I'd like to stop web sites from being able to track me when I'm
browsing the web. I'm using Internet Explorer. I know how to block
cookies. The only other way they have of tracking me that I'm aware of
is my IP address, but there may be others. So, when using IE, is there
any way to block all this identifying information and browse the web
anonymously?

---

Clarification of Question by beatle-ga on 25 May 2003 12:16 PDT

Assuming funkywizard is correct - is there any free software out there
that works well and that I can plug in to IE to make it anonymous?

Hello beatle, 

How important is your privacy to you? 

Sure there are many services that are available that will allow you to
block your ip address through proxies and such, but you also lose many
features such as:

-cookies (some website REQUIRE these)
-security (who is running the "anonymous proxy"?
-encryption (browse https:// ie: shopping with security online)
-javascript (javascript often stops working properly through a proxy).

In addition, you also have to be worried about the following issues,
which are not resolved even through an anonymous proxy.
-"referrer" URLs (website can see what "site" you came from, and this
may include your user name on another service etc.)
-your OS and Browser type
-the proxy could have been set up by ANYONE, including someone
insterested in your surfing history.

Now if you are really serious about anonymous online browsing, take a
look at this service, one that I am personally a subscriber of:
http://www.anonymizer.com

It currently costs $29.95 for a whole year, but I suggest you try it
for $9.95 for 3 months. They have a section at the top of the page
that allows you to try the service for free (but most of the security
issues listed above will not be solved in the free version).

Go to this website now: http://www.whatismyip.com
Your ip will be clearly listed. Now use the Anonymizer.com service and
visit that website again:
Your ip address completely changes!

With the paid version, you will be allowed to have anonymizer save up
to 20 cookies for you on THEIR service (and still be anonymous). You
will also be able to use SSL, encryption, javascript (beta feature
currently). They also allow you to block pop up ads etc.

You can have a look at the Anonymizer toolbar and download the free
version here: http://www.anonymizer.com/download.html) Simply clicking
the green button in your ie toolbar will give you the best privacy
(with a paid subscription) that I have found.

NOTE: If anyone is reading this and thinking that it is possible to
break the law using top notch anonymous services and getting away with
it, Anonymizer more than likely will give the FBI or police agencies
any information they need if one is a suspect in a crime. But for
people who want to be truly anonymous on the net while not losing
features, siging up for a third party anonymous service is the only
way to go in my opinion. Note you can use anonymizer as a proxy server
(not having to download the tool) but you would be losing a lot of the
functionality in doing so.

===============================================

OTHER Paid Anonymous Services: (I have not used any of these myself)
http://www.primedius.com/ (7 day free trial)
http://www.proxyone.com/
http://www.idzap.com/
http://www.inetprivacy.com/a4proxy/

FREEWARE/SHAREWARE Anonymous Services:
http://download.com.com/3120-20-0.html?qt=anonymous&tg=dl-2001

Sorted by Download number (some are not applicable):
http://download.com.com/sort/3120-2001-0-1-4.html?qt=anonymous&ca=2001

I hope this was the type of research you were looking for. If you need
any clarifications regarding this answer, please let me know and I
will do my best to further assist you.

tisme-ga


Search Strategy (on Google): 

"anonymous surfing"
"anonymous internet"
anonymizer
anonymous surfing

Not using IE by itself. The only way to block such information
entirely is with a 3rd party service such as anonymizer.com, or any of
several other competing privacy services.

Another technique you can use to enhance your privacy is to use a
"multi proxy server" that routes your web browsing through a series
public proxy servers.

Once you have set up "multiproxy" you can tell Internet Explorer to
route your traffic through it:  Tools | Internet Options | Connections
Tab | Lan Settings and check the "Use a proxy server" box and indicate
the IP address of "multiproxy".

The owner of the web site will not have your IP address.  Of course,
the public proxy servers would.  If that is troublesome to you, use of
a third-party privacy service may be useful to you, as suggested in
the previous comment.  However, they would then serve as your proxy
server and they would know where you surf, so you would need to trust
the service provider.

Also, while cookies are one form of tracking, you may also want to
investigate the use of "web beacons" which are small, transparent
graphic files that some servers use to track you (Yahoo has been known
to use this technique).

Good Luck!

More information about Yahoo Web Beacons is available here:
http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/pixels/details.html

Hey check out JAP here http://anon.inf.tu-dresden.de/ .  It is very
easy to set up and works very well.  It is also FREE.