To bolster your online privacy and obscure your digital footprint, here are five effective methods to hide your IP address: utilize a Virtual Private Network VPN service to encrypt your traffic and route it through a server in another location. employ the Tor browser for anonymous browsing by bouncing your connection through multiple relays worldwide. connect through a proxy server to act as an intermediary, masking your true IP. use a public Wi-Fi network with caution which assigns a temporary, shared IP. or reset your modem/router though temporary and dependent on your ISP to potentially receive a new dynamic IP address.

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Table of Contents

Understanding Your IP Address and Why It Matters

Ever wonder how websites know where you’re browsing from, or how ads seem to follow you around the internet? Much of it comes down to your Internet Protocol IP address. Think of your IP address as your unique digital home address—it tells the internet where to send data specifically to your device. It’s a fundamental part of how the internet functions, allowing communication between devices.

There are two main types of IP addresses:

Public IP Address: This is the address your Internet Service Provider ISP assigns to your home network. It’s how the outside world sees your connection. When you visit a website, your public IP address is visible to that site.
Private IP Address: This is the address assigned to devices within your local network like your laptop, phone, or smart TV. These addresses are not visible to the outside internet.

Why is your IP address important?

Your IP address can reveal a surprising amount of information about you, including:

Geographic Location: It can pinpoint your general location, often down to your city, state, and even your approximate neighborhood.
Internet Service Provider ISP: It identifies your ISP, which means they know everything about your online activities.
Online Activity Tracking: Websites and online advertisers can use your IP address to track your browsing habits, build profiles about your interests, and target you with specific ads. A study by Northwestern University in 2020 found that IP addresses are used in conjunction with cookies to create robust user profiles, with over 75% of top websites employing third-party trackers.
Censorship and Geo-blocking: Your IP can determine whether you can access certain content based on your location. Many streaming services, for instance, block content based on geographical IP addresses.

While your IP address is essential for basic internet functions, understanding its implications for privacy is crucial.

For those seeking enhanced anonymity, exploring methods to mask or change their IP becomes a sensible step.

The Virtual Private Network VPN Advantage

When it comes to reliably hiding your IP address and encrypting your internet traffic, a Virtual Private Network VPN is often the go-to solution. It creates a secure, encrypted tunnel between your device and a server operated by the VPN provider. All your internet traffic then flows through this tunnel, and when it exits the VPN server, it appears to originate from the VPN server’s IP address, not your own.

How a VPN Works Its Magic

Imagine sending a letter through the mail. Without a VPN, your letter your data is in a clear envelope, showing your return address your IP and readable by anyone who handles it. With a VPN, your letter is put inside a secure, opaque box the encrypted tunnel and sent to a post office in another city the VPN server. When it leaves that post office, it has that post office’s return address, not yours.

Here’s a breakdown of the process:

Encryption: Before your data leaves your device, the VPN encrypts it. This scrambles your information, making it unreadable to anyone who might intercept it, including your ISP.
Tunneling: The encrypted data is then sent through a secure tunnel to the VPN server.
IP Masking: The VPN server decrypts your data and sends it to your intended destination e.g., a website. However, the destination sees the VPN server’s IP address, not your real one.
Data Return: When data comes back, it goes to the VPN server, which then encrypts it again and sends it back through the tunnel to your device.

According to a 2023 survey by Statista, global VPN usage rates continue to climb, with countries like Indonesia and India showing over 50% of internet users utilizing VPNs, highlighting a growing awareness of online privacy. Qualitative data collection methods

Choosing a Trustworthy VPN Provider

Not all VPNs are created equal.

Since your VPN provider will handle all your internet traffic, choosing a reputable and trustworthy service is paramount. Here are key factors to consider:

No-Logs Policy: This is critical. A strict no-logs policy means the VPN provider doesn’t record your online activities, connection timestamps, bandwidth usage, or IP addresses. Always check independent audits if available.
Server Locations: More server locations mean more options for masking your IP and potentially better speeds.
Security Protocols: Look for strong encryption standards like AES-256 and robust protocols such as OpenVPN, WireGuard, or IKEv2/IPsec. Avoid older, less secure protocols like PPTP.
Speed and Performance: A good VPN should offer fast connection speeds without significant slowdowns, crucial for streaming or large downloads.
User-Friendliness: Intuitive apps for various devices Windows, macOS, Android, iOS make it easy to use.
Customer Support: Responsive customer support is essential if you encounter any issues.
Pricing and Features: While free VPNs exist, they often come with limitations like data caps, slower speeds, and sometimes even questionable privacy practices. Investing in a paid, reputable VPN service is generally recommended for serious privacy needs. A 2022 analysis by VPNpro indicated that roughly 38% of free VPN apps on the Google Play Store contained malware or had severe security vulnerabilities.

