Anonymity while surfing Internet may be a major concern for many People. Hackers are most established participants in the category although they don’t rely on simple solutions like VPN. Anonymous web surfing using VPN or Web Proxy minimizes the risks in leaving traces of browsing. Some main purposes for anonymous web browsing can be identified as
Bypass/Unblock Local Firewall Restrictions
The user may be forced to browse web through some firewall of local network at office school/university, or country. In result, the web surfers are not allowed to visit some of websites according to the policy. These websites may include social websites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and many more. The restriction may have been enforced over larger scale like China has blocked through ‘Great Firewall of China’.
Bypass/Unblock Default Regional Restrictions
There are many web services which impose restrictions on IP level so that these services can be accessed from specific regions. For example, Hulu and Pandora are not accessible outside of USA. Similarly, Spotify is only available in major parts of Europe.
Anonymous Web Browsing/Surfing for Privacy
The user does not want to reveal its identity which can be traced. Anyone who wants to speak about forbidden social issues, receive some information, and involve in illegal activities like P2P file sharing without revealing the identity is concerned.
There are two popular solutions for anonymous web surfing which are free VPN and Web Proxies. Free web proxies are usually less secure and fast and they also block java scripts or dynamic content. Specifically, if the user is behind regional restrictions imposed by websites like Hulu and want to view videos outside US then free web proxies are useless. In this case, the most viable and useful solution is to use free VPN software/clients. List of following free VPN services are being compiled after comprehensive testing.
FreeVPN by WSC
It will almost fulfill your needs of anonymous web surfing. The user will browse through secure connection and IP is hidden. It has a pretty simple interface which offers list of VPN servers. A double click on the desired server will make your connection more secure and anonymous. This FreeVPN client is my favorite one. They have included many free VPN servers since their beginning. Their current version 3.11 offers connection through free 4 US, 1 Canadian and 1 Chinese VPN servers. They also offer a premium paid service which includes anonymous surfing/browsing through UK, Swedish, French, German, and Italian VPN servers. It works on all Windows NT versions 2000/2003/XP/Vista/7/2008. There is an iPhone version available also.
UltraVPN
This is a free, open source, and platform independent VPN solution based on OpenVPN. The internet traffic is encrypted using SSL and also anonymous. The user is required to get an account before actually using it. After downloading and installation, enter the account details and connect. You will be able to use Skype, Watch Hulu outside US, and anonymous web surfing. UltraVPN works on Windows, MAC, and Linux.
This is another free VPN service which doesn’t require download or installation of any client. The user needs to create an online account and then setup ItsHidden onPC. They offer Free and Premium services. Free ItsHidden offers a dedicated 5GB bandwidth and 128 bit secure network connection. They claim total privacy for users and no logs are kept. ItsHidden free VPN is OS-independent and works on Windows, MAC, and Linux.
CyberGhost
This VPN service also offers a fast, secure, and anonymous web browsing connection for users. Like other services, a tunnel is formed between VPN client and server using SSL and 128 bit encryption which takes your surfing in a private mode. The IP address is also hidden. CyberGhost has free and premium plans as well. In Free plan, 1GB traffic/month is available which enough for basic uses is. It works on all Windows versions.
AnchorFree HotspotShield
No doubt, this is one of the most popular free VPN services. Its popularity compelled Hulu to block at IP level although ban no longer works. HSS has a bandwidth limitation of 10 GB. The security will protect from Identity Theft, Hide IP for Privacy, and unblock restricted websites. It works on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 and Mac OS X Tiger/Leopard/Snow Leopard.
PacketiX.NET VPN Client
It is not a free VPN service in reality but they let a user test VPN using a client. Their server is Japan based and provides a speedy and reliable free VPN solution for normal users. You only need to download VPN client which will connect you to PacketiX VPN Online Test Environment. The encryption is performed using digital signature based on the SSLv3 protocol and user authentication by PKI is available.
Some Notable VPN offering Free Service by Invitations
HideIP VPN
It is a premium service and the servers are based in USA and UK and users can access Hulu, Pandora, ABC, NBC, BBC, ITV, etc. Account invitations are offered in start of every month.
AceVPN
The servers of premium VPN service are in USA and Europe (France, Germany, Netherlands, UK). You can use AceVPN if gets an invitation of existing user.
Above mentioned Free VPN services are good alternatives to web proxies for anonymous web surfing/browsing. They ultimately let you bypass/unblock any local or regional restrictions and allow access to blocked websites like Facebook, MySpace, Hulu, and Pandora.
If there are some other Free VPN services which have not been covered, please mention in comments.
