I Think I Am

If the title didn’t grab your attention tightly enough, the actual substance should. We all want to have our own space. We want to be able to have our cake and eat it too. If you were forced to decide which is more important to you–the freedom of information or personal privacy–you might feel that your personal privacy is paramount…

But what about that same right for someone who is doing something illicit and/or illegal: Wouldn’t you want to know if a violent offender lives near your child’s school? Of course you would. But would you want that same convicted felon to know your address and the ages of your children? I didn’t think so.

Using an internet proxy server may well protect your identity and certain private information from would-be solicitors, but the fact that the same privilege is available to everyone else is more than a little disturbing to contemplate. Is it really a double-standard? Maybe it is, but so what?

Like it or not, proxy servers offer (to those who know how) the ability to bypass firewalls in order to access websites that may otherwise be blocked, such as your 12 year old niece (who can check her myspace page in the computer lab at her school). The responsibility lies on the shoulders of the entire community.

There are watch-dog groups out there that are cracking down on would-be predators, so let’s not focus too much on those details. For the most part, we are willing to forgo a few freedoms in exchange for protecting others.

A few proxy servers only allow single jumps and with a court ordered subpoena the legitimate authorities are typically able to access the IP addresses of those who use a proxy, while most corporate entities and identity thieves do not have such capabilities, thankfully.

Perhaps it may sound a touch anarchistic, but we are not suggesting that we use the restroom with the door open, but nobody needs to know whether you eat with your elbows on the table (when you aren’t having dinner in front of the PC while checking your email or reading a blog).

Pop culture, especially certain recent high-tech films espouse the idea that hackers bouncing through a dozen internet proxy servers are able to break into your medical or financial records and never get caught.

While this is grossly exaggerated, a simple proxy may allow you to view videos that may not exactly be neither family-friendly nor work-safe (in hopes that the administrator “John” doesn’t catch on to the fact that you aren’t actually intently researching tips on improving office productivity).

Internet proxy servers typically claim that none of your personal details are sold nor shared with third parties. How then can they afford to host a proxy site? Many are in fact used by their owners to protect the privacy of their own information while surfing. Remember, nothing is free — especially services.

Plenty of proxy sites are available, so you can be selective, and should be. Ask your techie friend for one that has a good reputation. But then again, some supposed anti-spyware programs pop up, warning you that your system may be infected with spyware.

Consider that: they pop up and steal system resources, causing your system to run slower. Isn’t that the malicious behavior they are allegedly preventing??? Ironies abound, I tell ya!

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