While a VPN is a powerful tool for privacy, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t make you completely invisible.

Your online behavior and personal information you voluntarily share can still be tracked.

The Anonymity of Tor Browser

For those seeking a higher degree of anonymity than a standard VPN, the Tor browser is a compelling option. Tor, short for “The Onion Router,” is a free, open-source software that enables anonymous communication. It directs internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer overlay network consisting of thousands of relays, making it extremely difficult to trace the traffic back to its origin.

How Tor Works to Conceal Your IP

The “onion” in Tor’s name refers to the layering of encryption.

When you use the Tor browser, your internet traffic is encrypted multiple times and then routed through at least three random relay servers nodes in the Tor network before reaching its destination.

Each relay “peels off” a layer of encryption, revealing only the next relay’s address, not your original IP.

Here’s the process in a nutshell:

Entry Node: Your traffic first enters an “entry node,” which knows your real IP address but only knows the IP address of the next relay.
Middle Node: It then passes through one or more “middle nodes,” which know only the IPs of the previous and next relays, but not your real IP.
Exit Node: Finally, your traffic exits through an “exit node,” which communicates with the destination website. The website sees only the IP address of this exit node, not your original IP.

This multi-layered encryption and routing make it incredibly challenging to correlate your online activity with your actual IP address. A 2023 report by the Tor Project indicated that the network supports over 5 million direct daily users, with peak usage often exceeding 7 million during times of censorship or political unrest, demonstrating its global reach and importance for privacy and freedom of information. Data driven modeling benefits for nft businesses

Considerations and Limitations of Tor

While Tor offers strong anonymity, it’s not without its drawbacks and specific considerations:

Speed: Due to the multi-relay routing and encryption, Tor connections are significantly slower than direct internet connections or even most VPNs. This makes it less ideal for activities requiring high bandwidth, like streaming high-definition video or large file downloads.
Exit Node Vulnerabilities: The exit node is the most vulnerable point in the Tor network. The exit node operator can, in theory, see unencrypted traffic if you’re visiting unencrypted HTTP websites. Always use HTTPS websites when browsing through Tor to ensure end-to-end encryption.
Legitimacy and Association: Because Tor is often used by individuals in oppressive regimes to bypass censorship, or by whistleblowers and journalists, its usage can sometimes be associated with illicit activities. This is an unfair perception, as its primary purpose is privacy and freedom of information, but it’s a reality to be aware of.
Blocking: Some websites or services may block connections from Tor exit nodes to prevent spam or misuse.
Not a Magic Bullet: Tor hides your IP and encrypts your traffic within its network, but it doesn’t protect you from malware, phishing attempts, or if you voluntarily reveal personal information.

Tor is best suited for activities where anonymity is paramount, such as accessing censored information, conducting sensitive research, or protecting your identity from surveillance.

For everyday browsing, a VPN often offers a better balance of privacy and speed.

Leveraging a Proxy Server

A proxy server acts as an intermediary between your device and the internet. When you connect to a website through a proxy, your request first goes to the proxy server, which then forwards it to the website on your behalf. The website sees the IP address of the proxy server, effectively masking your own.

Different Types of Proxy Servers

Proxies come in various flavors, each with different levels of anonymity and functionality:

HTTP Proxies: These are designed specifically for web traffic HTTP/HTTPS. They are commonly used for bypassing simple geo-restrictions or accessing blocked websites. They offer a basic level of anonymity, but your real IP might still be exposed to some extent, especially if you visit non-HTTPS sites.
SOCKS Proxies SOCKS4/SOCKS5: More versatile than HTTP proxies, SOCKS proxies can handle any type of traffic, including web browsing, email, torrenting, and gaming. SOCKS5 is the more advanced version, offering authentication and supporting UDP connections. While more flexible, they typically don’t provide encryption like a VPN.
Anonymous Proxies: These proxies explicitly aim to hide your IP address and often strip out identifying headers that your browser might send.
Elite Proxies High Anonymity Proxies: These are the most anonymous type, not only hiding your IP but also making it appear as if you are browsing directly, without indicating that a proxy is being used.
Transparent Proxies: These proxies don’t hide your IP address and are often used by ISPs or organizations to filter content or cache data, rather than for user anonymity. Avoid these if your goal is to hide your IP.

