Mar 04, 2023

Why You Should Not Use Free Proxies?

Since the beginning of the internet, there has been a notion of online privacy. Due to digital footprints and data breaches, people are becoming increasingly aware of the necessity to protect personal data when using the internet. 

The usage of proxy servers to safeguard anonymity is still prevalent for several reasons. The main benefit of many proxy servers is that they are free, which is great for users who want to avoid committing to commercial alternatives.

By hiding your IP address, proxy servers work as go-betweens for your devices and the web pages or online services you use, ensuring your anonymity. Your web traffic passes through a different server outside your local network when connected to a proxy, making it difficult for nefarious parties to monitor your web activity.

The main issue with using free web proxies is that you might need to know who is running them. They might be cyber criminals, a honeypot for intelligence services, or legitimate corporations with shady dealings. A proxy server may observe everything you do online even though it masks your identity and browsing activity from the websites you visit.

Types of Proxy Servers

• HTTP

Proxy servers that support HTTP are only intended for web traffic. An HTTP proxy can redirect all traffic that travels through your browser. These proxies are valid for accessing geo-restricted websites since they alter your IP address. Moreover, HTTP proxies cache the pages you visit, speeding up browsing.

• SOCKS

SOCKS proxies can be set up at the application and web levels. The SOCKS proxy can redirect any traffic it receives, unlike HTTP proxies, which primarily handle web traffic. On a P2P platform, video app, game, or the majority of online browsers, SOCKS proxies can be configured. Since their compatibility with practically every network protocol, SOCKS proxies are versatile and easy to use in any situation.

Why Not Use Free Proxy Servers?

There are many free proxy servers out there, and each one offers a different selection of nations from which to choose. Enter the site's URL, and they'll load it without any limitations for you. This might look reasonable, and frequently it is. Here, we provide some of the most prevalent reasons against using free proxy servers.

• A free proxy server may contain malicious malware

The server might not be completely free of malware and viruses. You put your trust in a proxy server by doing so in the hopes that it won't utilize it to infect your computer.

Even worse, your computer could unintentionally become infected by a free proxy owner! Some proprietors depend on ad revenue because their service is offered for free. To get you to click on the ads and support the server, they will insert them inside the content they display for you.

Regrettably, some malware programmers exploit websites with weak advertising controls to spread their programs with advertisements.

• Lack of HTTPS in free proxy servers

While using a free proxy server, this is a severe security issue that everyone should be aware of. Connection to the proxy server is not encrypted if HTTPS is not present. The data you provide could be easily seen by someone keeping an eye on the connection as it passes through the network. Due to this, using proxy services for anything requiring privacy, like inputting your login information into a website, is a terrible idea.

• It could harm cookies

Your computer generates a cookie, which is a tiny text file when you log in to a server. You no longer need to log in each time you access the website because this saves your login information. Usually, this would be a beneficial feature, but if a proxy server is in the way, the website's proprietors might be capable of stealing the cookies as they are being created.

Once they obtain your browsing session's login cookies, they could utilize them to assume your identity online. Depending on the websites you viewed using the proxy server, they may do a significant amount of harm. You might get into a lot of trouble if you visit sensitive websites!

Use Cases of Free Proxies

The only use case that makes sense is when you do not want to protect your private information and don't give a damn about security. You merely wish to do basic online browsing or information filtering instead.

Other than that, there are no good reasons to use free proxies because they provide scant to no security, privacy, or customer support. Free proxies, after all, won't be able to shield you from hacking attempts and cybercriminals collecting data about you or your business.

Some Benefits of Using Paid Proxies

• Enhanced protection

You can have a sufficient level of protection for a fair price. For example, paid proxy service providers can use improved security procedures that shield the client's devices from hazards like viruses.

Paid proxy servers are much more effective at providing anonymity by masking your online activity. You can conceal your IP address with a purchased proxy, making it impossible for others to find it. 

• Better Speed

Free proxies could be faster, especially during periods of high traffic. They draw additional users, as was already said, which causes system problems and downtime. With premium proxy providers, however, you can count on faster speeds and more dependability because they have more sturdy hardware and less user traffic.

• No ads and Pop-ups

Advertising on free proxies is quite annoying. It is cognitively taxing to browse the web while seeing adverts since they consume so much attention. Contrarily, customers, not advertising, pay for the upkeep of paid proxies. Therefore, intrusive adverts and pop-up windows are not an issue. As a result, the web performs better and faster.

Conclusion

Using free proxies is very risky as they don't provide any benefit. They provide no protection and are much less secure. Would you rather pay for a reputable proxy service such as Rain Proxy that provides much greater security and benefits than entrust your personal data to a free service, given the threats and risks to privacy, privacy, data theft, and data breach?