Proxy server doesn't do any good?

Question

If you use proxy server to do illegal activity online, for example downloading pirated music and videos, will you still get caught even when you use Proxy servers? I do know that proxy server still give out information to officials upon request and some even sell your information. So I'm just wondering. I know about proxy chaining but it makes surfing so slow. And say I am an admin of a school network. If I learned someone has been using proxy server to view crap on the net, will I be able to catch him? How? And if I download crap from the net using IP, how could I get caught? Does the police monitor people who use proxy servers? Please provide some serious opinions.

Answer 1

My business, Review PROXY, helps local businesses get "authentic" customer reviews they deserve on review sites. Often we create accounts and submit reviews on behalf of customers, so we need to use anonymous proxy servers; otherwise, sites like Yelp or Google would see reviews submitted from one IP address and ban the IP, mistakenly thinking they were fake reviews. So while we're not elite experts, we're pretty knowledgeable about proxy servers. Do not believe that you're protected by a paid VPN service. All it takes is a court order, and the VPN service provider will hand over all your information. It's very difficult not to leave a trace back to you, even with proxy servers, which are just a link in a chain back to your unique IP. There is no such thing as absolute security. Securing anything is essentially a matter of putting up enough barriers to make it cost prohibitive to breach. So if your students are using sophisticated overseas proxies to access porn on the library computers, it's probably not worth trying to stop them. If you want to download pirated music and videos, that's a gray area. How much effort will the enforcers expend to get you? The penalties can be severe if they want to make an example, so if I were to do it (which I wouldn't, for the record) I'd be damn sure I knew what I was doing, and use proxies originating in countries that won't turn you in to US authorities. There are services using proxies that specialize in helping people pirate music/video. Or use a public computer where you don't have to ID yourself, if you can find one, and use a flash drive for downloads. The most practical advice I can give is 1) do not use these "free" proxies or any of the software programs that facilitate finding or using them, because the most nefarious people around the world are waiting to jump on them and get into your computer; and 2) do not do anything involving the need for anonymous proxies unless you've thoroughly researched it and absolutely know what you're doing.

Answer 2

If your school is blocking proxies, ALL proxies eventually get blocked - not by the name but by the content. Most schools are now converting to deep packet inspection, which blocks content from the sites they want blocked. So if they block, let's say, MySpace, anything from MySpace, whether you go there directly or through a proxy, gets blocked. There's nothing you can do about it (other than breaking into their servers, which will transfer you to your state department of corrections schools [behind bars]) so get used to using the school's computers for school work, and save your playing for when you get home. The next step (and some schools have already taken it) is live monitoring (a teacher watches every screen) and detention when your class uses computers if you're caught. (IOW, you spend "computer" class in detention and automatically fail the class. Every year. Which means you don't get a diploma. You don't run the school, so start getting used to doing what you're told.

Answer 3

You won't be able to catch them, since he is using a proxy.



I don't understand your second question about getting caught.



The police don't monitor people who use proxy servers because it is entirely legal to use one.

If you want to be 100% sure you are safe get a Paid VPN. I got a good one for only $6 a month.