Sometimes you want to read something or download a podcast but the website wont let you in. Reason -- you are not from a country where content is to be made available. What will you do? Just pose as a user from the country which the server wants you to be for letting you in. That's what internet proxies are for -- hiding your real identity and presenting their own identity to the host website so that it lets you in.



You can use Proxy Switcher Lite for hiding your identity and giving you free access. If you are using Firefox, you can also use Foxy Proxy. Foxy Proxy is an Firefox add-on that automatically switches proxy servers based on the switching rules defined for the website being loaded.

Let's say we want to download a UK-only podcast from BBC radio site. This is how we will have to go for it:

1. Search for an appropriate proxy server in UK.
2. Configure Proxy Switcher or Foxy Proxy to use that server.
3. Surf, download or watch videos -- what ever you wanted to do.

You can also run your own proxy server if you have access to unrestricted internet service provider (ISP). More about it in coming posts.

Some additional resources:
What is a proxy server?
List of proxies at Foxy Proxy
List of proxies at Open Directory Project