The instructions below will show you how to hide your IP address on
Mac OS X using a special type of relay server
(so that websites only see the IP address of the relay). Such servers are known
as proxies, and you can either use "public" ones (free but risky), or you
can use a paid service like ours.
The instructions below are useful
for Mac users who have purchased the iPrivacyTools service, but don't want to use our Firefox software. However, if you don't want to perform this tedious process, we recommend that you install our convenient IP changing software.
Please note that "hiding" your IP really amounts to changing
it, or "masking" it will a second IP that is not your own.
It would not be possible to surf the Internet without any IP address
at all, as that is how websites and other services know how to route
your requests (web pages).
This guide covers Firefox and Safari (iPrivacyTools only works with Firefox, "Hide my IP" works with both). For Safari instructions, skip down to Step #4.
On the first dropdown menu of Firefox, select Preferences
On Safari's first dropdown menu, select Preferences
For the proxy settings (and port) on both browsers, you will need to
type the IP+port of a valid proxy server. These can be obtained from
free websites (one example is here)
or from a paid service like ours.
If you choose to use free settings to hide your IP on Mac, be aware
of their risks. In addition to being rather unstable (slow), free proxies
are usually not compatible with SSL pages AND it is quite difficult
to know who is operating them. In other words, risk of your data being
intercepted by someone with ill intent is significant. Therefore, free
settings are probably fine if you're just surfing around (viewing pages)
for fun. But if you intend to login to any secure sites using a password,
or if you intend to submit any forms with personal/financial info, then
the free option is probably not a good idea.
Fully SSL compatible proxy setting may be obtained from a service like
ours (visit our homepage), or from others on the Internet.
Congratulations - you now know how to hide your IP address
in Mac OS X!
Be sure to delete your browser cookies before surfing, as cookies are
another tracking method used by many websites and marketers
*To revert to your direct Internet connection, repeat the steps you
just followed, but remove any of the proxy and port settings that you
entered. On Firefox step #3, you can tick "No proxy". And
on Safari (step #6), you can UNcheck "Web Proxy" and "Secure
Web Proxy".