Everyone`s guide to by-passing Internet Censorship
Contents
1. EVERYONE S GUIDE TO BY PASSING INTERNET CENSORSHIP FOR CITIZENS WORLDWIDE A CIVISEC PROJECT The Citizen Lab The University of Toronto September 2007 UPMOD uef q uo e4 SN 4 A02 Lu coc Lu ed c bee LO Glossary Introduction Choosing Circumvention User self assessment Provider self assessment Technology Web based Circumvention Systems Tunneling Software Anonymous Communications Systems Tricks of the trade Things to remember Further reading page 4 page 5 page 8 page 17 page 28 page 29 page 29 Circumvention Technologies Circumvention technologies are any tools software or methods used to bypass Inter net filtering These can range from complex computer programs to relatively simple manual steps such as accessing a banned website stored on a search engine s cache instead of trying to access it directly Circumvention Providers Circumvention providers install software on a computer in a non filtered location and make connections to this computer available to those who access the Internet from a censored location Circumvention providers can range from large commercial organi zations offering circumvention services for a fee to individuals providing circumven tion services for free Circumvention Users Circumvention users are individuals who use circumvention technologies to bypass Internet content filtering Internet censorship or content2. anonymously Circumvention and anonymity are different Anony mous systems protect your identity from the website you are connecting to and from the anonymity system itself They can be used for circumvention but are not designed for this purpose and thus can easily be blocked Circumvention systems are designed to get around blocking but do not protect your identity from the circumvention provider Do not mistake open public proxies for anonymous systems they are not Although they may not ask for personal information they can view and record the location of the computer from which you are connect ing and all of the websites you visit through them Commercial services which advertize anonymous surfing may still record your connection information and the web sites you visit Make sure you fully understand the terms and conditions of their use There are a number of strategies that you can follow if you want to publish online anonymously The Citizen Lab has created a separate guide on circumvention for publishing online that includes a section on anonymous publishing choosing circumvention cont d Ns PTE ei CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION PROVIDER safety first eak Setting up a circumvention technology for someone is a great way to give a help ing hand to others to exercise their basic human rights of access to information and freedom of speech However it is a choice that carries with
3. bbc co uk Web Accelerators Web Accelerators cache web pages and make it appear as if your Internet connection is faster Since you are retrieving the website from the cache and not from the blocked website directly you can access censored content Example webaccelerator google com things to remember There are a many ways to get access to a blocked site Most methods do not allow you to do this securely Find a method that provides you with both access and security choice of technology private solutions stand the best chance of not being The more private your circumvention solution the better Regardless of the discovered and blocked You increase your level of stable and secure circumvention if you are able to use a trusted out of country contact ge Never use an out of country contact you do not know and trust Your contact can be your key to safety and your most important source of vulnerability Remember that your provider can potentially see everything you are doing through a circumvention system Violating state laws regarding Internet censorship can be a major risk Do not use any technology you do not fully understand or know how to operate Make a a thorough threat assessment based on your country context skill level and social network advertize security and anonymity but do not actually provide them or require v Make sure to understand fully the technology you are using Some services extra config
4. traffic Typically insecure unencrypted traffic is tunelled within an encrypted connection The normal services on the user s computer are available but run through the tunnel to the non filtered computer which forwards the user s requests and their responses transparently Users with contacts in a non filtered country can set up private tunneling services while those without contacts can purchase commercial tunneling services Web tunneling software restricts the tunneling to web traffic so that web browsers will function but not other applications Application tunneling software allows one to tunnel multiple Internet applications such as email clients and instant messengers WEB TUNNELING SOFTWARE Free _ Free ZEEE UltraReach http www ultrareach com UltraReach has created anti censorship software known as UltraSurf UltraReach pro vides a client download for Windows that the user in the censored country downloads installation is not required on his or her own computer It is free software and is avail able in English and Chinese Once started the application opens an Internet Explorer application that is automatically configured to allow the user to browse web sites through UltraSurf Other browsers must be manually configured By default the con nection is encrypted and various techniques are used to find an unblocked IP address UltraSurf is an excellent choice for non technical users who are willing to trust a thi
