Start Using CGI Proxy
From LoveToKnow Web-Design
If you'd like to start using CGI proxy, it's not too hard. However, you'd be wise to take a moment and think about exactly why you want to use it – it may not do what you think.
CGI Proxy Basics
A "proxy server" is simply a server that sits between the end user's computer and the Internet service provider – rather than the pages and content from the web being "served" directly to the user's web browser. These proxies may be in order to filter and position content for members of a group such as AOL, providing a specific kind of experience and sometimes "caching" content so that sites will load more quickly. They are also used by public wi-fi "hotspots" in order to filter inappropriate content, or to charge for the web access (such as at hotels and airports). Many workplaces use proxy servers to log and record everything that their employees do on the web, and also to block "time wasting" sites, such as Facebook.
Another kind of proxy is called a CGI Bypass Proxy, which is basically used to bypass all the above kinds of proxy servers. Basically it's both a smokescreen and a shortcut, both blocking the user's IP address from being identified (along with other information such as operating system and browser type) and also providing a portal that does not block any sites from the user's browser. While a common use of this technique is to surf non-work-appropriate sites while on the job, a more socially relevant use is by political dissidents in repressive countries who are organizing and providing freedom of information.
Where to Find CGI Proxies
The CGI proxy is a web-based proxy, which makes it very convenient to anyone with a web browser. There are many of them on the web, but one of the most popular and trusted sites is Anonymizer. To start using CGI Proxy for whatever reason, all you have to do is go to that website, type in the website you'd like to visit, and start surfing. The Anonymizer will set you free to look anywhere on the web you like, and the sites you visit won't be able to see any specific information about you other than that you coming from Anonymizer servers.
However, while your electronic identity may be hidden, that does not mean that you are more secure.
When NOT to Start Using CGI Proxy
As Michael Paul cautions in a CGI Directory column, while CGI proxies will provide you with an anonymous IP, a proxy server is still a server, and includes the ability to log everything else – usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and more. In fact, if you are using a CGI proxy because you feel that you are going to have more security, the likelier scenario is that you are putting your personal information in greater danger than if you had simply gone to the site without the proxy. There are some less reputable CGI proxy sites that are designed specifically to trap data like this and use it for identity theft.
Of course, if you are computer-savvy enough to run your own server, you can always do it yourself by installig a CGI proxy on your own server. You can find many tutorials on how to do this on various web-design sites, including several articles right here on LoveToKnow:
Keep in mind that administrators of the sites that you are trying to bypass are actively trying to locate the IP addresses of the various CGI proxy sites so that they can be blocked. There are several sites (including Anonymizer) that have email updates as they move their proxy sites one step ahead of the blocking sites. It's a constant game of cat and mouse in terms of Internet security, so if you're going to use CGI proxy make sure you're fully aware of its capabilities and limitations.
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