Update: The SwitchProxy is no longer available. However, you may still hide your IP address in Firefox with other free add-ons.

SwitchProxy Firefox add-on lets you supervise and switch between several proxy configurations promptly and without any difficulty. You can also use it as hiding IP tool to protect your computer from snooping eyes.

When we work with more than one proxy on a normal basis, we all perhaps know how irritating it is to keep track of each of them, not to talk about the number of clicks it takes us to switch between them. SwitchProxy is a Mozilla add-on which we use to systematize and organize all proxies which we want to work with. With SwitchProxy you can insert, edit and delete proxies which you work with from a distinct master list. When you want to use one proxy, you just pick it from the master list and click apply.

SwitchProxy has an anonymous feature or one may say a secret feature, an anonymizer uses a file of proxies that it at random switches between at definite intervals. Many people use anonymizers to guard their IP addresses and protect themselves from hackers, online tracking, and other website prying techniques.

How to use SwitchProxy Firefox Add-on

Here is exactly how to use this add-on to hide your IP:

Step 1. Download and install SwitchProxy.

Step 2. Press Add button
Step 3. Choose Anonymous from proxy configuration type dialog and press Next

Step 4. In the next window, you can add proxies, either manually (one by one) or by loading from a proxy list (check our recommended proxy lists). Also choose a name for your proxy configuration, for example, MyProxy, and then press Save.

Step 5. From the toolbar, choose MyProxy from the dropdown list and then press Apply.

Step 6. Check your IP to XMyIP.com and you are done.

Step 7. In order to add more proxies to your configuration press Edit. In order to create a new proxy collection/configuration press Add.

Step 8. To restore your original configuration select None from the Proxy drop-down and press Apply.

SwitchProxy for Firefox 3.0

As you probably know already, the SwitchProxy add-on does not work with Firefox 3.0. Jeremy Gillick has not updated this great add-on from November 2006, so, obviously, there is no update for Firefox 3.0.

So, what to do if you upgraded to Firefox 3.0 and still want to use the SwitchProxy add-on? 

Here is what you can do:

1. Use Multiproxy Switch, which is based on SwitchProxy, and it can work on Firefox 3.0 (I will come back with more details about this add-on in a later post).
2. Use the upgrade for Firefox 3.0 proposed by random($foo). Here is the direct download link for SwitchProxy for Firefox 3.0.

I hope that Jeremy Gillick will find time to upgrade SwitchProxy in the near future, as it would be sad to have this great add-on dead and buried.

SwitchProxy proxy list

In order to hide your IP, you need first to find some good anonymous proxies. There are a lot of sites, like samair.ru or proxy4free.com, that list tens of fresh proxies every day. Unfortunately, SwitchProxy is not able to import proxies directly from these sites, so you have to add them manually. Not very comfortable!

Recently, I found a proxy list that can be used with SwitchProxy. A guy from a forum wrote a script which parses the Xroxy anonymous proxy list and returns them in a format that can be imported by the SwitchProxy add-on.

The URL to this list is: http://www.shroomery.org/ythan/proxylist.php

Here is how to get this list imported by SwitchProxy:

1. Open Firefox. Go to Tools -> SwitchProxy -> Preferences
2. Press Manage Proxies
3. Press Add (add a new proxy configuration)
4. Choose Anonymous and click Next
5. Import the proxies from the provided URL. Here is how:

6. Save the configuration
7. When you want to browse anonymously you just have to go to Tools -> SwitchProxy and select the desired configuration (Xroxy in my case)

I hope this helps :).

Happy surfing!

—-

Recently I found a very useful Firefox add-on that is able to change your IP address easily. The add-on is called PhProxy InBasic 3.0.3F and it’s produced by InBasic. Learn about the PhProxy Firefox add-on.

How does PhProxy Firefox add-on work?

The functioning principle is amazingly simple: the add-on re-directs your traffic through existing web proxies (not proxies, but web proxies), acting as a protective screen between you and the internet (as the authors say). The server downloads the page into its memory and then displays it to the user. The result is that only the server’s IP will be logged, and not the user’s.

Start using the PhProxy Firefox add-on

Here are the steps you need to perform to start using PhProxy:

1. Install PhProxy Firefox add-on from here. Just press Add to Firefox and follow the instructions
2. After the installation, you’ll see a small icon in the bottom-right corner of the Firefox window.
3. Now, type in the Address bar the URL you what to access anonymously. (Try, for example, XMyIP).
4. Go to the PhProxy icon and right-click to see the menu
   
5. Click Open current site by Phproxy and you’ll see that your IP was changed.Notice! See that in the front of the URL in the Address bar, a “PH:” was added. It is a sign that you are accessing the site using the add-on and your IP address is changed.
6. If you what to add your own proxies or make some advanced settings you should go to the Options window:
7. That’s it! You can now browse anonymously using a PhProxy add-on.

Important notices from the developer:

– Attention: If after installation, Proxy doesn’t work, use Options and setup new proxy!
– Attention: Default server is only for testing purpose so if you want a high-speed server to find some fresh ones.

