General Surfing FAQ

What type of Internet connection does Anonymizer Surfing work with?

All kinds: modem, DSL, ISDN, cable and most other forms of Internet connections work with our service.

Will the Anonymizer Surfing service work with WebTV, Macintosh, Linux, UNIX, etc.?

Yes. Our service works with all major operating systems and ISPs. However, if you notice any unusual behavior, please report it to support@anonymizer.com.

Does your service work with AOL?

Yes. But, again, if you notice anything unusual, please email support@anonymizer.com.

How do I know the service is working?

There are three ways you can tell the service is working. The first is seeing "[Protected by-NAME]" following the title of each page in the title bar of your browser. The title bar is the one at the very top of your browser window that usually has buttons to minimize, maximize and close the browser. The actual value of NAME isn't important -- its just the name of the Anonymizer proxy that happened to serve up your page and is likely to change with each new page you load.

The second way to verify that our service is working is by confirming that the site you are visiting has an "anonymizer.com" prefix in the location bar of your browser. The location bar is the area of the browser labelled "Location:" (or "Address" in Internet Explorer) into which you can type the address of a new web site to visit. It will look like the following:

http://anon.free.anonymizer.com/http://www.yoursite.com

The "free" in the address will be "user" if you're a Premium customer.

The third visual cue you have is the blue Anonymizer Toolbar found at the top of each page you load anonymously. This is the large blue box that says, "This page was loaded Anonymously," on it and has a text entry box into which you can type the address of a new web site to visit. Note that this bar may be hidden on some sites that use frames. If you do not see this bar, check for the other two signs of being protected.

If I click on a link, on a protected web page, will it be protected as well?

Yes.

How do I stop using the service?

The best ways to stop using the service are to either quit your browser or to manually type a new site into the browser's "Location:" bar.

If I bookmark while using your service, will it be protected the next time I use it?

Yes.

How do I change my password, email address or auto-billing option?

Please see our Account Status Page.

How do I check to see when my account will expire?

Please see our Account Status Page.

Can my employer, ISP, firewall, government, etc. see where I am going?

The free service protects you from the web sites you are visiting. The free service does not protect you from any eavesdropping intermediary between your machine and ours. Premium users have the option of using URL Encryption which protects them from the logging and tracking methods most often employed by intermediaries (ISPs, firewalls, etc). Users who desire a completely secure connection between their computer and ours should look into an Anonymizer SSH account.

Can I use Java, JavaScript or Cookies while I'm surfing with the Anonymizer?

Premium users can use Safe Cookies to accept "sanitized" and "secured" cookies from web sites. These cookies are encrypted by the Anonymizer to ensure intermediaries cannot read them and are rewritten so as to be "session-only," so that they are not stored permanently on your computer. All other technologies are disabled because they pose serious risks to your privacy. We do, however, plan to place more of these features under the control of our users as we continue to improve our service.

But I can turn off Java, JavaScript and Cookies in my browser... Why do I need you?

There are many things that happen "behind the scenes" that you can't turn off with your browser. For instance, your browser sends the address of the last page you visited to every new site that you load. It also sends information about your operating system, browser software, IP address, and more. Most browsers do not have features that will allow you to stop the broadcasting of this information. And more importantly, only a third-party proxy service like ours would have the ability to hide your IP address and prevent logging by intermediaries.

What if my question wasn't answered here?

Please email support@anonymizer.com with any more questions that you may have.