According to a 2021 report by Statista, the global proxy server market size was valued at approximately $2.5 billion, projected to grow significantly as businesses and individuals increasingly seek solutions for data scraping, cybersecurity, and anonymity.

Pros and Cons of Using Proxies

While proxies can be useful for specific tasks, they have distinct advantages and disadvantages compared to VPNs or Tor:

Pros:

Simplicity: Many web-based proxies are easy to use. you just paste a URL into a form. Others can be configured directly in your browser settings.
Cost-Effective: There are many free proxy services available, though quality and reliability vary widely.
Specific Use Cases: Good for bypassing simple geo-blocks or accessing a single website anonymously.
Faster sometimes: If you’re using a local, fast proxy, it can sometimes be quicker than a VPN for basic browsing because there’s no encryption overhead.

Cons:

Lack of Encryption: Most proxies do not encrypt your traffic. This means your ISP or anyone else monitoring your network can still see what you’re doing, even if your IP is hidden from the destination website. This is a significant privacy loophole.
Reliability: Free proxies are often unreliable, slow, overloaded, or go offline frequently.
Security Risks: Some free proxies can be malicious, collecting your data, injecting ads, or even distributing malware. Exercise extreme caution.
Limited Scope: Proxies typically work on an application-specific basis e.g., only your web browser, unlike VPNs which protect all network traffic from your device.
Logging: Many proxy providers especially free ones might log your activities, defeating the purpose of anonymity.

For serious privacy and security, a VPN is almost always a superior choice to a proxy server due to its comprehensive encryption and full system protection. Why we willingly killed 10 percent of our network

Proxies are better suited for light, specific tasks where full anonymity and encryption are not critical requirements.

Public Wi-Fi Networks: A Double-Edged Sword

Connecting to a public Wi-Fi network can temporarily mask your personal IP address, as your device will be assigned an IP address from the network you’re connected to, rather than your home ISP’s IP. However, this method comes with significant security caveats that one must be keenly aware of.

How Public Wi-Fi Masks Your IP

When you log onto Wi-Fi at a coffee shop, airport, library, or hotel, your device receives a temporary IP address from that network’s router.

For any website you visit, your connection appears to originate from the public Wi-Fi’s IP address, not your private home IP.

This means that if someone were to track your online activity based on IP, they would trace it back to the public network, not to you directly.

This is a simple way to get a “new” IP without any special software, but it’s crucial to understand the inherent risks. A 2021 study by Comparitech revealed that nearly 60% of consumers believe public Wi-Fi networks are generally safe, a perception that severely underestimates the actual security risks involved.

The Major Security Risks of Public Wi-Fi

While convenient for temporary IP masking, public Wi-Fi networks are notorious for their security vulnerabilities:

Lack of Encryption: Many public Wi-Fi networks offer little to no encryption, especially open networks without a password. This means that any data you send or receive unless it’s via HTTPS can be intercepted and read by others on the same network.
Man-in-the-Middle MitM Attacks: A malicious actor can position themselves between you and the connection point, intercepting all your data. They can even set up fake Wi-Fi hotspots that mimic legitimate ones e.g., “Free Airport Wi-Fi” to trick users into connecting.
Malware Distribution: Cybercriminals can exploit vulnerabilities in unencrypted public Wi-Fi to inject malware onto your device.
Session Hijacking: If a website doesn’t use HTTPS, an attacker could potentially steal your session cookies and gain unauthorized access to your accounts e.g., social media, email.
Data Snooping: Anyone on the same network with basic tools can potentially see your unencrypted traffic, including websites you visit, files you download, and even login credentials if you’re not careful.

