Unblocking the Internet
Long gone are the days when staff and students could access what ever web sites they wanted. Over the past decade there has been a growing number of so-called web filters blocking access to websites, everything from the obvious adult content sites to social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Staff and students are fighting back and using home-based CGI proxies Flakka unblocking agents service and free proxies access their websites elections.
It is a constant cat and mouse game between the users who wish to access their favorite website and schools and employers blocking that access. This article explores some of the techniques used to block and unblock websites at work and school.
The main reason that schools and workplaces block web sites is to prevent employees and students from using computers and bandwidth for private purposes, such as staying in touch with friends and family using web mail or social networking sites. There is a strong case to stop such activities. But in some cases it is reasonable to talk about censorship.
Bennett Haselton of Peace Four reports that Amnesty Intercepted (about human rights groups whose sites were blocked by blocking software) and Blind Ballots (about candidates in the 2004 election, whose sites were blocked). Amnesty International Israel and "Lloyd Doggett of Congress" were among the places that we found blocked by Cyber Patrol, one of the first web filters on the market.
Many believe schools and employers are fighting a losing battle. There are a number of ways employees and students can unblock web filters using other proxies. It is also becoming common to have Internet access on everything from cell phones to PDA: s Some companies even prohibit the use of such devices on their premises, especially at companies that handle sensitive personal information, such as banks and hospitals.
So what are some of the techniques used to unblock web filters? A few years ago it was very popular to use Google to get past web filters by viewing thumbnail images or "cached" links to look at inappropriate material. Users can also trick filters by typing in misspelled words. Translation sites like Google or Babelfish can deliver sites translated from another language. These days most web filters can easily block these techniques.
There are millions of so called free proxies on the Internet. The basic function as a middle man between the blocked site and the users browser. Unfortunately, these proxies are blocked within a few days. Rob McCarthy at Lightspeed Systems explains how their web filter detects new proxies. Lightspeed system is software that constantly search the Internet looking for sites that contain the word proxy in the URL or on the actual site. But it takes a few days for a new proxy to get discovered, so it's a constant cat and mouse game.
Another alternative is to use a service called Flakka. It is a system that makes it almost impossible to demonstrate unblocking agents site. The Flakka unblock service also have the advantage that there is nothing to install or download, and it generally works better than the free proxy servers when it comes to unblocking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and other social networking sites. Flakka was developed with the average Internet user in mind.
The best alternative to bypass web filters is to create so called CGI proxy on your home computer. Using this method it is possible to access websites via your home computer. Setting up server and CGI proxy is very easy, it only takes a few hours. Peace Fire has detailed instructions.
Another way to unblock is to install anonymizer software on the blocked computer. Anonymity and your freedom are two very good examples of high quality services. Some schools and workplaces prohibit users to install software.
