How Does Google Know If Your IP Is Masked?

When Google Knows

Google knows that your IP is masked when the anonymizing proxy sends it to its own domain and host. In the past, many anonymizing services were of this type. Without an anonymizing proxy, your IP would show up as something like the following. (The country code for the United States is not 123; this is a hypothetical example).IP: 123.45. 678. 910

Location: United States

Region: Your State

City: Your City

ISP: Your ISP

Operating System/Version: Your OS and version number

Browser: All browsers you are usingIf you use a masked proxy, it will create a new IP address for you that appears something like this:IP: 456.12. 345.789

Location: Anonymizing Host

ISP: Anonymizing Host

Browser: Anonymizing Host

Operating System/Version: Anonymizing HostGoogle knows that this IP address is masked.

Not All Proxies Are Equal

Proxy services that convert your IP address, location and host name to another IP address and location do mask your actual IP address, but they do not prevent Google from tracking you. Often, these services route your IP address to a server in a different country, which enables you to access some but not all of your favorite sites. And by changing your IP address and routing it to a new server in a different country, these proxies are anonymous only until Google tracks that new IP address.

When Google Does Not Know

The demand for a truly anonymous proxy that Google can't identify as being masked remains high. In 2010 a free Mozilla Firefox add-on, GoogleSharing, was developed by Moxie Marlinspoke for Mozilla users who wish to surf anonymously. It does not work for other browsers.

No-Mask Anonymous Surfing

GoogleSharing was designed to guarantee Mozilla users a level of anonymous surfing not available with other proxies. By encrypting a user's IP address and sharing it randomly with other users' IP addresses, GoogleSharing not only keeps Google from realizing that your IP address is masked, but also keeps it from tracking your IP address. GoogleSharing feeds to Google the IP address of the previous user. The next user will then get your IP address, and the user after that will get the IP address of the previous user. It is this sharing of IP addresses and encrypting them that makes it impossible for Google to know that the proxy IP is masked.