Editing Open proxy (section)

==Advantages==
An anonymous open proxy is useful to those looking for online anonymity and privacy, as it can help users hide their [[IP address]] from web servers since the server requests appear to originate from the proxy server. It makes it harder to reveal their identity and thereby helps preserve their perceived security while browsing [[World Wide Web|the web]] or using other [[internet service]]s. Real anonymity and extensive [[internet security]] might not be achieved by this measure alone as website operators can use [[Client (computing)|client-side]] scripts to determine the browser's real IP address and the open proxy may be keeping logs of all connections. Open proxies also do not stop [[tracking cookies]] and [[device fingerprinting|fingerprinters]] from identifying users.<ref name="HTGMyths">{{cite web |last1=O'sullivan |first1=Fergus |title=VPN Myths Debunked: What VPNs Can and Cannot Do |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/753661/vpn-myths-debunked-what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do/ |website=How-To Geek |date=27 September 2021 |access-date=16 January 2022}}</ref>

Most public [[VPN]]s work through open proxies.