Getting Around Internet Blockage

As the governments of more countries use technology to block their citizens' access to certain Web sites on the Internet, you might encounter difficulty visiting the RFA sites.

However, there are many ways to bypass the Internet blockage.

One of the most popular ways is to use proxy servers. You can get updated proxy information sent to you automatically by sending an e-mail to proxies@rfanews.org. Note: Send an email regularly to get currently working proxies.

If you don’t know how to use a proxy server, please, read the instructions below on how to set up your own computer to use proxy or use a proxy on another Web site.

Increasingly in China, people can access censored Web sites via special portal pages called “Client side software.” These are services provided by companies that specialize in offering free access to information. We recommend Freegate, from Dynaweb, and several others (see below.)

You can also get the news via e-mail. Several of our news services distribute their stories via e-mail newsletter and we've provided links to make it easy for you to sign up.

Subscribe to an RFA e-mail newsletter in your language

Learn about client's side software

Install a software on your flash drive

Set up your computer to use an open proxy

Use a Web site's CGI proxy

Use a peer-to-peer network

If you wish to share information about ways to overcome Internet censorship, write to us at contact@rfa.org; or post it on our English-language message board, in a special section called Internet and Technology

Web Access - E-mail Newsletters

Another way to read RFA news is by subscribing to an e-newsletter published by one of our language services. Use the links below to sign up:

Cantonese newsletter: Register here or write to newsletter-subscribe@can.rfaweb.org

Korean newsletter: Register here or write to newsletter-subscribe@kor.rfaweb.org

Mandarin newsletter: Register here or write to newsletter-subscribe@man.rfaweb.org

Uyghur newsletter: Register here or write to newsletter-subscribe@uyg.rfaweb.org

Vietnamese newsletter: Register here or write to newsletter-subscribe@vie.rfaweb.org

If you would like to share information about ways to overcome Internet censorship, write to us at contact@rfa.org; or post it on our English-language message board, in a special section called Internet and Technology. (back to top)

What's a client's side software

Client-side software enable users to browse the Internet freely. The experience is the same as while using the regular Internet Explorer browser but it automatically searches the highest speed proxy servers in the background or it uses a parallel network of servers maintained by a company that promotes freedom of information on the Internet.

Fire Phoenix is a relatively new comer to censorship busting. The system routes its network traffic through VPN tunnels and uses NAT to manage servers behind the 10.0.0.0 network.It effectively encrypts all your Internet traffic and anonymizes your IP address.
http://firephoenix.edoors.com/ In English: http://firephoenix.edoors.com/english.html

Freegate is developed and maintained by Dynaweb. It is a front end to a network of proxies. In Chinese, the service is called dongtaiwang.
http://www.dongtaiwang.com
You can download the Freegate client software at:
http://www.dongtaiwang.com/loc/software/62/f62142.exe
http://www.dongtaiwang.com/loc/software/62/f6221.exe

Garden Networks, launched in 2001, was the first intelligent proxy tool to help Internet users in China gain access to blocked sites. It uses a number of measures, including encryption, to defeat the blocking and filtering mechanisms of Internet censors.
http://gardennetworks.com

Gpass is also new and uses a system similar to Fire Phoenix. It is operated and maintained by the World’s Gate, Inc.
http://www.edoors.com
http://gpass1.com

UltraSurf is developed and maintained by UltraReach Internet Corp. It functions pretty much like Freegate.You can download the UltraSurf 8 client software at:
http://www.wujie.net/downloads/ultrasurf/u.zip
http://www.wujie.net/downloads/ultrasurf/u.exe
Download the (older version) UltraSurf 6 User Guide in English at: http://www.ultrareach.com/publish/downloads/ultrareach/ultrasurf6_userguide_en.zip (back to top)

Put a proxy on your flash drive

There is a way to have a portable proxy, one you can use on any computer safely.

By using UltraSurf, you can put proxy software on your flashdrive for use on any computer, either at home or at an Internet cafe.

1. Insert your flash drive into a USB port on your computer.

2. Go to this Web site and download this .exe file to the drive:

http://www.wujie.net/downloads/ultrasurf/u.exe

With this .exe (executable) file on your flash drive you don't need to install it on a computer. Start the program by inserting your flash drive into any computer's USB port, and double-click on the file to open UltraSurf.

3. Or download the zipped file here:

http://www.wujie.net/downloads/ultrasurf/u.zip

After you have downloaded the zipped file (*.zip), extract the .exe Ultrareach file with WinZip. Start the program by double-clicking the extracted file on your flash drive.

4. Click on the .exe file

UltraSurf will open an interface and an Internet Explorer browser window. There will be a lock on the bottom right corner of the screen which means UltraSurf is running and your IE browsing is under protection.

You can minimize the interface, but you cannot close it. If it is closed, UltraSurf will quit. You can start surfing the Web in the current IE window, or open a new IE window to do browsing.

5. Click on the "Exit" button to quit UltraSurf.

For help, refer to the Ultrareach user guide: http://www.ultrareach.com/publish/downloads/ultrareach/ultrasurf6_userguide_en.zip (back to top)

Web Access - Open Proxies

What is an open proxy?

An open proxy is a proxy server which will accept client connections from any IP address and make connections to any Internet resource. It is not hard to find open proxy servers on the Web.

