Internet users find various dangers lurking in the shadows of the World Wide Web. Certainly, Internet privacy should be a major concern to anyone who surfs the Internet. Web surfers are learning that as modern technology evolves, a new generation of criminals evolves with it. Users try to gain an advantage anyway possible, whether it is an Internet security suite or by surfing through a private proxy server, but find it difficult to know which companies to trust. This is a difficult question to answer and leaves many users wondering who has their best interest in mind. Many sources offer Internet privacy tools, but do they have ulterior motives or is it a company that truly cares about protecting you? An Internet user can never be truly anonymous; someone will always be keeping records, but the key is to know who will help protect Internet users from the many perils.

For the most part, "free" privacy resources should not be trusted or used as an advanced security measure. Many companies offer a free-trial of their products, but as the old adage says, "nothing in this life is free." Completely free products, such as online proxy lists, should always be avoided. Anyone can host a proxy server for free, but they cannot offer advanced security features such as an encrypted network connection. An encrypted network, and other such security features, will offer greater security and anonymity while surfing. While an anonymous web proxy should not cost an arm and a leg, a company cannot truly offer these products without some cost associated with the usage. A free proxy will most likely be bombarded with spam, advertisements, and viruses/malware, which defeats the purpose of trying to protect your system at all. Unlike a legitimate privacy company, many of the free products have no data retention policies, meaning that information is indefinitely stored in a server waiting to be hacked.

Internet users should always read the privacy policies of the sites they visit. A privacy policy is a good measure of how a company conducts business and whether or not they can be a trusted source. A privacy policy is a legal document which deals with the company’s relationship with customers and vendors. A good privacy policy will tell the user what personal information is collected, how the information is used, the persons to whom the personal information may be disclosed, the security measures taken to protect the personal information, and whether the website uses cookies to store data. In any instance, if a privacy policy is missing from the website or not explicitly disclosed then avoid working with that company at all costs. Web users should also do some research before buying products. Users should be able to easily locate contact information, including company e-mail, address, phone/fax numbers, and a company contact, so they know who they can turn to if needed. Online merchants will usually secure their online transactions by using a third party credit card processor, which again must have a privacy policy to conduct e-business. If any of this information is missing, a user should search elsewhere for a trusted company.

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