What’s new on version 3.1.1A

• Works with Firefox 3.0a1 – 3.1b3
• The proxy server can be changed from status bar
• Control over address bar-icon
• Hotkeys for status-bar items
• Some bugs were fixed

To sum up, PhProxy is a very useful plugin that hides your IP address by using web-based proxies. The new version lets you change the proxy server from the status bar which is a very nice feature. The biggest problem with the plugin comes exactly from its functioning principle: the speed depends on the proxies used.

Have you used PhProxy Firefox add-on? Did it work for you? Post a comment and share your experience!

Happy Surfing!

If you haven’t heard of Cocoon yet then I can assure you that soon you will be hearing about the same just because it’s free now! Though there might be plenty of security browsers and add-ons that filter off the information as per user requirements hardly any one of those do their job perfectly. Learn about the free Firefox add-on Cocoon.

Cocoon is now free

Cocoon is one such add-on that does just that and does it smartly. It is famous for its abilities to funnel through the web to deliver the information without revealing the user. Till last week Cocoon used to charge for its services but as of now, it is free to use. While browsing, the Cocoon add-on forces all the Internet connections via protected SSL connections that pass through Cocoon’s servers. These servers are said to be designed by United States’ National Security Agency.

The makers of Cocoon wanted to grow Cocoon henceforth they decided to make it free as this will increase the user base and help the developers enhance it as per user suggestions. Cocoon has been installed more than 10,000 times as per the Santa Barbara-based Virtual World Computing, the makers of Cocoon. This number will surely grow as and when the news of free Cocoon rolls out on the Internet.

Cocoon for Internet Explorer and Android version of Firefox still to come

Cocoon for Internet Explorer and Android version of Firefox are under development though there are no words from the developers of Cocoon regarding their release.

Bermant, Cocoon Chief Executive Officer, and co-founder say he believes Cocoon is on the right side of history, both in terms of what the technology powering the add-on is and how Cocoon implements it. “The future of VWC and Cocoon, on the whole, is that we’re filtering from above, and that’s what I see the world should go to,” he said. “Somebody said to me, ‘Oh, you’ll have terrible latency problems [when browsing],’ but in fact, we don’t. We have no latency problems.”

How does Cocoon look like?

Well, Cocoon installs itself as a toolbar in your Firefox. The add-on can be turned on or off by using the universal button on the left of the toolbar. Cocoon also offers the lock/unlock and pause button right next to on/off button. You might find it a bit difficult to edit settings as the drop-down that offers edit settings feature isn’t easy to spot.

Mesmerizing features of Cocoon.

Cocoon is bound to grow due to some of the amazing features that it brings to your Firefox browser. Here, we will jot down some of the lucrative ones:

• As already explained, Cocoon hides your IP address and you start using the Internet via a U.S. based IP address. Just enable Cocoon and note down your IP address and then disable Cocoon and validate your IP address again. This can help Netflix users watch video from outside the U.S. as Netflix blocks content to non-U.S. based IP addresses.
• All the user data is stored in a cloud and can be accessed by the user only via a secure connection. The downside of such a feature could be the risk of your password being compromised. Once your password is compromised then all your browsing information will be available to the user who has your password.
• Cocoon comes loaded with unlimited on-demand e-mail “mailslots” that will keep your e-mail address private to the outside network. The mail slots feature will let you create a new email address for a new account registration. The user behind Cocoon can create a temporary email address that will be deleted after the user is done with its purpose on the particular website. One temporary email address cannot be used for two different website logons.
• The anti-cookie feature of Cocoon protects you from stalking advertisers. This is somewhat similar to Internet Explorer’s tracking protection.
• Cocoon has a note-taking feature using which users can type notes as and when they visit the Internet. The notes can be used for future references.

What do you think of Cocoon, the most secure Firefox add-on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Salman Siddiqui is an expert technology analyst. His vast experience of freelance writing is backed by his passion to swim against the tide. 

How does Ghostery work?

The extension embeds itself into your status bar and shows you a list of all tracking scripts in a small notification rectangle in the upper right-hand corner of each page you visit.

Tracking the visitor details is very common on modern day websites. Since the vast majority of websites are advertising supported, you’ll see the notification on every page load if you keep it enabled.

What Information is Tracked About You?

Most web site record:

• IP address
• Location
• Browser agents
• Visitor path

Take a look at our What is my IP address page to see what I am talking about.

This information is used to find out more about the visitors’ online behavior on the site and sometimes are also used for displaying advertisements based on the tracking data.

The tracking is done by special tracking services like Google Analytics, StatCounter etc., which provide tracking javascript codes to the webmasters. The code is integrated into the source code of the web pages. And when a visitor downloads a page from the server, the javascript code informs the tracking website about the details of the visitor. The info is recorded and categorized to be presented to the owner of the website.

Should You Be Worried?

As this is common practice nowadays, you probably shouldn’t. 99% of the websites you visit have tracking codes. But if you are really concerned about your privacy issues do not really want to disclose slightest details about yourself, then yes, this tracking can reveal a lot of information about you.

Conclusion

If you’re worried about your privacy online, this extension is definitely for you.

>> Download and install Ghostery