How to Do It: Circumventing the Censors
Most Internet censorship regimes—including those in Burma, China, and North Korea—rely on list-based software that flags and then blocks access to certain keywords, domain names, and URL addresses. Such technology can be highly effective. But it is also possible for ordinary citizens to get around it using some simple techniques. Here’s how to do it.
Level 1: Figure out what you need
Anyone hoping to circumvent Internet censorship should first answer two basic questions: First, how much technological know-how do I have? That will determine which technologies are available to you. And, second, what kind of risk am I taking by trying to evade the censors? In places where legal penalties aren’t as stiff, a great variety of options will be available. Those living under more strict regimes will need to employ techniques that are more secure and more secret.
Level 2: Try on a mask
The easiest and most readily accessible technologies are Web-based circumventors. These are special Web pages that allow users to type in a Web address and surf blocked Web sites normally. They require little or no technological know-how. There’s no software to install. And many are free and publicly available. Some of the most popular are Anonymizer.com, Anonymouse.ws, Proxify.com, and The-cloak.com.
Level 3: Get some distance between you and the censors
Web-based circumventors, particularly public ones, have a downside. Most censorship regimes already know about them and may already block them. In such cases, more advanced technologies will be necessary. That may mean using a proxy server, which acts as a cushion between the user and the end destination. A little bit of technological know-how will be required here to reconfigure your Web browser’s settings. Most proxy sites have simple directions for downloading, installing, and using the software. Check out squid-cache.org, privoxy.org, and publicproxyservers.com.
Level 4: Dig a tunnel
Although proxy servers are often capable of getting around Internet filtering, they offer only a low level of security and privacy. Under more advanced censorship regimes, downloadable “tunneling” software may be necessary. These systems route a user’s Web surfing through an encrypted channel to a computer in a noncensored locale. People who live in repressive regimes can tunnel to the computer of an uncensored friend or purchase access to commercial tunneling services. Go to http-tunnel.com, hopster.com, and htthost.com.
Level 5: Go incognito
Under the strictest regimes, anonymous communication systems, or ACS, offer the best chance of unfettered access to the Web. They work much the same way that tunnels do, except they provide additional levels of privacy and anonymity. Like tunnels, they require users to install software, so they may be impossible to use in Internet cafes and other public access points. People hoping to use these systems should have a more advanced knowledge of computers. Some of the most powerful ACS systems can be found at tor.eff.org, anon.inf.tu-dresden.de, and freenetproject.org.
If none of these techniques gain you access the outside world, throw away your computer and get a shortwave radio.
