[The Big Dog]

You would be even LESS safe when browsing the web thru a proxy server than just browsing normally, because when you go through a proxy the owner of the proxy can see everything you do. When you just browse normally, there is really very little you have to worry about, even if someone does have your ip. If you're still worried, get a firewall. ZoneAlarm and Black Ice are the easiest to use.

[LibWhacker]

. . . the owner of the proxy can see everything you do . . .

Not with JAP. All requests are encrypted with multiple layers of encryption and are bounced around a cluster of several anon proxy servers. It's not foolproof, but it's pretty darned good -- and it's free.