Distorting proxy
An anonymity grade that hides your real IP but deliberately sends a false one in its place, sitting between an anonymous and a transparent proxy.
Distorting is the fourth and least-known of the classic anonymity grades, and it is defined by a specific trick rather than by a network type. Like an anonymous proxy it keeps your real address out of the request, but instead of simply omitting a forwarded-for header it fills that header with a fabricated address. The destination is told a client IP; it is just not yours and not the proxy's either.
The idea, when the grade was named, was that a forged origin might be more convincing than an obvious blank: a request that admits to being proxied but points at a plausible decoy. In practice that logic has not aged well. The presence of the forwarding header at all announces an intermediary, so a distorting proxy still declares that a proxy is involved, and it has volunteered a value that any competent system knows not to trust from an untrusted source.
That is why the grade matters more as a thing to recognise than a thing to seek. Set against the others it is easy to place: a transparent proxy passes your real address, an anonymous proxy removes it but leaves a proxy header, an elite proxy sends no such header at all, and a distorting proxy leaves the header and lies in it. Three of the four admit to proxying; only elite does not.
For real work the practical verdict is short. A fabricated forwarded-for header buys nothing an elite grade does not buy better by sending nothing, and it costs you a signal, since a header carrying an address that does not match the connection's actual source is itself a small inconsistency. If you can choose the grade, choose elite; if you are auditing a free list, distorting is one more label to verify rather than trust.
How HProxy handles it
Our checker reads the forwarding headers on every free entry and grades it from what actually arrives, so a distorting proxy is recorded as what it is rather than as the anonymous it is often mislabelled. A forged client address in the header is not a stronger disguise than an absent one, and we would rather show you the grade than let a source's claim stand.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a distorting and an anonymous proxy?
Both hide your real address, and the difference is what they put in its place. An anonymous proxy removes your address and leaves the forwarding header signalling that a proxy relayed the request. A distorting proxy leaves that header too but fills it with a fabricated address rather than omitting the value. Both still announce that a proxy is involved.
Is a distorting proxy more anonymous than an elite proxy?
No, it is less. An elite proxy sends no forwarding header at all, so the request looks like an ordinary direct connection. A distorting proxy sends the header with a fake address, which both admits to proxying and volunteers a value a site knows not to trust. The forged address is a weaker position than sending nothing.
When would I want a distorting proxy?
Rarely by choice. The grade exists mostly as a category you meet on free proxy lists rather than a product you would select, and where you can pick a grade, elite is the better answer for the same or lower cost. Treat a distorting label as a description to confirm by testing, since mislabelled entries are common.
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