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.

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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.

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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.

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More and more US Military Personnel based overseas have found anonymous surfing to be the solution for complete anonymity. However, there are dangers that anonymous surfers should realize and should be very careful with.

Many IP changers that are used for anonymous surfing do not encrypt data. This means that important information such as logins, passwords, and credit card numbers could be recorded and could be leaked by a proxy server.

This is where the concept of encryption becomes very important. By definition, “encryption refers to algorithmic schemes that encode plain text into non-readable or cyphertext, providing privacy.”

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“Deep Packet Inspection”: a fancy euphemism used to decorate a truly insidious practice: intercepting your internet surfing and sifting through it to find usernames, passwords, and many other forms of security-compromising information. When one uses the Internet, all sorts of information regarding the content of the site visited, a password, or even the text of a personal e-mail are stored, but with many computer-generated, matrix-like obstructions and convolutions that render the information indecipherable.

Unfortunately, “Deep Packet Inspection” is a pedestrian tool that can compromise the sanctity of your anonymous browsing. Online hackers and the computer savvy can use these inspections to find out virtually anything about your use of the Internet. Basically, a criminal could access your E-Bay account just by reading the report from one of these packets. This practice is becoming such a menace to the general public that the government is reconsidering its legality.

Right now though, your ISP, your neighbors, and even your employer have the ability to invade your privacy. As harrowing as this may seem, you are not defenseless. You can utilize an anonymous proxy that acts as a secure tunnel for your internet surfing to pass through, seemingly invisible to a criminal’s peeping eye, and encrypted so well that it appears like hieroglyphics to the “Deep Packet Inspections”.

Anonymous surfing is just a click away.

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