In the modern world of technology, it is especially important to ensure security and anonymity. As soon as you enter the site, you immediately leave a digital footprint, which allows you to get a lot of personal information. However, the IP address remains the most important. Thanks to it, you can calculate your location and other important data. In this guide, we’ll tell you the main ways to hide your IP address on the network.
What is the IP address of the device?
An IP address is a combination of numbers divided into four groups, each from 0 to 255. These identifiers are necessary to accurately transfer data to your device.
When you absolutely visit a site, you always leave a so-called digital footprint, which can of course be tracked. The IP address plays an important role in this. It is also easy to find out who specifically posted this or that content, wrote a comment or message.
Interestingly, there are always two IP addresses: local (LAN) and global (WAN). The local network is closed and contains a limited number of devices. The Internet, on the other hand, is a global network that connects a large number of local ones.
In general, an IP address means a protocol, that is, a set of rules governing how data moves on an established network. LAN and WAN IP addresses always work together. This is necessary to provide the requested information to a specific device.
When you open a search engine on your computer and enter a website address, a request is sent to the device’s controller, usually a router. The controller recognizes a device on the local network that requests information and sends data to the Internet to receive feedback.
When the response information is received, the router sends it back to the device. Without the IP system, the router would not know where the request came from.
Why hide the IP address?
The system described above can also work the other way around. Therefore, attackers have the opportunity to get your passwords, financial details and a lot of other personal information. To do this, it is not even necessary to have a high level of knowledge – there are programs that perform the process automatically.
In addition, without IP, it is more difficult for you to be held liable for content or messages left on the network.
How to Hide IP Address via VPN
One of the most affordable ways to hide your digital footprint is a VPN – a virtual private network. Thanks to the encryption algorithm, your request first goes through a third-party server and from there it enters the network. So you can hide the country of residence, which is especially important for household users.
VPN services can be free or paid. The latter are considered more reliable. Read our article with recommendations, but remember that performance should be double checked – every day VPNs in our country are blocked and all information quickly loses relevance.
By the way, VPN can also be installed on mobile devices. It also unlocks blocked apps and websites. It’s worth remembering that the biggest drawback of a VPN is a serious decrease in internet connection speed.
How to hide the IP address through a proxy extension
A proxy works in much the same way as a VPN: you hide your IP using an intermediate server. For convenience, you can set the appropriate resolution in the browser. It’s worth noting that this only hides your “digital footprint” when you use a specific search engine. In addition, the reliability of a proxy is somewhat lower than that of a VPN.
Proxies can be paid and free, but we don’t recommend using the latter because proxy server providers often use user data for further sale to attackers, thus making a profit from their services.
How to hide the IP address through online anonymizers
You can always use online services that independently choose a suitable proxy and hide your IP address. Unfortunately, such programs have recently become much smaller, but they can still be found on the network. The obvious downside is the limited work. Usually you enter the address of a specific site where your actions will be hidden. If you want to switch to another internet source, you have to start the whole procedure again.
How to hide the IP address from anonymous browsers
Now such browsers are not easy to find, but they still exist and are popular. The essence of the work is similar to the previous methods, but much larger. Many devices around the world are combined into a single system that makes it easy to hide IP in the global network. As a rule, the device of such browsers does not resemble the usual Google Chrome or Opera, so it is a little more difficult to search for information, but there are no restrictions and censorship.
How to check IP stealth?
Checking the effectiveness of the service to hide the IP address is quite easy. We recommend using the 2IP website. Use it before activating an additional program and after. If the address has been changed, everything will work as it should.
Source: VG Times
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.