When you connect to the Internet, you may sometimes need to go through a proxy server — a computer system that sits between you and the Internet. Proxies are commonplace in schools, colleges, and workplaces and can limit and control access to the Internet. Proxies can also cache content in a way similar to a local cache; therefore, proxies can help speed up access to web pages and other resources.
If your Internet connection requires a proxy, you need to enter the details in the Proxy section of the Preferences pane. Ask your school or workplace’s IT department, or your Internet Service Provider helpdesk, for the credentials. There are a number of settings displayed in the Proxy Settings section of the Preferences pane that you need to know:
The host proxy name: Usually either a numerical IP address or a web address.
The proxy type: A drop-down list below Proxy includes several options; leave the default option, Auto-Detect, selected if you’re unsure.
Your username and password: If you have to log into your proxy to use it, enter this information in the appropriate text boxes.
The port number: Like a channel frequency that the proxy server needs to know so that it can initiate a connection.
People also can use proxy servers to keep their web movements anonymous. The proxy acts as a go-between and masks a person’s real location. Some shady people have used proxies to bypass the Spotify location requirement and make Spotify think they are in say, Sweden, when they’re actually in Canada.
It’s against Spotify’s rules to use it in a restricted country, and Spotify is quite on the ball when it comes to blocking proxies used to hide a user’s real location.