Being in the IT field for most of my adult life, mainly in large hospital settings I get asked a LOT of computer and internet questions. Just last week alone I had at least three different people in three different places ask me about anonymous web surfing and internet privacy and if such a thing was possible.
My first question to each one was "Why do you want to surf the web anonymously?", and not surprisingly each gave me a very different response.
There are many reasons one might want to be anonymous on the web. I myself utilize tools to remain anonymous to some websites I visit. Why? Because its a good thing to do. let me start my explaining that every computer connected to the internet has a unique numerical value called an IP address. this IP address is passed around quite freely by your computer. It is passed to each website you visit, it is included within the header of every email you send. Its available to those in web chat rooms and web forums. One first needs to understand that an IP address is a foot print that leads directly back to your computer. yes, its traceable back to YOU. Additionally, your IP address is the door or "gateway" to your computer. Someone with above average computer knowledge armed with your IP address can freely probe your PC looking for weakness without you ever knowing it.
Luckily, there are ways to prevent most attacks. A good firewall is one. this will prevent a hacker in most cases from accessing your PC assuming of course the firewall is properly configured and the right ports are closed.
Going back to online anonymity it seems wise that if a person or website can't "see" you then they can't harm you. There are commercial privacy services available that will provide you with all the tools you need to mask your real identity in literally every online protocol. One such service that I use personally is Ultimate Anonymity ( http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com ). I prefer this service because they have been around for over ten years now and provide nothing but Online Anonymity and privacy services. They cover everything from anonymous web surfing, anonymous email, anonymous web chat and forum tools and even offer a host of PC Security Tools including strong file encryption software, folder hiding, hard drive cleaning and secured anonymous chat programs. You can even purchase anonymous debit Visa cards to anonymously make online purchases from websites where Visa is accepted to save your real cards and eliminate any chance of identity theft (one of my personal favorites).
If you have ever thought about web anonymity or privacy then Ultimate Anonymity would be worth checking out. Have fun and be safe.
Dolittle
