How do spying organizations and online surveillance services track users who surf the Internet from their PCs or smartphones? Thanks to the IP address, which works in a similar way to an identification plate for each internet connection.This address is assigned to every device connected to the Internet in the world and can be shared between different devices if they come out of the same router or connected behind the same modem: on some connections it changes every time a new internet connection is created, in others it is static and uniquely identifies the origin of the connection (consequently it is theoretically possible to know the user's identity).
Hiding your identity goes through two basic steps: hiding the geographical location of your connection (also great for bypassing local restrictions on some websites blocked in your country); prevent online monitoring and avoid leaving fingerprints when browsing certain types of sites, to ensure complete privacy.
To protect our privacy and prevent our identity from being discovered, in this guide we will show you how to hide IP address on PC, Android and iPhone, so as to be able to browse without worries and without leaving traces of our passage on the Web, as well as being able to access services with very precise geographical limitations (such as the Netflix catalog in the United States).
ALSO READ: Surf anonymously on the internet with proxy, vpn and fake IP address
Tor network
One of the most effective ways to hide the IP address on PC, Android and iPhone is to use the rete gate, whose clients can be downloaded from the official website.
Through this free service our encrypted connection will be "bounced" on several different computers and servers; eventually we will go out on the Internet with a new public IP address and a new geographic location, without the possibility that the server contacted (or anyone trying to monitor the connection) will ever find out where we are really connected.
To use Tor on a PC just download the Tor Browser program, available for Windows, Mac and GNU / Linux; it is a modified version of Firefox to quickly access the Tor network and protect all browsing data. We can also access the Tor network from mobile, by downloading the Tor Browser app for Android and the Onion Browser app for iOS / iPadOS.
In this regard, we invite you to read ours Guide to configuring Tor with foreign IPs, so you can learn how to manually set the country of the desired output IP address.
VPN proxy
If Tor is too slow for our needs and we still want to adequately protect our IP and our connection, it is better to focus on a VPN service, which uses encrypted and secure IP masking servers scattered around the world.
With this type of service, our connection will always be encrypted and addressed in a specific tunnel (impossible for the operator and the secret services to intercept), so that we can "go out" on one of the servers set up as a proxy for the service, thus providing us a new IP address and a new geographic location.
The most famous VPN services do not store any browsing logs, offer numerous servers to choose from, allow you to check the level of encryption and security and their offices reside in countries without the obligation to communicate computer data (essential to avoid investigations). VPN servers are managed by companies and maintaining these services costs: that's why most offer a limited free trial version (a certain amount of MB or hours available), with very few totally free services.
The best totally free VPN service is ProtonVPN, available for free with no time or connection limits but with a limited number of servers to choose from (we can unlock all servers and maximum connection speed only by signing up for a subscription). ProtonVPN is also available for free for Android and iOS / iPadOS.
To deepen the topic and learn about other VPN services (even for a fee), we invite you to read our guides on Best free VPN services and programs for safe and free surfing e Best VPN for Android, iPhone free and unlimited.
proxy Server
As an alternative to VPNs we can use simple ones proxy Server, which are interposed between our connection and the destination server by changing our IP and our geographical position (without the use of tunneling, as seen on VPNs).
I free proxy servers often offer poor connection security (no encryption and low connection speed), while i server proxy a pagamento actually offer the same advantages of a VPN (dedicated program, advanced encryption, no log and quick IP change), with the possibility of being able to configure the connection without a program (since all modern operating systems and web browsers include the addition of a manual proxy server).
Some of the most popular proxies on the internet are provided by Proxify.com, Anonymouse, and Hidemyass, but we can find others to take advantage of for free in our guide to Best proxies and programs to go to blacked-out sites.
To manually configure a proxy, please read our article on How to set up a proxy on Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Proxy VPN extensions for Google Chrome
If we want to hide the IP address on a PC in a simple way without having to install programs or configure clients to access private networks, we can consider the extensions for the Google Chrome browser, able to hide our IP and location like a proxy server or a VPN.
The best extensions we can try on Chrome are SaferVPN Proxy, 1clickVPN, and ZenMate VPN. To use them, we choose the extension we like best, open the Google Chrome browser and install it, so that we can surf in a totally anonymous way with a click of the mouse.
For Chrome we can also set up some extensions of the most famous VPN services, as described in our guide Best VPNs for Chrome (Free Extensions).
Conclusions
Hiding the IP address can be done in many ways, using private software or online services. We choose the method and service that we deem most suitable for us, so as to protect our online activity and be untraceable when we browse foreign websites or dubious sites.
Se accediamo spesso a siti stranieri con contenuti bloccati per l'el paese, usare i proxy o le estensioni mirate ci permetteranno di superare tutti i limiti e di visualizzare i contenuti senza problemi, come visto anche nella nostra guida su come open any blocked or blacked-out site.
If, on the other hand, we want to extend the protection of a VPN to all devices connected to our home network (without configuring them one by one), we can set the VPN parameters on a suitable router, as seen in our in-depth analysis on how to configure VPN on Router.
If we want to deepen the subject, we can also find out Who can see our IP address and what can they do with it?
