The number one question for concerned internet travelers who wish to surf the web anonymously is a truly perennial one: “Which is the best IP Changer to use online?”

The sad fact is, there is no answer. A fast reliable one would be the best way to go, but these appear and disappear so quickly online, it wouldn’t be worth it to recommend one. The reason is a simple, economical one: Bandwidth costs big money. Having people surf the internet through an IP changer that you set up costs a boatload, so why do people do it?

In Microsoft’s latest, newest browser, Internet Explorer 8, they’ve introduced a “privacy mode” labeled InPrivateBrowsing as its best feature.  The main purpose of InPrivateBrowsing is to keep other users of the same computer from accessing your website information. Unfortunately a number of reports issued by those in the know, PCAdvisor included, Explorer’s privacy mode isn’t actually all that private.  The features are primarily cosmetic and information can be easily recovered. But, because it looks so good users feel a sense of security that isn’t there.

Every time you log on to a website, your computer signs into a virtual logbook. Its signature is an IP address. Essentially, the IP address is a computer’s contact information; it will show where the computer is located. A proxy can change your IP address and there make your internet surfing completely anonymous, which will be followed by safer and more secure internet travel.

There are different kinds of proxies. A free proxy is, in nature, completely fee-less. A professional proxy can have you pay a one-time fee, monthly, or maybe annually.

This change of IP address can allow you to access sites that would normally be blocked to you. By changing your IP address to one that is allowed, you gain access to the sites you want to visit. For example, Americans traveling broad might want to access U.S. websites, but find that they cannot access them. Usually this happens on media sites where they are sponsored by advertising. It does an advertiser no good to show their ad to people who have no chance of every buying their products, hence the block by geography.

Both types, (Paying and free) offer these services. Where they differ is in the amount of extra applications and security measures. It is important to find a proxy that uses “encryption”. This takes your plain text and jumbles and convolutes it into something completely unrecognizable.

Skype, the popular software that lets users make phone and video calls over the internet using a microphone and speakers now has a Chinese version that isn’t so popular once you learn what it does.  First reported by news sources such as PC Magazine and Cnet, this alternate version of Skype watches for certain words, and then blocks them from servers.

Online advertisers seem to be just an annoying part of internet travel. “Click here”, “You Won!”, “What Celeb are You?”, or the most infamous ads with embedded audio. As devastating as it is, the pixilated balloons were a lie; you aren’t the 10,000th visitor and did not win a free Ford.

What we don’t realize is that these ads are actually doing a fair amount of reconnaissance while they pop up all over our screens. These ads record information such as the time of day in which you accessed the site, how long you were on it, etc., but they can also glean more potentially dangerous information. Possibly they wish to record your IP address, to find your location, and in turn, know who is surfing on that particular site. While this all seems business oriented, if this information falls into the wrong hands, the results could be quite disturbing.

There are reasons why you must change IP addresses on your PC. As the number of business competitors increases, the need for an IP change becomes essential. Internet Protocol address or IP address was developed in order to identify every device over the internet. Whenever a computer is connected to the web, its IP address appears in the website it is connected to. It is a system of using numbers that are arranged in four parts separated by dots.

An example of an IP address is 208.77.188.166. Each part is called an octet, and each octet is composed of 8 bits. This old system is called the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). The new version called Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), was developed to replace the older version. It is composed of 128 bits as compared to 32 bits of IPv4. This allows for more address spaces in order to accommodate the enormous growth of the internet.

Without this new system, the availability of addresses would be exhausted sooner or later. It is because the number of internet users increases rapidly. With this rapid growth of internet users the IPv4 system of address alone could no longer accommodate all the addresses.

Homeland Security is beginning the first phase of a surveillance program, known as the National Applications Office.  And, they’re using satellites.  There’s been no guarantee that privacy laws will not be broken.  The new spy program is meant to supply officials with satellite images, and will be used to identify port and border weaknesses as well as monitoring emergency responses

Not everyone is in favor of this NAO program.  Critics are against it because nothing been said about protecting civil liberties and rights of the American people. They are worried about the satellites possibly “eavesdropping.”  The government has simply responded that they won’t spy on its citizens.  Why isn’t that very comforting?

A 60 page report on this program pointed out a couple of major flaws, the main one being that there is no guarantee that the system won’t be ill-used by other agencies that have access to it.  Of course, the government promised that “legal reviews and protection of classified information will be effective.”

Everything in the world is contingent on the steady flow of information. However, every keystroke you make is recorded to databases all over the world, and can be perused if the proper tools are handy. Often, this meticulous recording of information is harmless and actually enhances your time spent on the three big W’s. Still though, it is important to know how to protect your internet privacy and maintain anonymity.

When connecting to the internet, your computer signs an electronic log-in book, leaving its John Hancock known as an “IP address” on any page you visit. This electronic footprint allows the website to remember its frequent patrons and monitor information you create while browsing. While this may seem like a harmless tactic, sometimes criminals can use this information to locate you. Don’t fret! There are ways to hide your IP address so nobody can invade your privacy, whether it be on the internet at home or from a hotspot.

Why do people change IP? How does changing your IP address help maintain your anonymity, safety and security over the internet? If you think that an IP change does it all think again. Before your personal information ends up in the wrong hands, make sure that you have enough protection.

Let us start by knowing something about IP addresses. Your IP address is the identification of the server (computer) that you use when you connect to the internet. This address contains information that identifies you as the user. Any information that you give during your surfing activities are associated to your IP address. This means that your IP address can be used by unscrupulous people against you.

This is why the use of an anonymous proxy to change your IP address is advised. By using a proxy server, your identity is hidden. Instead of your IP address appearing on the website that you access, it is the proxy server’s address that appears. Even if you have a so called electronic trail, websites cannot use it to lead back to you. Instead, they will just end up to the proxy server’s identity.