Anonymizer.com Launches Powerful New Internet Privacy Service to Safeguard the Web
Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0 Offers Added Security, Easier Interface for Internet Users Concerned About Growing List of Web Threats
San Diego, CA – August 6, 2002
Anonymizer Inc. today launched Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0, a major version upgrade to its popular Internet Privacy service. The service, which protects Internet users from the growing problem of online tracking, now provides even tougher defenses against new Web threats and offers a simpler, more convenient user interface.
Private Surfing 2.0 extends the company’s legacy of providing strong, user-friendly tools for safety and privacy on the Internet. Anonymizer has added new user-friendly features that ensure workplace privacy, defeat aggressive tracking by online marketers, and counter the proliferation of Web-based hacker attacks. Users can simply log on to www.anonymizer.com and be safely and securely surfing the Internet within minutes.
“Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0 represents a major evolution of our classic privacy service, resulting in a more secure on-line environment for our customers” said Anonymizer president and founder Lance Cottrell. “Our half-million users have guided us in crafting a better, safer surfing experience, and we’ve bolstered security for the activities they’re most concerned about, like shopping online and surfing the Web at work.”
Personal Security for the Growing List of Web Threats
Personal information — real names, email and physical addresses, age and income, surfing habits and preferences — is the Internet’s most prized commodity (after cash). As a valuable commodity, personal information is central to commerce on the Internet, and access to this information is a primary goal of both legitimate organizations and illegitimate, sometimes dangerous, groups. As the Internet evolves, the tactics used to harvest this personal data have become more and more aggressive:
- Online marketers have honed their tracking capabilities with surreptitious spyware and adware, with the ultimate goal of correlating Web users’ online activities with their real-world personal information to create intricate personal profiles.
- Web sites and ISPs with access to mountains of sensitive customer information now change their privacy policies overnight, betraying the confidence of their users.
- From “script kiddies” to credit card thieves, the ranks of criminal hackers have grown exponentially, and their tools are more sophisticated than ever.
- Since 2000, U.S. employers have actively monitored the online activities of millions of employees. (source: The Privacy Foundation). Some are even suspected of conducting mass firings for ” inappropriate Internet use” to avoid official layoffs.
With Private Surfing 2.0, Anonymizer addresses the Internet’s newest high-risk areas, while still providing ample protection from perennial privacy hazards like cookies, Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, Web Bugs and other potential threats.
New in 2.0
Total Workplace Privacy:One substantial upgrade in Private Surfing 2.0 is Anonymizer’s “layered” workplace privacy protection, which includes URL encryption, full-time SSL encryption and page history removal. Aggressive Internet monitoring by employers often hampers safe, effective online career searches. Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0 solves the workplace privacy problem with a triple layer of protection to shield the user from network monitoring (the kind of tracking used by an employer or ISP). Employees can even encrypt and privacy-protect their Web-based e-mail accounts to communicate safely and avoid network “eavesdropping.”
“While we believe employees have the responsibility to respect the Internet policies set by their employers, for many people it’s a simple matter of survival,” said Unrue. “Corporations today are laying off thousands of workers with little or no severance. We provide Web users with a safe, effective way to perform job searches without fear of employee monitoring and its potential repercussions.”
Increased Protection from Hackers
Web-borne viruses, malicious JavaScript and ActiveX, and Trojan horses are just a few of weapons in the hacker’s arsenal that are proliferating on the Web at an alarming rate. Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0 features bolstered support against potential hacks and exploits, and because primary functions take place on Anonymizer servers rather than on the user’s computer, updates for any new threats are rapid, automatic and completely transparent, requiring absolutely no action by the user.
Improved Interface and Customization
Both the traditional web-based Anonymizer interface and the downloadable version have undergone facelifts to improve the experience of both the novice and advanced user. Users can now choose between simple “Normal” and “Maximum” settings, or use the “Custom” setting to independently configure six separate privacy and security protocols, such as SSL Encryption, Safe Cookies and Banner Ad Filtering.
The new, downloadable Anonymizer Privacy Toolbar lets users activate and customize Anonymizer protection from a browser toolbar, without having to log on at the Anonymizer.com web site to begin a private surfing session. 2.0 also allows a much greater level of user customization, with configurable features to allow users the greatest flexibility and accessibility for their specific Web activity and “threat level.”
Where to Try & Buy Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0
Anonymizer.com offers free and full-featured versions of Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0, both of which are available for download through the company’s Website. The free version never expires, and offers basic privacy protection with randomly limited access to some Web pages. The faster full service version, available for under $50 a year, includes advanced features such as full-time SSL Encryption, Safe Cookies, URL Encryption and Ad Filtering, with no access limitations. Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.0 is sold as a subscription service, with one-year accounts available for under $50.
Free users and subscribers can both use the downloadable Privacy Toolbar (requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher for Windows) to turn on Anonymizer protection with a single click in their browser window. Alternatively, the classic web-based method for using Private Surfing requires no downloads and can be used from any Internet connected computer – just log on to www.anonymizer.com, type a URL and click “go”.
About Anonymizer, Inc.
Anonymizer is the leading provider of Internet privacy and security solutions for consumers, corporations, organizations and government agencies. The company provides safe and secure Web experiences to over two million global Internet users. Its Web site is home to the world’s most popular Internet privacy service, Anonymous Surfing, which defends users from the most prevalent Internet privacy and security threats, from online tracking to malicious code, identity theft and e-mail spammers. Anonymizer identity protection solutions have been used to protect over four billion Web pages since the company’s inception in 1995. Anonymizer is privately held and headquartered in San Diego, California. (http://www.anonymizer.com)
Media Contact
Anonymizer, Inc.
Phone: 1-858-866-1319
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