The sudden shutdown of 911 Proxy Service, once a pillar of the web data industry providing residential proxies to hundreds of thousands of customers, has sent shockwaves across the internet. Its abrupt closure leaves many scrambling for ethical and reliable alternatives.
As a veteran of the proxy space with over 5 years of experience, I‘ve seen the rise and fall of numerous providers. But none had the scale and dominance of 911 Proxy Service, which made its loss all the more destabilizing.
In this guide, we‘ll explore the technical capabilities that allowed 911 to ascend to such heights, why both legitimate and dubious customers alike became so reliant on it, the short and long term impact of its demise, and most importantly, how to choose a replacement provider that meets your needs without compromising ethics.
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The Meteoric Rise of 911 Proxy Service
Since launching in 2018, 911 Proxy Service experienced tremendous growth, propelled by Chinese customers but used globally. Let‘s examine some key facts and figures that illustrate 911‘s technical strengths and massive scale:
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10 million+ residential IPs – 911 boasted one of the largest pools of residential IP addresses in the industry. Compared to most competitors offering 1-5 million IPs, this huge capacity allowed 911 to handle immense workloads.
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195+ countries and regions – 911 proxied traffic through real residential IPs in nearly every country worldwide. This global IP diversity opened up geographic targeting options.
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80% usage on mobile networks – While many providers rely on fixed line IPs, 911 focused on scaling up mobile IPs to max reliability. This made them ideal for tasks like ad verification across devices.
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300k+ customers – From solo developers to Fortune 500s, 911 served a massive and rapidly growing user base before its closure. Their $200 entry pricing enabled wide adoption.
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10x growth in 2 years – From around 1 million IPs in 2020 to over 10 million by 2022, 911‘s network expanded at a blazing pace to seize market share.
With this combination of scale, geographic diversity, and aggressive pricing, it‘s no surprise 911 Proxy Service usage exploded, especially among Chinese customers. By 2022, 911 captured over 25% of the residential proxy market according to DataProt‘s estimates.
But what exactly drove this demand? And why did so many customers become reliant on 911? Let‘s analyze the key use cases.
Why Customers Became So Reliant on 911 Proxies
911 Proxy Service gained immense popularity thanks to the unique capabilities and advantages of residential proxies:
Reliability – Residential proxies use real mobile and household IPs. This makes them far less prone to blocking vs datacenter proxies, providing reliable data extraction across sites.
Location Targeting – With mobile and fixed line IPs in almost any country, residential proxies enable location-specific web scraping and data collection.
Bot Protection – Residential IPs with real user behaviors defeat bot detection and allow large-scale automation.
Ad Verification – Brands used 911‘s global mobile IPs to verify ad traffic quality across regions and devices.
Price Monitoring – 911‘s proxies enabled regional ecommerce price tracking and SEO monitoring.
Account Testing – Signing up for local accounts to conduct research and tests.
Carding – Unfortunately, 911 was also popular for cashing out stolen cards by verifying validity anywhere.
As you can see, while 911 served both legitimate and illicit use cases, the former represented the majority of demand. For these lawful customers across industries like ecommerce, marketing, travel, and software development, 911 provided mission-critical infrastructure.
The Damage from 911‘s Sudden Shutdown
When 911 Proxy Service announced its permanent closure on August 1st, 2022, it sent shockwaves through the web data industry. Reliant customers were given no advance notice or transition period. Here‘s an overview of the fallout:
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200%+ traffic surges to proxy provider sites as displaced 911 users scramble for options. Competitors are struggling to absorb this rapid influx.
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Supply shortages leading to price hikes, waitlists, and reliability issues across remaining proxy networks in the near term.
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Interrupted services as 911‘s closure causes data collection gaps for analytics, price monitoring, ad verification, and other projects.
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Increased failures from bot detection as customers quickly move to unfamiliar proxies with different IP behaviors.
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Delayed initiatives while businesses evaluate new residential proxy providers and carefully ramp up to avoid disruptions.
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Exposed abuse as cybercriminals shift to new proxies, forcing providers to strengthen compliance proactively.
Clearly, 911‘s disappearance from the market caused significant upheaval. But proxy technology remains as vital as ever for gathering web data ethically. For businesses impacted, selecting the right replacement provider is crucial.
Choosing an Ethical Yet Powerful 911 Proxy Alternative
If you relied on 911 proxies for legitimate purposes like price monitoring, ad analytics, social media research or web scraping, plenty of reputable vendors can meet your needs. Here are 5 key criteria to evaluate:
Proven Reliability – Look for established vendors with a track record of stable uptime and availability. Check trustpilot reviews and community feedback.
Network Scale – Larger proxy networks with 10 million+ IPs can handle heavier workloads with optimized performance.
Geo Targeting – Seek providers with mobile and residential IPs spanning your required countries and cities to enable accurate localization.
Speed & Latency – Testing will determine the fastest proxies for your use case, as speeds vary by provider and location.
Compliance & Abuse Prevention – Select vendors who proactively monitor abuse and prohibit fraudulent activities.
| Provider | IPs | Locations | Pricing | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrightData | 72M+ | 195+ | From $500/mo | 4.8/5 on Trustpilot |
| Smartproxy | 40M+ | 195+ | From $75/mo | 4.7/5 on G2 |
| GeoSurf | 17M+ | 130+ | From $290/mo | 4.9/5 on Capterra |
| Luminati | 45M+ | 195+ | From $500/mo | 4.6/5 on G2 |
| Oxylabs | 40M+ | 165+ | From $300/mo | 4.5/5 on G2 |
This table provides a snapshot of leading 911 proxy alternatives to consider that meet key criteria like scale, geographic diversity, and reputation.
I always advise customers to trial services using their actual workloads and locations to gauge speed, reliability, and results before fully migrating. Reputable vendors will provide trial periods and support you through the transition.
While shortcuts may be tempting, avoid "bargain" residential proxies, as quality and ethics often suffer. Prioritize responsible providers who align with your values.
The Proxy Space After 911 – What‘s Next?
Looking ahead, 911 Proxy Service‘s closure may strengthen the residential proxy market by removing bad actors. Here are a few positive shifts I expect:
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Accelerated investment in technical safeguards by proxy providers to prevent breaches or abuse of their networks.
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Increased compliance as vendors implement stricter identity verification and monitoring to keep illegal usage in check.
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Industry consolidation as smaller low-quality providers are squeezed out and absorbed by reputable market leaders.
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Improved transparency as competition forces vendors to focus more on performance metrics, uptime reliability, and communication.
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Developer-friendly evolution as vendors open more API access for automating proxy use and monitoring.
While the shutdown caused temporary disruption, most legitimate 911 Proxy Service users now have higher quality and more secure options. For companies utilizing proxies ethically and legally, the future looks bright.
In Closing: Find a Provider That Aligns With Your Needs
Losing 911 Proxy Service was undoubtedly a setback for many. But when one door closes, new opportunities arise. My recommendation: take time to thoroughly evaluate replacements and align with a provider positioned for long term success.
As a proxy expert who has experienced provider shutdowns first-hand, feel free to reach out if you need any guidance finding an alternative that enables your web data strategy, while upholding ethics. The residential proxy landscape will only continue advancing.
And if you were associated with 911 for illicit purposes – this is the perfect chance to switch gears. With an abundance of professional tools out there, there‘s no need to violate terms of service or harm others when collecting web data.
I hope this guide provided helpful context and clarity during this transitional time. Stay tuned for more updates!
