Did you know that practically all websites that you visit are capable of collecting and logging information about you? This includes your IP address, your location, your web browser and operating system. Although these might not mean anything to you, third parties can use them to send you bogus emails and spam or worse, send malicious content to your computer.

Common sense will tell you not to go to suspicious websites, but then, it’s hard to tell these days, which sites are OK and which ones aren’t. Sometimes, it’s not even the website that is at fault, but rather the system administrator in charge. There is no guarantee that all system administrators are professional and ethical enough not to use client data for malicious purposes.

One way to protect your online privacy is to use an anonymous browsing software or service. Basically, what happens is you log in then the software or service will provide an IP address that impersonates you, so that your real IP address will stay hidden. This way, you don’t need to worry that your IP address or other personal information is being collected without your knowledge.