are proxy's bad?

Question

I go to a libary most often. And i notice children using myspace proxy's. Now are these proxys recording their passwords detail info? Are they Bad. Are they full of spyware and malware etc...

Answer 1

They are bad in that they allow kids to disobey their parents wishes. Those proxys enable children to disobey their parents' wishes.

Yes, it that regard they are very bad.

Proxys have nothing to do with avoiding censorship! That first reply is wrong. Families,government institutions, schools, and private businesses have every right to filter what is coming in and going out of their computers. Firewalls and blocks PROTECT those entities from abuse.

You the user of those computers that you DO NOT OWN should follow the rules laid out by the OWNERS of the computer resources. If you violate their rules they have every right to fire you, ban you, and deny you access to THEIR machines!

Answer 2

You have to understand what a proxy is first. In the simplest form, it is nothing more than a repeater - your page view request goes to the proxy, the proxy goes to the server, the reply comes to the proxy, and the proxy gives you the reply. This is an example of what early native address translation systems used (where you could hide more than one PC behind a single network connected PC) - The next stage up is a caching proxy. Does everything that the first one does, but in addition keeps a local copy of the most recently viewed pages, returning those pages from the local "cache" instead of getting them from the Internet. This is used quite often by companies to try and better utilise bandwidth. ( so when 400 employees all hit the current CNN page, the proxy gets it once, and serves it back from the cache). Finally you have a filtering proxy - which may, or may not cache. This one checks each request against a list of permissible sites (or against a list of not permitted sites) and allows the request to go through or not go through according to the policy. This is what you find at libraries quite often. Keeps the kids from visiting NSFW sites. So far as caching passwords? Not usually. And definitely not if the site uses secure login - as the password is not sent "in the clear".
Full of spyware/malware? Only if you're visiting sites with spyware/malware. True proxies are just redirectors - they have no content of their own.
Truth be known, so far as spyware/malware is concerned, you're better off with a proxy, if it's maintained by someone you trust, as it can filter that trash out.

Answer 3

Yes and no.
Proxys are legal, but many schools with web security block them to prevent students from viewing pages.
MySpace is just plain bad, too many people giving out personal info. (I don't like RapeSpace at all)

Anyways:
Yes, its possible for a proxy web based server to take personal info. However, many are not likely to do so. So many people would come in at once.

Try this proxy: www.freebieproxy.com or www.silentsurf.com
However: I wouldn't trust either with my personal info.

Answer 4

It depends on the company that runs one. I think if you use Google's proxy (translate.google.com and then select translate web page) then you're safe. Or if you use a freinds. But if you just google for proxies then you better be careful.

And proxys are good, they help people avoid censorship.

Answer 5

http://www.proxy7.com/