5. unencrypted they can be easily intercept id ed any step along the way of transmission from your home or office router to your ISP WEB BASED CIRCUMVENTION SYSTEMS the list zz Proxify and Stupid Censorship are encrypted public web based circumvention sys tems A user in a censored country simply visits one of the web sites and then inputs their destination Since these web services are public however they are blocked in many countries and by most filtering applications Proxify https proxify com StupidCensorship https stupidcensorship com 17 udu MTZ E d NI N WEB BASED CIRCUMVENTION SYSTEMS the list cont d z o gt CGIProxy http www jmarshall com CGIProxy is the engine that most web based circumvention systems use Private web based circumvention systems turn a computer into a personal encrypted server capable of retrieving and displaying web pages to users of the server connect ing remotely Private web based circumventors include providers who install and run circumvention software in an uncensored jurisdiction and users who access the ser vice from a jurisdiction that censors the Internet The circumvention provider grows his her private network based on social relations of trust and private communications making it difficult for censors to find and block 3 siphon z ee http psiphon civisec org psiphon turns a regular home computer into a personal encrypted server capa
6. ached next to your search results Since you are retrieving a copy of the blocked page from the search engine s servers and not from the blocked web site itself you may be able to access the censored content However some countries have targetted caching services for blocking Example Google Cache Translation Services There are many translation services available on the Inter net often provided by search engines If you access a we site through the translation service it is the translation service that is accessing the blocked site This allows you to read the censored content without directly connecting to the blocked website Example babel altavista com 2 P Tricks of the Trade RSS Aggregators RSS aggregators are web sites that allow you to bookmark and read your favorite RSS feeds RSS Aggregator sites will connect to the blocked we sites and download the the RSS feed and make it available to you Since it is the aggregator connecting to the site not you you will be able to access the censored content Example www bloglines com Alternate Domain Names One of the most common ways to censor a website is to block access to its domain name e g news bbc co uk However sites are often accessible at other domain names such as newsrss bbc co uk Therefore if one domain name is blocked try to see if the content can be accessed at another domain Example news bbc co uk gt newsrss
7. at is highly the law especially if the information you are visiting is considered a national security threat If you are consis considered a security tently accessing this type of content you should choose l circumvention technologies that offer the greatest threat to the country In anonymity and security However there is usually which you live a trade off between ease of use and security so be prepared to spend extra time and effort in order to Is there a precedent for minimize risks arrests for the practice of circumventing Internet censorship in critical of and is If you are associated with a high profile rights organization or dissident group then you may be on your government s watch list and you should take extra your country precautions in carefully choosing your circumvention technologies You may want to assume that you are Do you have any affili being monitored and that your computer could be seized at any time Avoid circumvention technologies that require installation on your computer If possible access the Internet from a range of different anony mous public terminals instead o ations with high profile groups that are known to be on your govern ment s watch list 12 choosing YY circumvention N E NK ARENE N esa N cont d CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION USER identity Is protecting your identity online of paramount importance to you Do you want to surf and or publish
8. ble of retrieving and displaying web pages anywhere The user in the uncensored country downloads the software and installs it on his her home computer psiphon is free and open source and comes in Linux and Windows versions It is easy to install and comes with a very detailed and easy to follow user guide If your computer is behind a home router it may require some configuration Once installed the psiphon provider sends the connection information to users in censored jurisdictions by the most secure means available The censored user does not have to install any software but simply types a URL into the psiphon blue bar This means that the psiphon circum vention system can be accessed from anywhere Since the locations of psiphon enabled computers are private they are difficult for censors to find and block Peacefire Circumventor is a circumvention system nearly identical in principle and method to psiphon However It can be difficult to install Three different software packages must be downloaded and installed and if your computer is behind a home router it may require additional configuration Although Peacefire Circumventor provides some setup help there is not a detailed user guide as there is with psiphon Otherwise Peacefire Circumventor works along the same principles as psiphon 18 Peacefire Circumventor http peacefire org TUNNELING SOFTWARE Tunneling encapsulates one form of traffic inside of other forms of
9. e Internet in Burma Tunisia Yemen Saudi Arabia and Iran This guide is meant to introduce non technical users to Internet censorship circumvention technologies and help them choose which of them best suits their circumstances and needs the real worldady A pa d Internet content filtering practices vary widely by country CHINA In China the government controls access to Internet content and online publishing by a combination of technical filtering methods and extensive regulations and guidelines The technical filtering is implemented primarily at the national backbone level with requests for information filtered for both banned Internet Protocol IP addresses and keywords Although sometimes inconsistent China s centralized system of content filtering ensures uniform blocking of access throughout the country to human rights opposi tion political movements Taiwanese and Tibetan independence international news and other web sites There is very little transpar ency about Internet filtering and no public accountability process In Iran there is no nationwide uniform filtering system Instead Internet Service Providers ISPs are responsible for implementing censorship following explicit guidelines stipulated by the state Individual ISPs choose how they filter with some using American commercial filtering software while others use more manual methods Users accessing the Internet on different ISPs can experi ence
