Web proxy + normal browser session

Hey guys,

Got a question for ya. Is it possible to use a web proxy like Anonymouse or HideMyAss in one tab? For example: I have 2 tabs open in Firefox, 1 connected to the proxy and 1 connected to my normal ISP.

Does the browser know how to route the packets, cause their basically connected to two different networks right? Can my ISP see the traffic going to the webproxy, and can the webproxy see the traffic going to my ISP, while im surfing on the 2 tabs?

Thanks very much for your help.

 

Yes. In fact, that's basically the way that web-based proxies work: using the address bar, one tab at a time only. That means you can also run separate concurrent instances of web proxies (one in each tab) if you so desire.

No, it doesn't work like that. A web proxy is really nothing more than a web site that uses server-side scripting (usually PHP or CGI) to fetch other web pages on its behalf. Using your example of having 2 tabs--one with a proxy and one without--the connection would look something like this:

Tab #1: Your computer --> ISP --> Remote site #1
Tab #2: Your computer --> ISP --> Remote site #2 (proxy) --> Remote site #3

Only the IP addresses of remote sites #1 and #2 will show up in your ISP's log files... not site #3. Furthermore, site #2 (the proxy) only "sees" what's happening within its own tab. Barring any cookies or tracking bugs, what you do in tab #1 should be completely independent from what you do in tab #2, and vice-versa.