Given these risks, if you absolutely must use public Wi-Fi, it is imperative to take significant precautions:

Always Use a VPN: This is the most crucial step. A VPN encrypts all your traffic before it leaves your device, making it unreadable even if intercepted on an insecure public network.
Stick to HTTPS Websites: Ensure the websites you visit use “HTTPS” in their URL, indicating an encrypted connection. Look for the padlock icon in your browser’s address bar.
Avoid Sensitive Transactions: Refrain from online banking, shopping, or accessing sensitive personal accounts when on public Wi-Fi, unless you are using a trusted VPN.
Disable File Sharing: Turn off file sharing on your device to prevent others on the network from accessing your local files.
Forget the Network: Once you’re done, “forget” the public Wi-Fi network on your device so it doesn’t automatically reconnect later.

While public Wi-Fi can provide a temporary IP change, its inherent security risks make it a risky proposition for anything beyond casual, non-sensitive browsing, and only then with a robust VPN enabled.

Resetting Your Modem/Router: A Temporary IP Change

For many home internet users, their ISP assigns a dynamic IP address, which means it can change periodically. One simple, albeit temporary and not guaranteed, way to potentially get a new public IP address is by resetting your modem or router. This method primarily works if your ISP uses dynamic IP assignment, which most residential ISPs do. How to scrape websites with phantomjs

The Mechanism of IP Renewal

When you reset your modem or router, you essentially force it to drop its current connection to your ISP’s network.

When it reconnects, it initiates a new DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol request to your ISP’s servers.

The DHCP server then assigns an IP address to your modem.

If the previous IP address is still in use by another device, or if the lease time for your old IP has expired, you might be assigned a new one from the available pool.

However, if your ISP has a long DHCP lease time the period for which an IP address is reserved for your device, or if you’re the only device requesting an IP from that specific port at that moment, you might simply get assigned the same IP address again. There’s no guarantee this will work every time. A 2022 survey by BroadbandNow revealed that approximately 85% of residential internet users in the U.S. are on dynamic IP addresses, making this method potentially viable for a large segment of the population.

Steps to Reset Your Modem/Router

The process is straightforward:

Unplug the Power: Locate your internet modem the device connected to your ISP’s line, often via coaxial cable or fiber and your Wi-Fi router if separate. Unplug the power cord from both devices.
Wait: Wait for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute. This crucial step ensures that the old IP lease expires or is released by your ISP’s server. Some suggest even longer, up to 5-10 minutes, for better chances of a new IP.
Plug Back In: Plug the modem back in first. Wait for all its indicator lights to stabilize usually 1-2 minutes.
Plug in Router: If you have a separate router, plug it back in after the modem is fully online and wait for its lights to stabilize.
Verify New IP: Once your internet connection is restored, open a web browser and visit a “what is my IP address” website e.g., whatismyip.com, ipchicken.com. Compare the new IP address with your old one to see if it has changed.

Limitations of This Method

While simple, resetting your modem has significant limitations for privacy:

Temporary and Unreliable: As mentioned, there’s no guarantee you’ll get a new IP address. Even if you do, your ISP still knows your identity and all your online activities.
No Anonymity: This method does not provide any anonymity. Your ISP maintains records of all IP addresses assigned to your account, along with your browsing history. It merely changes the public-facing IP address for a period.
No Encryption: Your internet traffic remains unencrypted and vulnerable to monitoring by your ISP or others.
Not a Solution for Tracking: While it might break some basic IP-based tracking, sophisticated trackers often use other methods cookies, browser fingerprinting to identify you regardless of IP changes.

This method is primarily useful if you need to bypass a very temporary IP ban on a specific website, or if you simply wish to refresh your IP address.

It is not a solution for robust online privacy, anonymity, or security.

For those purposes, a VPN or Tor remains the superior choice. How data is being used to win customers in the travel sector

Safeguarding Your Digital Footprint: Beyond IP Hiding

While hiding your IP address is a crucial step in enhancing your online privacy, it’s just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

To truly safeguard your digital footprint and maintain a higher level of anonymity, you need to adopt a multi-faceted approach. Your IP address is merely the external marker.

Your online behavior, shared data, and device configurations also reveal a great deal about you.

