ISP Proxies FAQs

A virtual ISP gathers millions of physical IPs from thousands of ISP providers worldwide and forms them into a single virtual ISP network. Some of these IPs are regular data center IPs while others are home user IPs – or what we call the Residential network. These latter IPs are obtained by getting explicit and detailed users’ consent to install a network endpoint software on one or more of their home devices. They join the network willingly, fully aware of the terms and conditions and in return receive a significant benefit such as free use of an app or access to an app without having to see any advertisements.

As a customer of Bright Data, you can access this network via a single IP for private use, a full network of shared access for scaled public web data collection. Alternatively, you can use Bright’s Data Collection platform that does all the work for you and delivers the public web data you need in the required format you requested.

Even though this is a complex piece of technology that may raise a lot of security and privacy questions, it’s actually much simpler than it sounds. Based on the feedback we have collected during the years, the questions can be divided into two main areas:

• Routed traffic security – what type of traffic do we allow over the network, and how do we secure it and prevent abuse?
• User device privacy and security – how do we protect the user’s privacy, and how do we prevent illegal traffic being routed through it?

No

An ISP user has a right to install and use any device or software that does not cause a direct breach of the ISP’s Acceptable Use Policy. Bright Data’s software is applicable with ISPs AUPs and Bright Data Network users have to follow its license restrictions.

Absolutely NOT!

Bright Data does a much stricter compliance on its customers than a regular ISP so the likelihood of abuse through its network is much smaller.

However it’s actually not relevant because the AUP of the user’s ISP is between them and the ISP. In the slim chance that some illegal activity goes through the user the ISP AUP is not breached by the user but rather it’s a third party that breaches the Bright Data’s license agreement.

Much like British Telecom P2P Wi-Fi where users share their home Wi-Fi with people on the street, Bright Data network traffic is logged and so the user will never be accused of anything they didn’t actually do.