All of you have found yourself in a situation where you needed to access a website that was restricted in your region. In that case, you must have used a free proxy server to circumvent it, haven’t you?
Or perhaps, you just wanted to beef up online privacy and wanted to mask your IP address. In this case, you must be tempted to use a free proxy server.
But do remember, when you are not paying for a product, you become the product. Despite masking your online activity, you can become a victim of data breaches.
This, as a result, poses a few burning questions regarding how these free proxies work, and if they are the culprits behind causing data theft.
Hold up, we will break this down and dissect more details about free proxies to give you a clear picture.
But first,
What is a Proxy Server?
The sheer textbook definition of a proxy server is that it is a remotely hosted software application that exists between the client device and the wider internet. As a result, it filters and regulates the traffic that passes through it.
To put it in plain words, a proxy server is a computer network that allows users to mask their location to stream TV shows available in other countries. It can keep your identity private and secure, allowing you to do whatever on the internet, without worrying about being overseen by someone else.
You can use proxy servers to:
- Hide your IP address from a particular site
- Get access to restricted content that is limited for a few countries
- Access sites that are blocked by local networks
Now, there are two types of proxy servers, paid and free servers. The paid versions offer advanced features, such as highly encrypted privacy and security. On the flip side, there are many shortcomings with free proxy servers (like all other free things in the world).
No matter what type of proxy you use, it is important to consider its performance and reliability. You should not rely on a slow proxy or one that delivers malware.
Most people think that a proxy server is a network in itself. But it is not. You need the internet to use a proxy server. So, make sure your device is connected to a super-fast internet, such as Optimum. This ISP ensures you can make the most of your internet experience with its mouth-watering plans and packages. On top, Spanish customers may benefit from exclusive deals. Contact Optimum Servicio al cliente to learn more about it.
How Does a Free Proxy Server Work?
Different proxies have different ways of working, but generally, when a device requests the internet through a proxy, it reads and interprets it, and is sent to the right server.
The internet server, then, reads the IP of the proxy and sends the required data to the IP of that proxy. After that, the proxy server receives the data and checks it for possible malware. In the end, data is forwarded to the requesting device.
By and large, the proxy servers use the SOCKS(Socket Secure) protocol which allows them to handle any traffic. While some are specific to one TCP(Transmission Control Protocol) protocol, such as HTTP, others are completely web-based. This means that you do not have to configure specific settings for your browser. You can simply go to the proxy website and give the URL to access it.
You Should Not Use Free Proxy
- Highly Vulnerable
Well, you know that free proxies are supposed to change your IP address and location. But you will never know who is behind the free proxy and you. Therefore, when you obtain traffic through a proxy, you can’t trust the server.
What’s more, free proxy websites do not allow HTTPS connection. It means that anyone can read your data, causing major security concerns.
- Information You Can Access can be Easily Modified
Mostly, free services depend on ads to generate revenue. So, third-party data is placed into your target website’s HTML and Javascript code. You may see Ads that should not be there; these ads majorly contain harmful content and are responsible for slowing down the connection.
- Poor Proxy Performance
Free proxies must have few resources to maintain them and many people would be using the same IPs, their performance is below par. So, you can’t expect something good to happen with free proxies.
Bottom Line
Free proxies may lure you at times but they are not worth it. Not only they are sluggish but they put your security and privacy in danger. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use paid proxies, after evaluating their performance and reliability.
