When connecting to the Internet, your computer receives a public IP address. As you visit web sites or other Internet servers, that public IP address is transmitted and recorded in log files kept on those servers. Access logs leave behind a trail of your Internet activity. If it would be possible to hide your public IP address, your Internet activity would become much more difficult to trace.

IP addresses facilitate devices to locate and communicate with each other on the Internet. On the other hand, it is possible to hide public IP addresses from most Internet servers in most situations. This method involves an Internet service called an anonymous proxy server.

An anonymous proxy server is a special type of server that acts as an intermediary between a home network and the rest of the Internet. An anonymous proxy server makes requests for Internet information on your behalf, using its own IP address instead of yours. Your computer only accesses web sites indirectly, through the proxy server. This way, web sites will see the proxy's IP address, not your home IP address.

The ability to hide an IP address increases your privacy on the Internet.