10. e concerning the information they leave on your computer and what they can do through your circumvention system Communicate a clear policy to your users wi choosing circumvention cont d CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION PROVIDER risks pone EE What are your potential The risks of hosting circumvention technologies are not as security and legal risks great as they are for users of circumvention technologies of hosting circumven but they are not zero You are almost certainly respon sible for everything that is done through your computer using your Internet connection If someone visits web your ISP ol government cites or posts information through your circumvention restrict this type of service that is illegal you may be held liable A less likely service but nonetheless signifcant risk concerns the possibilty of you becoming a target of foreign agents of the country in which your service is offered Make sure that you understand the potential security and legal risks of host ing circumvention technologies from the perspective of both your ISP and your own government tion technologies Does examples ffon 1 the real wora At 11 15 am on February 8 2006 unkown assailants forcibly entered Peter Yuan Li s Atlanta GA USA home bound and beat him and then left with several laptops and other files belonging to him An information technology specialist from Princeton University and a Falun Gong practitioner Pete
11. e referred to as circumvention technologies There are numerous circumvention technologies that can be used under a variety of different circumstances by a wide range of potential users No one technology fits all of the different potential users and the circumstances within which they find themselves Our view is that it is much better to think of circumvention technologies pragmatically as tools in a toolkit Just as some tools are better for some jobs and not others or require different levels of skill to employ responsibly each circumven tion technology should be approached in terms of how best it fits each user s unique problems circumstances and skillset 7 choosing circumvention Circumvention technologies often target different types of users with varying resources and levels of expertise What may work well in one scenario may not be the best option in another When choosing a circumvention technology it is important for the potential circumvention provider and user to determine what works best for their situation The decision to use circumvention technology should be taken seriously carefully analyzing the specific needs available resources and security concerns of every one involved There is a wide variety of technologies available for users who want to circumvent Internet filtering However using them for successful and stable circumvention service depends on a variety of factors including the user s level of tec
12. ection Internet access was unfettered In a separate section reserved for NGOs and journalists Internet access was man aged through a Tunisian ISP which filtered content heavily using the American commercial product Smartfilter An NGO with a booth located on the filtered side set up a proxy with an SSH D tunnel to their home office computer based in the Netherlands The NGO then informed members of the port number of the browser allowing them to bypass Tunisian filtering 21 APPLICATION TUNNELING SOFTWARE Free errek da http gpass1 com GPass provides a client download for Windows that a user in a censored jurisdiction downloads there is an optional installer on their computer It is free software and is available in English and Chinese Once GPass is started the icons of applications to be proxied through Gpass can be dragged and dropped into the Gpass interface When these application are started via Gpass they are automatically configured to run through the service By default Internet Explorer Windows Media Player and the default email client are already configured By default the connection is encrypted and various techniques are used to find and connect to an unblocked IP address The application provides reasonable speeds and has the ability to store encrypted book marks and other files GPass is an excellent choice for non technical users who are willing to trust a third party and require encrypted free
13. filtering has become a major global problem Whereas once it was assumed that states could not control Internet communications according to research by the OpenNet Initiative http opennet net more than 25 countries now engage in Internet censorship practices Those with the most pervasive filtering policies have been found to routinely block access to human rights organi zations news blogs and web services that challenge the status quo or are deemed threatening or undesirable Others block access to single categories of Internet content or intermittently to specific websites or network services to coincide with strategic events such as elections or public demonstrations Although some states enact Internet filtering legislation most do so with little or no transparency and public accountability Most states do not reveal what information is being blocked and rarely are there review or grievance mechanisms for affected citizens or content publishers Compounding the problem is the increasing use of commercial filtering software which is prone to over blocking due to faulty catego rization Commercial filters block access to categorized lists of websites that are kept secret for proprietary reasons even for customers As a consequence unaccountable private companies determine censorship rules in political environments where there is little public accountability or oversight For example commercial filtering software is used to censor th