Browser Fingerprinting: The Silent Tracker

Even if your IP address is hidden, websites can employ browser fingerprinting techniques to uniquely identify your device and track your online activity. This involves collecting a combination of non-IP-related data points from your browser, such as:

User-Agent String: Identifies your browser type, version, and operating system.
Installed Fonts: A unique list of fonts on your system.
Screen Resolution: Your display’s width and height.
Plugins and Extensions: Which browser extensions you have installed.
Time Zone and Language Settings: Your regional preferences.
Canvas Fingerprinting: Drawing a hidden image and analyzing how your graphics card renders it, which can be unique.
Hardware Information: Details about your CPU, GPU, and battery levels.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF’s Panopticlick project now part of Cover Your Tracks demonstrated that a vast majority of browsers have unique fingerprints, making it possible to track users across the web even without cookies or IP addresses. In a 2018 update, their research showed that 83.6% of tested browsers had unique fingerprints.

To mitigate browser fingerprinting, consider:

Using Privacy-Focused Browsers: Browsers like Brave, Firefox with enhanced tracking protection, or the Tor Browser are designed to resist fingerprinting.
Disabling JavaScript selectively: Many fingerprinting techniques rely on JavaScript. While disabling it universally breaks many websites, tools like NoScript allow selective disabling.
Using Extensions: Privacy-focused extensions like uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, and CanvasBlocker can help block some fingerprinting attempts.
Regularly Clearing Browser Data: Cookies, cache, and history can still leave traces.

The Perils of Personal Data Sharing

Ultimately, the most significant risk to your online privacy comes from the information you voluntarily share. This includes:

Social Media: Every post, like, comment, and photo contributes to a public profile of your life.
Online Forms: Filling out forms on websites e.g., newsletters, online purchases directly provides companies with your personal data.
Email and Messaging: While content might be encrypted, metadata who you talk to, when can still be collected.
Public Profiles: Information on professional networks, online forums, and review sites.

According to a 2023 NortonLifeLock survey, approximately 70% of consumers are concerned about their online privacy, yet a significant portion still overshares personal information on social media platforms.

To minimize personal data exposure:

Be Mindful of Social Media: Limit the amount of personal information you share. Adjust privacy settings.
Use Strong, Unique Passwords: Employ a password manager and enable two-factor authentication 2FA wherever possible.
Read Privacy Policies: Understand what data services collect and how they use it before signing up.
Exercise Your Data Rights: In regions with data protection laws like GDPR or CCPA, you have rights to access, correct, and delete your personal data held by companies.
Be Skeptical of “Free” Services: If a service is free, you are often the product. They might be collecting and monetizing your data.

By combining IP-hiding techniques with browser hardening and conscious personal data management, you can significantly enhance your online privacy and digital security. Web scraping with llama 3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an IP address and why would I want to hide it?

An IP address is your device’s unique identifier on the internet, similar to a street address for your home.

You might want to hide it to enhance your online privacy, bypass geo-restrictions, prevent targeted advertising, avoid online tracking by websites and advertisers, or protect yourself from cyber threats like DoS attacks.

Is it illegal to hide your IP address?

No, it is generally not illegal to hide your IP address.

Using tools like VPNs, Tor, or proxies for privacy is perfectly legal in most countries.

However, using these tools to engage in illegal activities e.g., cybercrime, copyright infringement remains illegal, and hiding your IP address won’t protect you from the legal consequences of those actions.

What’s the best way to hide my IP address for general browsing?

For general browsing, a Virtual Private Network VPN is typically the best option. It offers a good balance of security encryption, privacy IP masking, and speed, making it suitable for most everyday online activities like streaming, online banking, and social media.

How does a VPN hide my IP address?

A VPN hides your IP by routing your internet traffic through an encrypted server operated by the VPN provider.

When your data reaches its destination e.g., a website, it appears to originate from the VPN server’s IP address, not your actual IP address.

Are free VPNs safe for hiding my IP?

No, free VPNs are generally not recommended for serious privacy needs.

Many free VPNs have significant limitations such as data caps, slower speeds, intrusive ads, and, critically, can log your online activities or even sell your data to third parties. Some have even been found to contain malware. Proxy with c sharp

For true privacy, a reputable paid VPN is a safer choice.

What is the Tor browser and how does it hide my IP?

The Tor browser is free, open-source software that provides strong anonymity by routing your internet traffic through a network of volunteer relays nodes worldwide.

Your data is encrypted multiple times and bounces through at least three random nodes, making it extremely difficult to trace your online activity back to your original IP address.

