Anonymity on the Internet allows people to engage in legitimate and often socially beneficial activities that they wouldn't otherwise engage in for fear of embarrassment, social ostracism, retribution or persecution. For example, communicating under a pseudonym allows individuals to explore their creative side, human rights workers to communicate with each other, employees to "blow the whistle" on harmful corporate practices, members of persecuted minorities (such as gays) to share experiences, and consumers to search for information on sensitive topics such as sexually transmitted diseases, hair loss, or incest without concern about disclosing their identity to others. The ability to browse the Internet anonymously also keeps personal data about what we do out of the hands of intrusive marketers and governments.

An anonymous proxy server (sometimes called a web proxy) generally attempts to anonymize web surfing. Browse anonymously and/or bypass your school, college or workplace network restrictions. Your favourite site blocked? Browse through some listed web proxy instead!