Are you a resident of the UK? If so, then you’re one of the 89% of the population with internet access, then what are you doing to improve your internet security? As we move into 2020, there are a host of threats online that can ruin your business or steal your information.
When you search or browse online, you leave a digital footprint behind you in the form of your IP address. Your IP address displays your point of access to the internet, and your ISP or government agencies, and even hackers, can see where you visit during your session.
Knowing that someone might be watching your movement online is a chilling thought. However, the fact is that the UK is part of the “5-Eyes” intelligence program, along with Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. This organization expanded its powers to include nine other nations in the “14-Eyes” program.
The 14-Eyes monitor all communications and internet activity in the developed world. As a result, if the government ever wants to pull up your internet history, they can do so with impunity. Using an UK proxy helps you get around the prying 14-Eyes, allowing you the freedom to do what you want online, without the risk of intervention or monitoring by the government or your ISP.
A proxy acts as an intermediary between your connection and the target site you wish to visit. The proxy cloaks your IP with a randomized local or international IP address. As a result, no-one knows your real identity while you’re online.
Make Money Online with Proxies
Internet marketers run scraping campaigns on e-commerce sites like eBay and Amazon to collect sales data. However, these sites have strict management policies, and they are always on the lookout for scraping bots.
Amazon and eBay don’t want marketers to scrape the sites, and they do their best to ban any IP they connect to scraping tools. If the site detects multiple requests coming from the same IP, they’ll view you as a marketer, and ban your IP from accessing the site.
By using a proxy, you can remain undetected as you ru8n your scraping campaign. The proxy switches between site requests, ensuring that your activities go unnoticed on the platform.
If you’re selling items on Craigslist, then you’ll find that the website limits your advertising to your local area. That’s not good news for marketers that are trying to reach a broad audience in the UK. Fortunately, with a proxy, you can create listings in any part of the country, without any restriction.
Optimize Your SEO Campaigns
As mentioned, internet marketers run scraping campaigns on websites and search engines to collect data that are useful for their campaigns. However, Google doesn’t want you to scrape their search engine, and they do their best to ban IPs that they connect to scraping activities.
If Google detects multiple requests for data coming from the same IP, they view this as bot activity. As a result, you’ll find that you have to complete a captcha before you can access your request. This captcha ruins scraping activities, spoiling your results.
By implementing a proxy with your marketing activities, you get multiple IPs to carry out your scraping requests. As a result, you don’t have to deal with captchas on your requests.
Boost Your Social Profiles
If you’re a social marketer, then you can benefit from the use of proxies in your campaigns. At the moment, Instagram only allows users to create 5-accounts on one device. It’s a spanner in the works for those internet marketers managing multiple accounts or creating numerous accounts on the platform.
If the social network you’re working on detects too many requests coming from the same IP, they’ll ban your account. For a social marketer that spends months or years building a social media following, a ban can be a deathblow to your business.
Social marketers also conduct scraping campaigns for new followers using automated tools like “Followliker.” While these APIs can dramatically increase your followers and engagement, the social networks frown upon the use of these tools.
If the networks catch you using an API, they’re likely to ban your IP address and your accounts. By using a proxy when scraping or accessing multiple accounts, you stay out of view of the admins.
Proxies for Shopping
There are specialized proxies designed for online shopping as well. If you’re a sneaker-head looking to cop the latest releases from Adidas, Reebok, or Nike, then you know that new releases sell out in minutes after launch.
If you do find yourself in the checkout with your sneakers, the site will limit you to one pair. The companies use this strategy to give everyone a fair chance of buying the new release. Some sneakerheads will try to buy-out a launch, hoping to flip the sneakers for a profit.
The sneaker companies are well aware of this practice, and they limit your purchase. If you try to log back into the site and buy another pair, you’ll find that they block your IP, or the site displays a 404-error.
With a proxy, you can circumvent these controls, allowing you to buy as many pairs of sneakers as you can afford.
Accessing Geo-Restricted Web Content with Proxies
If you’re an ex-pat living in South Africa, and you want to view UK streaming services like BBCPlayer, then you’ll find that the site doesn’t permit you access to watch your shows. Similarly, if you’re in the UK, and trying to access content from outside the country, you might have a tough time getting the site to accept your request.
Online services often place “geo-blocks” on their sites, restricting access to anyone outside of the country. Fortunately, you can get around this issue by using a proxy when accessing your favorite sites.
Anonymous Surfing
Online privacy is a serious issue in 2020. If you want to stay out of the view of hackers and bad actors, then you need proxies to cloak your IP address.
A proxy makes you invisible to hackers, allowing you the freedom to roam the internet as you please, without the concern of becoming the victim of a cyberattack.
