If you appreciate an online experience without creepily specific ads following you around, or you want to watch a new streaming series that isn't available in your geographic region, it's possible you've asked the question: "How do I hide my IP address?"
Hiding your IP address and using proxy IP addresses can be likened to not telling random strangers your physical home address, while at the same time having a bunch of different passports to travel the world without restriction.
The good news is there are super-effective ways to achieve both of these outcomes. Read on for an essential guide on how to hide your IP address and the important reasons to use proxies for IP masking.
What Is An IP Address?
An IP address (short for Internet Protocol address) is a unique home address for devices connected to the internet, such as your computer, smartphone, or router. It helps identify and locate these devices on the internet so they can send and receive information.
Without IP addresses, devices wouldn't know where to send data, and the internet wouldn't function as we know it. It's an essential part of how the internet works.
Your unique private IP address is like your digital fingerprint and can reveal your approximate location and other details about your internet connection. There are numerous parties who are interested in this information - some of them have very dubious motives.
Why Should You Hide Your IP Address?
Put simply, hiding your private IP addresses (or your online locations) makes your online activity safer and allows you to access more parts of the internet.
Privacy: Since we spend so much time online, being more vigilant about privacy is simply good practice. Hiding IP addresses is a good starting point to limit the data you leave behind in your virtual world.
Geo-blocking: Certain web services use geo-blocking, which prevents you from enjoying their content if you're not in an approved geographical location. Hiding your IP and using a proxy allows you to bypass the block. This is useful to access Netflix and other streaming services when you're traveling or in a blocked region.
Preventing hacking: Hackers and cybercriminals are also looking for any way to breach your defenses and steal sensitive information. Defending against bad actors is a good reason to learn how to hide your IP address.
Anti-tracking: Third-party websites, apps, and ad networks are furiously tracking all your online activities via IP trackers, cookies, and browsing history. If you hide your private IP address, you confuse sites and apps and limit the private data they collect from you.
Avoiding government restrictions: If a service or website is banned or restricted in your country, you can hide your IP address to help you get around the block. IP masking and hiding your server's IP address also protect against state surveillance.
4 Ways To Hide Your IP Address
There's a cunningly simple secret to how to hide IP addresses - cut-outs.
Let's look at the most effective cut-out or intermediaries and how to hide location online.
1. Use Proxies (Proxy Servers)
A proxy acts as an intermediary between your device and the internet. It will hide your IP address and allow you to access websites and services. The websites see a different IP address and your identity stays private.
When you use a proxy, your device first connects to the proxy server, and then the proxy server connects to the internet on your behalf. The website you want to access only sees the IP address of the proxy server, not your real IP address.
Depending on your proxy plan, you can use a bunch of different proxies - potentially assuming a new identity with every search.
Popular proxies include:
Residential proxies: Residential proxies refer to proxy servers that route internet traffic through genuine IP addresses associated with real devices. By making it seem like you are just another user, residential proxies are almost impossible to detect, track, and block.
Datacenter proxies: Datacenter proxies are proxy servers that route internet traffic through datacenter IP addresses. A datacenter proxy is not associated with an internet service provider or a residential location. Instead, it operates from a proxy pool server hosted in a datacenter.
2. VPN (Virtual Private Networks)
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is another smart intermediary.
A VPN service hides your IP address by replacing it with either a dedicated address, a static address that’s shared with multiple users, or dynamic IP addresses that change with each connection.
The VPN server is the all-important middleman between your device and the internet. Sites and apps only see the VPN IP address and virtual location. This ensures your real IP address(es) remain well hidden.
VPNs often use shared IP addresses which gives you a good level of anonymity since all users connected to the VPN server are masked behind the same address. One user is pretty indistinguishable from another.
Be sure to use a reputable VPN service. A good VPN provider encrypts your internet traffic as it routes it through servers in different locations.
VPNs are usually relatively low-priced subscription services that let you choose from potentially thousands of IP addresses globally.
3. The Onion Router (TOR Network)
The TOR browser is sophisticated software designed to mask your identity. The TOR network uses a series of encrypted layers to allow you to hide your actual IP address and stay anonymous online.
When you activate a web request the TOR browser encrypts your request and then sends it through a series of "nodes". Each node removes one layer of encryption before passing it to the next node. This process is called "onion routing."
Your destination website only sees the last node as the source of the request. Since the nodes don't know the complete path, your online activity is virtually anonymous.
TOR is a pretty slow routing, however, and your Internet Service Provider may not be too thrilled about you using TOR since it is associated with criminal activity.
4. Connecting to public networks
You can technically hide your IP address by joining a public Wi-Fi network. By connecting to the public network, your device's IP address is changed to that of the public IP address.
When you consider how to hide your IP address, this option definitely should not be your first option. Moving around public Wi-Fi zones comes with its own risks. These spots are hunting grounds for various shady actors.
What Other Privacy Measures Can You Take?
1. Browser extensions
Browser extensions, like Ad Blockers, can block ads and tracking scripts that collect your behavior and other data. They help prevent advertisers from building a detailed profile of your interests and activities. Various privacy extensions will block third-party cookies, prevent website fingerprinting, and offer additional privacy features. Browser extensions don't generally have the capability to conceal your IP.
2. Disabling location services
Disabling location services limits the amount of data that can be used to track your physical movements and location history.
Does disabling your location services hide your IP address? Restricting sites and apps from using your location information limits location tracking, but your IP address is still known and will give away your approximate location.
3. Private browsing modes
When you use privacy mode in your browser, it prevents your browsing history, cookies, or other data locally being stored on your device. This means there are fewer data crumbs to track your online activities.
Private browsing mode does not conceal your IP address from the websites you visit or your internet service provider.
How To Make Sure Your IP Address Is Hidden
If you're asking, "How can I hide my IP address securely?," using proxies and proxy servers is a secure, affordable, and fast way (faster than VPNs and Tor) to ensure quality, robust masking of your original IP address.
Proxyrack is a highly rated and trusted proxy provider. We may have just the solution for you whether your primary purpose is brand protection and security or to supercharge your social media and e-commerce drives.
Proxyrack offers a variety of options and can even customize a plan for you depending on your needs. Our offerings include Residential and Datacenter proxies to conceal your IP address without any leakage.
Getting started with Proxyrack is straightforward. Simply sign up for an account and be guided through the setup process. We provide a risk-free 3-day money-back guarantee. We give you access to all our proxies and you can test each one to see which works best.
With the Proxyrack dashboard, you can track the performances of your proxies live, monitoring indicators like:
Threads (connections to an IP address)
Number of online IPs
Chart of active connections
Chart of failed connections
Current and total bandwidth
This introductory and testing package is available on a 7-day paid trial for only $13.95. Please connect and our expert team will be glad to assist.
FAQs
Can I hide my IP address for free?
There are free VPNs that can be used to conceal IP addresses and you can also connect to a public Wi-Fi network and technically hide your IP address for free. However, connecting to a public spot or using a free VPN service are not considered the most secure options.
Are there any legal implications for hiding my IP address?
In most countries, it's perfectly legal to hide your IP address.
Can I use a VPN on my mobile device?
You can use a VPN on your mobile. Mobile VPNs encrypt your connection and reroute your data through a secure VPN server, effectively giving the device a new IP address.
Final Thoughts
We now have the tools and the power to limit third-party websites, apps, search engines, and our Internet Service Provider from constantly snooping on us.
By linking with an established trusted VPN or proxy service you can stay hidden. Not just that, you'll gain access to multiple IP addresses across the globe. Sign up with Proxyrack to open a whole new world of privacy and possibilities.
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