Web Privacy

I have been browsing the internet recently and noticed certain sites use my towns name in there adverts. I dont understand fully how this works, I guess each area has a certain code? Anyway I dont like the idea that any website knows my area and targets advertisments to me in this way, is there any way anyone knows of to hide my identity whilst surfing the internet? Programs to download or tweaks? Advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

The web, by nature, isn't private at all. The internet is also known as "the public network".

To give you an idea why, please try this:

1. Hit windows key + r (or click Start --> Run)
2. In the 'Run' dialog, type 'cmd' (without the quotes)
3. At the command prompt, type 'tracert www.majorgeeks.com' (without the quotes)
4. Hit enter

The command prompt will show you every "hop" that your traffic has to take. Each hop represents one network that your traffic has to pass through just to reach www.majorgeeks.com. Any one of those could log your traffic.

The very act of "connecting to the internet" is really just joining your computer to your ISP's network.

That being said, you CAN cause some confusion on the server end. For example, if you were to browse through a proxy, it will forward web requests to servers on your behalf, sending the information it retrieves back to your computer. This might cause these sites you mention to think you are in another location. (That of the proxy)

However, your info has to travel to the proxy in the same fashion as it does to Majorgeeks here.

Post back if you're still interested, and I can show you how to do it.

 

Thank you both for your advice. If using a proxy will slow my system down then I will leave it as my system is too slow at the moment anyway. It isnt a serious problem or anything, I just didnt like to think any Joe Bloggs could locate me with minimal effort. I will understand all this stuff better soon for myself when i start my OU course!

Thanks also for showing me that command prompt it was very interesting.

Oh and i am using NTL/virginMedia.