Is Tor faster or slower than a VPN?

Tor is significantly slower than most VPNs.

The multi-layered encryption and routing through several volunteer relays add considerable latency, making it less suitable for activities like streaming or large downloads.

VPNs, by routing through a single server, generally offer much faster speeds.

Can a proxy server hide my IP address?

Yes, a proxy server can hide your IP address by acting as an intermediary between your device and the internet.

The website you visit sees the proxy server’s IP address instead of yours.

However, most proxies do not encrypt your traffic, meaning your ISP or others on the network can still see your activities.

What’s the difference between a VPN and a proxy server?

The main difference is encryption and scope. A VPN encrypts all your internet traffic and routes it through a secure tunnel, protecting your entire device’s network connection. A proxy server typically only hides your IP address for specific applications like your browser and often does not encrypt your traffic, leaving your data exposed. Open proxies

Is connecting to public Wi-Fi a good way to hide my IP?

While connecting to public Wi-Fi assigns your device a temporary, shared IP address from that network, making it difficult to trace directly back to your home, it comes with significant security risks.

Public Wi-Fi is often unencrypted and vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks and data snooping. Always use a VPN if you connect to public Wi-Fi.

How can I check if my IP address has changed or is hidden?

You can check your current public IP address by visiting a “what is my IP address” website like whatismyip.com, ipchicken.com, or whatsmyip.org. If you’ve used a VPN, Tor, or proxy, the IP address displayed should be that of the server you’re connected through, not your real home IP.

Will hiding my IP address prevent all online tracking?

No, hiding your IP address is a crucial step but won’t prevent all online tracking.

Websites and advertisers use other methods like browser fingerprinting collecting data about your browser settings, fonts, screen resolution and tracking cookies to identify and track you.

A comprehensive approach involves using privacy-focused browsers and extensions too.

Can my ISP still see what I’m doing if I hide my IP?

If you use a reputable VPN, your ISP will know you’re connected to a VPN server, but they will not be able to see the content of your encrypted traffic or the websites you visit.

If you use a proxy or public Wi-Fi without a VPN, your ISP can likely still see your activity, even if your IP is hidden from the destination website.

What is a dynamic IP address, and how does resetting my modem affect it?

A dynamic IP address is an IP address that your ISP assigns to your modem from a pool of available addresses, and it can change periodically. Resetting your modem or router forces it to request a new IP from your ISP. This might result in a new IP address, but it’s not guaranteed and doesn’t provide anonymity or encryption.

Does incognito mode hide my IP address?

No, incognito mode or private browsing mode does not hide your IP address. It only prevents your browser from saving your browsing history, cookies, and site data locally on your device. Your IP address is still visible to websites you visit, your ISP, and your employer/school network. How to find proxy server address

Can website analytics still track me if my IP is hidden?

Yes, website analytics tools like Google Analytics can still track your behavior even if your IP is hidden, using methods like cookies and browser fingerprinting.

While your specific IP won’t be logged, your browsing patterns and unique browser characteristics can still be used to identify you as a recurring visitor.

Is it possible to get a dedicated IP address with a VPN?

Yes, some VPN providers offer dedicated or static IP addresses as an add-on service.

This means you will always be assigned the same IP address from the VPN provider, which can be useful for accessing certain services that block shared VPN IPs or for specific business needs.

Should I use Tor and a VPN together for maximum anonymity?

Some users combine Tor and a VPN VPN over Tor or Tor over VPN for increased anonymity.

While technically possible, it can be complex, significantly slow down your connection, and might not always provide the expected security benefits unless configured correctly.

For most users, using a single reputable VPN or Tor depending on their specific needs is sufficient and more practical.

What if my IP address changes frequently on its own?

If your IP address changes frequently without you doing anything, it means your ISP is frequently renewing your dynamic IP lease or assigning you a new one.

While this offers some minimal, passive IP masking, it doesn’t imply active privacy protection or encryption, and your ISP still logs all your activities.

What are the main ethical considerations when hiding an IP address?

Hiding an IP address is ethically permissible for privacy, security, and bypassing censorship. Embeddings in machine learning

However, it becomes ethically problematic when used to facilitate illegal activities, engage in online harassment, or commit fraud.

The tool itself is neutral, but its ethical implications depend entirely on how it is used.

Five ways to hide your ip address