Best Ways to Minimize Tracking Online
In 2022, staying anonymous on the internet is nearly impossible. With tech giants controlling every system, platform, and valuable resource on the web, every frequently visited website, and every popular app has tools for user tracking and surveillance.
All modern devices are trackable by their IP address. It is one of the private information metrics that can be changed with external privacy tools to minimize tracking online. Of course, even if everyone started using fake IP addresses, companies and government agencies still have plenty of ways to spy on users through conversations on social media platforms and any interaction on the web that can be traced back to you on the networks.
In the physical world, hiding your footsteps is not easy, but also not impossible, and people can forget about your mistakes and decisions. On the web, the reality is much more punishing. With every step we take recorded, one mistake or misunderstanding can be seen forever in databases of social media platforms. Even if we try to delete the existence of embarrassing posts and activities, there is no guarantee that companies will exterminate this information and if digital footprints were ever public, no one knows if anyone has duplicates of discussed data.
Even for careful, introverted internet users that try to minimize their presence on the internet, the privacy policies of modern apps are outrageous and invasive but most of us get peer pressured into using the popular software anyway.
While achieving anonymity on the modern internet is no more than a fantasy, the least we can do is hide the IP address of recipient servers. In this article, we will discuss the technology for network identity masking and IP sharing and how proper utilization of these tools will help you minimize tracking until you log in to accounts on social media networks. We will also discuss proxy servers and their functionality. For example, you will learn how a US proxy is beneficial for both local users and residents of other countries. Proxy servers not only mask your IP, but you can choose the location of an intermediary server to access websites that are not available in your country. Using a US proxy as a US resident is good for latency minimization, while foreigners can use it to get a local IP address and connect to forbidden pages. Keep reading to learn more about proxy servers, do you need a US Proxy and other techniques that will protect your IP address.
Get a VPN
VPNs, or virtual private networks, use an extra stop for data packets, where they assign a different IP address. Unlike proxy servers, they encase the connection stream with a tunnel – where the information between you and the VPN server gets encrypted. This strategy stops the onlookers in your LAN or en route to the server from spying on your data without permission. Such security measure makes VPNs great options for working on public networks.
Once the data packets reach their destination and take the long road back, the requested data will differ depending on the location of a VPN. If the server is located in your region, or the website does not use different versions for unique visitors the website may appear unchanged. The best way to test the functionality of VPNs and proxy servers is to visit whatismyip.com or similar websites and check if the pages display a different public address.
Connect with proxy servers
While proxy servers do not offer the tunnel of encryption, the lightweight alternative has use cases for automated bots and users that only want to change the address of a singular browsing session without affecting the entire connection. Proxy servers are great for web scrapers, where an additional layer of protection is not necessary because the connection will not be used to connect to any accounts.
P2P IP sharing
Wouldn’t it be great if devices were untrackable because internet users are constantly sharing IP addresses between themselves? This strategy is already being used by some companies that even choose to pay other users in exchange for their IP addresses. Also known as P2P IP sharing, it is an effective way to share resources to maximize anonymity for the entire community.
Of course, giving up your IP for sharing might not be a good option because internet service providers rarely lease clients new public addresses, and you have no way of knowing how the company is gonna use it. If the purchased identities are being used for web scraping, SEO research, and other data-sensitive tasks, you can suddenly lose access to frequently visited websites due to an IP ban.
Existing Solution – ToR Browser
The options described above are the most popular tools for minimizing tracking on the web. While the ToR browser is free, proxy servers and VPNs have free and legitimate providers. Stick to the latter option if you want to avoid scams and enjoy freedom on the internet. While you can never remain anonymous on the internet, using these tools will help you sleep better at night.
ToR browser utilizes onion routing – communication between anonymous nodes that exchange information. With each connection, you receive a random IP address. If you want every step to be untraceable, you can choose the “new identity” option for new pages or websites with restricted access. This way, if you receive a node that is banned on the present page, you can always try again with a new identity. ToR sends your data request from three randomized servers before it reaches the destination. With unpredictable sharing among thousands of nodes, ToR has become a go-to browser for privacy enthusiasts.
