Wondering what IP Scrambler is and how to get and use them, then, come in now and read how they help you hide your IP and location data. Also, learn about its other alternatives.
When you access the Internet, you are giving out a lot of information about you and your location even without knowing – thanks to your IP Address. How this happens is simple; when you try connecting to a web server, there will be a handshake between your browser and the server, and a lot of information is exchanged compulsorily – with your IP Address being part of it.
For the uninitiated, an Internet Protocol (IP) Address is a set of numerical labels assigned to Internet-enabled devices connected to the Internet for the purpose of communication. They tend to reveal your location, and with that, a website can decide to show different content to their users based on their location.
However, a website can also use it to deny users from specific locations access, or even a single user since the IP is assigned to a single computer. Security agencies can also use it in combination with other technologies to track down someone. In the world, we live in today that surveillance is increasingly becoming the order of the day despite the public outcry for privacy on the Internet.
If your privacy cannot be guaranteed, then you need to take extra measures to keep your real identity hidden by masking your IP Address. When this is done, the sites you visit have false information of you and cannot make any correct judgment about you – the real incognito mode on the Internet.
There are many ways to hide an IP Address with the use of IP Scrambler being one of them.
IP Scrambler – Proxy Server
What is an IP Scrambler?
The term IP Scrambler can be seen as an attempt to coin a word for an already existing system with a name – something like an alias. IP Scrambler is nothing but a proxy server – yes, they are proxy servers. Proxy servers are intermediate servers that web requests are routed through in order to hide the real IP Addresses of computers sending the requests.
This is achieved since the computer that ends up submitting the request will be the proxy server, and as such, web services will only see the IP of proxy servers and not the IP of the computers initiating the requests.
However, there is a little difference between an IP Scrambler and a proxy server. An IP Scrambler makes use of proxies but changes them after every request – more like a high rotating proxy. that’s why some experts refer to IP Scrambler as a proxy switcher.
To achieve what can be known as an IP Scrambler, you have two options. You can either make use of rotating proxies or do the rotating yourself. For the manual method, you have a bunch of proxies, and then you change the one you use after every web request.
The real IP Scrambler is the high rotating proxies that automatically change their IP Address after every web request. Some changes after a specific or random period of time too. You can buy high rotating proxies from Brightdata (Luminati), GeoSurf, Microleaves, Stormproxies, and many other rotating residential proxy providers.
Alternatives to IP Scramblers (Proxies)
Now that we know that IP Scramblers are proxies, what other alternatives can we use to mask our real identity in other to protect our privacy online? There are two major alternatives – VPN Services and Tor.
VPN Services
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) works the same as a proxy by routing your web requests through an intermediate server. However, unlike in the case of proxies that they work from the application level and you need to set them up in specific applications for them to work, it is not like that in VPN Services. For VPN, the protection is at the system level.
Ones you have a VPN installed on your computer and activated, all requests from your computer are subjected to their interference and modification to spoof your IP Address and location information. While proxies are mostly used on PCs, smartphone users, together with PC users, make use of VPN services.
VPN Services have a few advantages over proxies. While data sent through proxy servers are not encrypted, VPN software encrypts all data originating from your system and protects you against your ISP, government, and even hackers’ surveillance. It is also more reliable than proxies. however, it is slower compared to proxy servers because of the need for encryption.
More, What’s The Difference Between a Proxy and a VPN?
Tor Services
There is also a third way of hiding your real IP Address – making use of Tor. Tor is arguably the most difficult and best way to hide your IP. The Onion Router is actually the name of this service. It is a little bit more technical, and as such, let me try and explain it in an easy format by comparing it with proxies and VPN Service.
For VPN and Proxies, your requests are routed through only one or two other devices (in the case of residential IP proxy). However, this is not the case in Tor as it routes and reroutes it through a good number of computers, removing all traces that can be linked to your real IP before getting to the website.
An individual request is relayed through a number of computers known as nodes. The Tor service is an Open Source project that has over 7,000 volunteer nodes (computer) in its network. To make use of the Tor, you need to interact with the Tor Network. There are two popular ways of doing this – either by using the Tor Browser Bundle or install a Tor plugin for your browser.
More, How to Use Proxies to Surf Tor Anonymously
Conclusion
The Internet is a place you have a false sense of privacy. If you want to remain truly safe on the Internet and anonymous, you have to disabuse your mind and know that you are under surveillance. Since most web servers won't provide you the kind of privacy you need, hiding your IP by using IP Scramblers and the other discussed methods is the way to go.
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