There are, in fact, many benefits of using a web proxy server.
Some of the more common ones involve maintaining your privacy and getting around blocks placed upon your IP address, such as the ones placed on school computers.I wouldn't recommend using a proxy service to get around blocks - they are there for a reason - but for many other legitimate uses they can be a real boon.
In simple terms, a proxy works thus:
You want to connect your computer (1) to another computer or website (2) but you either cannot, or you want to do so privately.
In this case you would then use a proxy (3) to connect to computer or website (2), thereby gaining access without the computer or website the other end knowing it was you that had made the connection.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to do something like this -
Improved Security
If you visit a website that you think may pose a risk to your computer for some reason then using a proxy can give you an added layer of protection, much like using a firewall does.
You will not connect directly to the website in question and so you will have a further degree of protection from any malware that the site may try to infect you with.
Hacking Protection
Using a web proxy server between your computer and the web will prevent hackers from obtaining your IP address, thereby drastically redusing the risks of them being able to gain access to your cache or hard drives.
Website Filtering
The ability of a proxy to filter certain sites is quite variable so you will need to put in a little research time to take advantage of this feature.
Big players who use proxies to block certain sites include the United Arab Emirates and, more famously, China who block large parts of the world wide web from their citizens.
On a more personal note, you could employ a proxy service to prevent your kids watching porn or your employees from accessing social networking sites such as Facebook, Friendster, Plurk and Twitter.
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