Online safety and security is something we all worry about. You never know who has access to your information or who can spy on you while you are browsing the Internet. The truth is that most of us are not anonymous when we are online. There are many people tracking our every move. They know what websites we visit and what we do when we are connected to the Internet. This leaves you feeling a bit weary of ever getting online again, but it doesn't have to. You can learn to mask your IP address and surf the web anonymously.

Do I Really Need to Mask My IP Address?

If you use the Internet and you want to be anonymous and not have people tracking you then you do need to mask your IP address. Now not everyone tracking your IP address is doing so with malicious thoughts. Many websites log your IP address when you visit to help them conduct marketing analysis. They may use filters to block certain users or as a way to filter users. They may also be monitoring behavior on forums or in comments.

The problem lies with those who are tracking your behavior for malicious reasons. Some websites may track users so they can send them spam. They may sell user information illegally. IP address tracking can also be used in cyber stalking incidents. That is pretty scary and exactly why you should be concerned.

How Masking an IP Address Works

Every computer must have an IP address to access the Internet. Proxy servers are a popular way I use to mask my IP address. A proxy server acts as a middle man. Your computer sends information through the proxy server so that the IP address that shows up on websites when you are online is that of the proxy server and not your computer.

When using a proxy server you have to choose the right proxy server. You have to choose a sever that is secure and protected. It must be a service you can trust because they will be handling your web logs. The server must also be fast because if it is slow then your Internet experience will be slow. You should also find a server that will delete your web logs right away. After all, you are masking your IP address to prevent tracking, so you do not want those logs just sitting around where they can still be accessed.

Looking into how to mask my IP address, you will find many options. It is just important that you take your time when choosing a proxy server. You need to be smart about choosing a service that will give you the service that you know will provide you with the ability to successfully keep yourself anonymous while surfing the web. After you find that perfect proxy server you can then go online with confidence that you will not have to worry about your information being used or even stolen from you. You will finally be able to feel secure when you are online because you will finally be able to be assured you have been successful in your quest to mask my IP address.

Andy Green is a Web Developer and Internet Marketer with several years of experience in web security. You can check out Andy's review of the Proxify service which shows you how to mask my IP.