hide IP will automatically start, substituting your IP address for others. It is also possible to automatically change your address every few minutes, setting the "Change IP every X minutes" parameter. After the settings are made, all sites on the Internet will be sure that you are in the US, none of the intruders will be able to determine your real location, and many web services that are not accessible to other countries will be opened.
SafeIP
SafeIP is the only program for hiding your current IP, translated by developers into Russian, which means that it is the easiest to learn for a regular Russian-speaking user. With its main task, the program manages to cheer - hides your IP address from sites, games, e-mail and other applications. Compatible with all modern browsers and operating systems. The main window of the program contains only a few buttons: "Connect", after clicking which you connect to an anonymous proxy server, and the "Change IP" button that gives you a new fake address. The program has a lot of useful settings, such as ad blocking, protection from tracking temporary cookies, autostart at system startup and automatic IP change after a specified time interval.
Hotspot Shield
The next program for hiding the IP address from our list is also very easy to use, only with the proviso that during its installation you need to remove the checkmarks from the point "Do you want to install our toolbar?", Otherwise you run the risk of discovering a new useless Panel, which only takes away a useful workspace. Run the program and click on the big green button labeled "Connect" - that's all we need to change your IP address to a fake one using Hotspot Shield. The address is also replaced with an American one, and therefore it will be impossible to track our real location.
Other ways to ensure anonymity on the Internet
There are many other ways to hide your IP address without using specialized programs. These methods require the user additional knowledge and time to manually configure the IP address. If we describe the process briefly, we need to find a list of free proxy servers, copy IP and port number from there, and then enter these parameters in the settings of your browser or another application that uses the Internet connection. The downside of the manual method is that most of the proxy servers that can be found in the public domain have a slow connection speed, and also do not guarantee you complete security and anonymity. Therefore, I recommend that you use a specialized software to hide the real IP address and not worry about your own security!