How do I find open proxies?

Lists of open proxy servers can be found in seconds with a simple online search. These lists are frequently updated, and some even include bandwidth statistics info and where the server is hosted.

Below are instructions on how to configure your Internet browser to access an open proxy. You can also see an illustrated version of these instructions on our message boards .

A word of caution: Many open proxy servers are short-lived and you may have to repeat this process as necessary, and open proxies may not work well if your ISP has installed content filters.

If you would like to share information about ways to overcome Internet censorship, write to us at contact@rfa.org; or post it on our English-language message board, in a special section called Internet and Technology.

Setting up your proxy

Setting up proxies in Windows Internet Explorer is fairly easy. Assume you find an open proxy via an online search:

Example of Proxy IP: 203.162.168.163 Proxy port: 80

You can follow the 4 steps below to set up your IE browser to use an open proxy server:

Step 1

Load Internet Explorer

Go to Tools

Click Internet Options…

Step 2

Click the tab: Connections

Home computers connected using:

Dial-up connection - click on your connection name under Dial-up and Virtual Private Network settings Router - Click the button: LAN Settings...

Computers connected to a LAN:

Click the button: LAN Settings...

Step 3

Mark the option: Use a proxy server for this connection

Mark the option: Bypass proxy server for local addresses

Click the button: Advanced

Step 4

Type under HTTP: 203.162.168.163

Type under Port: 80

Mark the option: Use the same proxy server for all protocols

Type under: Do not use proxy server..: local

Click OK in all windows. (back to top)

Web Access - CGI Proxy

What is a CGI Proxy?

A CGI proxy is a free script that can be found on many Web pages that acts as an HTTP or FTP proxy. What this means is that through a CGI proxy, you can access any Web site using the server of a different Web site.

For example, some organizations may block the URL "http://www.rfa.org" with their firewall, but by using CGI proxy you can get around this. A CGI proxy allows the Web user to be anonymous and access Web sites that may be restricted.

How it works

A proxy server is a computer network service which allows users to make indirect connections to other network services. A user connects to the proxy server, and then requests a connection, file, or other resource available on a different server.

Proxy servers can help in when owners of the Internet resources impose restrictions on users from certain countries or geographical regions.

As well as providing a way to access blocked Web pages, a CGI proxy can also provide some degree of anonymity. Although it is not foolproof, it can prevent the Web site you are viewing from knowing more about you.

How to Find CGI Proxies on the Web

As the filename of the script is usually nph-proxy.pl or nph-proxy.cgi, use a search engine (Yahoo, Google, etc.) to look for sites with pages that contain these files. Use these phrases as a serch term: Search for nph-proxy , Search for nph-proxy.pl, Search for nph-proxy.cgi

You can also search using the phrase start using CGIProxy to find Web sites hosting CGI proxies. In the results, you will find a list of pages that offer the use of CGI Proxy, or that link to another page offering access to CGI Proxy.

If you just need a fast way to get around blocking software, try going to the following sites, enter the URL of the restricted site you want to visit, and the proxy will access the site for you. However, since these are public sites, they might be blacklisted by your ISP.

Here are just a few:

http://www.stupidcensorship.com/

http://proxify.com/ (This is free but there is also a version available for a fee.)

http://www.zensur.freerk.com/nada/ (back to top)

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks

A peer-to-peer computer network relies primarily on the power and bandwidth of each of the participants in the network. It is a connection between equals and it is typically used to share audio or video files, or anything in digital format.

It differs from the "client-side" model where communication happens via a server.

The concept of peer-to-peer has evolved and can also mean file-sharing between people.

Tor is an Internet communication system that allows people to communicate anonymously. It can be used as an outproxy to the regular Internet, or as an access to hidden services inside its own network.

However, users must understand that there are limitations to the anonymity. TOR hides the user's connection but not the data. Data traveling between the user (or client) and the TOR network is encrypted, but the data between the TOR network and Web sites he visits is NOT encrypted.

In Chinese: http://www.torproject.org/people.html.zh-cn

Torpark, developed by Hacktivismo, is an anonymous, portable Web browser based on a light version of Mozilla Firefox, Portable Firefox. It comes pre-configured, requires no installation and runs off a memory stick. Once launched, the browser allows you to navigates the Internet throught the TOR network of servers, leaving no trace. At the receiving end, the system confuses the site by sending a revolving number of different IP addresses.

Experienced users have found that Torpark is a good tool for new users since it is very simple. But some are not so enthusiastic since it appears to be a dummy version of TOR. Additionally, there is always the possibility – in theory – that some of the servers in the network actually belong to the censoring parties.

http://torpark.nfshost.com/download.html

Psiphon, developed by The Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto, is a censorship circumvention program. It was released on Dec. 1, 2006.

The software works by having people who live in uncensored countries, like Canada or the U.S., install a psiphon server on their home computer, and then give the connection information to a few friends or family members that live inside censored countries. Because each psiphon node runs separately on private computers, and the connections among psiphon users and servers are encrypted, it is extremely difficult for authorities to block.

The system is still new and requires that users know someone in a free country. So experts remain doubtful whether this software will be used by a large number of people.

http://psiphon.civisec.org/

Keep coming back to this page as we shall update it regularly.