Like a web proxy, The Cloak sits between your computer and any web sites you visit. It prevents the web sites you visit from finding out who you are. And it can use the standard SSL protocol to encrypt all communication from your browser, so that no one (except for the-Cloak) knows where you are surfing.

You can also setup your own anonymous proxy server also if you like. The following figure from The Cloak’s FAQ illustrates the concept:

From a security point of view, anyone sitting between your machine and the machines you visit can see where you are surfing. For example, if your wife, employer or web provider has a proxy server, it can log every access you make, every site you visit, every picture you download.

If you use the-Cloak, the sites you visit never see who you are or where you are coming from. All they see is the-Cloak. The-Cloak uses the standard SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption that is built into most web browsers. No extra software is needed.

And if anyone happens to be spying on your surfing, they won’t know where you are going or what you are viewing, because all traffic between you and the-Cloak is (if you choose) encrypted.

To use The Cloak, go to this URL http://www.the-cloak.com/login.html

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Enter the URL of the website that you want to browse anonymously.  For testing purposes I loaded http://www.whatismyip.com/ so I can verify if it sees an IP address that is different from my current un-cloaked connection.

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The browser then goes to that URL under The Cloak’s connection.  The IP address below is not my real IP address.

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The Cloak’s URL changes with the URL of the website that you visit:

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NOTE: Unless you know—and trust—whoever is hosting a proxy server, you should always disable the proxy before sending sensitive information (e.g., your home address, credit cards, etc.).

With The Cloak’s service I can now visit pages anonymously without having to change my browser’s proxy settings.

Ben Carigtan shows you how it’s done!