If you read the Whats an IP number FAQ, you'd know how each computer on the Internet is marked with its own special address. You have probably deduced, (but I will tell you anyway) that the IP points directly to us. That is, if we are the bad guy on the computer, it is possible to locate us, because a specific IP at a specific time is connected to a single person or machine.
And not only when we are the bad guy can we have problems. Whenever we are connected with another computer (for example a Microsoft page), the other computer registers our IP and what we have done inside, the pages we have watched, the files we have taken, etc. etc. Some sites even deny us access ("you do not have permission...") to certain pages because we are not from the server's country (the single IP number does not say anything, but in conjuntion with the DNS or "Domain name system" it indicates the country and the company).

 Here is where the proxy comes in. We have said that these computers connect several people or machines to the network; that is, that several machines have the same IP facing the outer world, although for the proxy each computer continues to have its own unique IP. What happens if we connect to a server using one of these proxys? The target server will believe that the downloader was the proxy and not us, with the proxy acting like a shield. For example, say our IP is 195.104.193.192 and we want to get some photos of Pamela Anderson from a site, but we do not want anyone to know that we have seen those pictures. It's very simple. We say to the proxy (if the proxy admits calls from the outside), "Please make a call to the computer X and request the photos from him." If the IP of the proxy is 109.109.100.100, in the computer which contains the photos, the lurker IP will be 109.109.100.100 and not 195.104.193.192.  Appears very hard? It is not. All (or almost all) browsers, like Netscape, Opera or Internet Explorer, allow us to indicate a proxy for our connections, correctly configuring our browser. We will surf as always but the navigator gets the pages or files through the proxy.

 But the proxy does not serve only for that. Imagine that you want to download a file from Japan, but your conection is very slow and you die waiting for it, but when you try to get one page from America or Europe the speed is superior. Ok, you will try to find a proxy with a good conection between the target and you, and request the files through the proxy. Sometimes this system greatly accelerates the speed of downloading, although at other times it does the opposite. Thats all there is to it. Unfortunatly, proxies are only available for HTTP, FTP, but there is also a trick way to use SOCK proxies for NTTP...:-)
All, right so the next step is to find a good fast working proxy and to set up your browser to work with it. To learn how to set your browsers with proxies, read the How to set a proxy FAQ.

• when using a proxy, ANY proxy remember that it's usually better not to swim against the current ;-) as every access is probably monitored in log files.
  
• DO NOT USE Anonymizer.com, Anon.Free.anonymizer.com, they are NOT secure proxies, read the Richard Smith's article posted on alt.comp.virus.
  
• for a proxy to be effective, turn OFF ALL Java, Java Script, Active X and Cookies!
  
• you can also chain several proxies together- proxy.name.com:8080/proxy2.name.com with the name of the port for the second proxy in the port column (do not forget, proxies are not WWW servers). you can put the proxies in either in the address/URL field of your browser- proxy.name.com:8080/www.URL.you.want.to.visit or inside where manual proxy config is
  
• You actually do not need to visit the anonymizer or any other proxy, all you need to do is to precede the *exact and complete* http://...address you want to visit, writing (even per hand in the "address" field of your browser) "http://www.anonymizer.com:8080/" before it.

Sites with Lists of Working Proxies:

Additional Software for Proxies:

• wiktor.dk-proxy carries the Proxy Hunter, the Proxy Checker, PlooUp, ets
  
• the a4p shareware will checks the degree of anonimouslity of the proxy you are using,
  
• the freeware Proxomitron will stop all sorts of info your browsers carelesly tell the outside world, and it act as a proxy too, to set it up, read the instructions
  
• proxomitron.cjb.net
• the Proxy hunter will find proxies in ANY domain you desire,
  
• leader.ru-online proxy testers, whois, trace(in russian)
• www.deny.de excelent place for proxies, proxy toolz, proxy checkers and MUCH more, or if www.deny.de doesn't work, try
• wiktor.dk-proxy

check how anon the proxy you are using really is:

• who.htmlin russian
• wiktor.dk/~jymbio/proxy.htm several links to check to see if yor proxy is really ANON
• http://cgi.anonymizer.site.ne.jp/e/prxjdg-e.cgi
• http://www.icefortress.com/html/guest/prxjdg-e.cgi
• internet.junkbuster.com/cgi-bin/show-http-headers
• rental-web.com/~azuma/cgi-bin/env.cgi
• http://towerofbabel.virtualave.net/cgi-bin/proxjudge.cgi
• Cavency.virtualave.net If the proxy is anonymous, it will see the proxy's IP and the text "anonym" or "none" in green. if it could see the real IP (Start Button/Run/winipcfg to know it) a little red skull, will appear, so you BETTER look for another proxy.
• Gemal.dk-browserspy
• tamos
• tamos cgi
• Tiac.net with Java and Java Script tests, refresh tests, ets,
• Shields UP!-will lists your open ports and tell you your computer name on the Net,
• groucho.dbc.bib.dk:1080,
• ba1979.hypermart,
• cs.ndsu.nodak.edu, test,
• cs.ndsu.nodak.edu, echo,
• DQ XodoX,
• forsmark.uu.se,
• kryten.eng.monash.edu.au
• helie.com-BrowserCheck, the Anonimizer Proxy checker,
• carl.blackout.org,
• the GLR proxy check ,
• echo.znet.de,
• cavency.virtualave.net-a proxy checker and a list of proxies too!,

and Several Remailers you can use to ANONIMOUSLY send e-mail:

open proxies-use at your own risk!