14. hnical skill potential security risk and contacts available outside the censored jurisdiction We outline some general considerations in choosing circumvention technologies for potential users and then for providers are you a circumvention USER OR a circumvention PROVIDER choosing X circumvention SS N y b e 5 N dere cont d CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION USER what where how Do you want to access or publish information on the Internet Are you accessing the Internet from a private or public computer Although closely related accessing banned content as opposed to publishing it can involve different risks strategies and technologies for the user We have created a separate guide for those who want to circumvent Internet censorship to publish information online Accessing the Internet from either your home or a public computer at an Internet cafe or public library involves a different set of considerations and presents a range of possibilities for circumvention For example users who access the Internet from public computers or Internet caf s may not be able to install any software and will be restricted to web based solutions Others may want to use applications besides Web browsing HTTP such as e mail SMTP and file transfers FTP and thus may want to install software on their computer workstation and to tweak their computer s settings With your own private computer yo
15. it a heavy responsiblity and several considerations Above all else the safety of your users must be your primary concern What is your level of Setting up and hosting a circumvention technology technical expertise server can be a time consuming and complex task depending on the circumvention system Some require the download and installation of several different pieces of software Almost all of them will entail some configuration to accommodate your own particular computer user network environment If you are running your Inter net connection through a home router or firewall for example there may be some customization of your circumvention system Some circumvention technolo gies have very clear and helpful documentation and user guides while others do not Be sure that you choose a technology that matches your skill level and abilities as setting up a system improperly could jeopardize the security of your user s Make sure that you are also comfortable maintaining your system as an outdated or constantly interrupted technology can frustrate and needlessly endanger users in censored locations Do you consider your self a beginner intermediate or expert he Private IP Ma s he IP adia Jagi aka A hat 9 dda Yom ore LAN Type Set sto TCP lon EA PIS serso 8 BO 14 choosing YY circumvention N E NK A Su TZA GETS N esa N cont d CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION PROVIDER your u
16. l of technical expertise Do you consider your self a beginner intermediate or expert computer user What language of use is acceptable preferable to you Do you require technologies that oper ate other than English TA ba em The greater your level of technical expertise the more your circumvention options increase Some users may find the installation set up process and use of circum vention technologies to be too onerous or beyond their level of expertise Although it is always possible to invest time and learn how to use even the most seemingly complex software be careful the incorrect installation and use of circumvention technologies may put you at considerable risk Most circumvention technologies are designed with user interfaces and instructions in English although many also offer versions of their systems and user guides in other languages If you are consulting a trans lated user s manual be sure that the translations you use match the version of the software you are employ ing as the two may not necessarily match sort Sore MO ba gaua MS A Login outer virtual Server tab e DT Depend TS Gr ZE e Eu Ada ZU aal e A Kd A Se bia Mg Pat Ki forward conre IKO Private IP Tea a te IE 11 choosing circumvention cont d Tnn E CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION USER safety amp security Are you accessing Accessing banned content can be a serious violation of content th
17. not encrypted just encoded The latter is simply a different way of expressing information not a way to keep information secret as the former As with many others since the HTTP Tunnel website is often already blocked in many jurisdictions and by filtering applications a user may have to acquire the software through a third party A determined censor could also block the service of HTTP Tun nel although measures could be taken to counter act such censoring by a technically proficient user Since the application must be installed it may not be suitable for public terminals or high risk users whose computers are at risk of being seized 23 APPLICATION TUNNELING SOFTWARE Pay errek gez https www relakks com Relakks provides a pay service called Relakks Safe Surf It is a Virtual Private Network VPN system that uses an encrypted tunnel to transport traffic from the user in the censored country through the Relakks servers It uses the native VPN clients on the Windows and Mac platforms so users are not required to install any software Many different applications can be tunneled over the VPN such as email web browsing and instant messenging Relakks Safe Surf is an good choice for those users who are not technically proficient and are willing to pay and trust a third party for a encrypted VPN However Relakks could be easily blocked gt In addition to a free non encrypted web based circumvention system Guardster
18. nsored country downloads and installs on their computer It is available in English and several European languages The user must select a mix through which to route traffic and then follow the instructions provided to configure the web browser to use JAP ANON The mix is a set of intermediaries through which a request is routed and since many requests are moving through the mix neither the operators of the mix nor the host being requested through the mix know the user s true identity However there are varying levels of anonymity as some use a single mix while oth ers use mix cascades There is also a pay serverice for access to higher speeds and more anoymous mixes JAP ANON http anon inf tu dresden de index_en html JAP ANON is a good choice for technical users who require anonymity along with circumvention service for web browsing at reasonable speeds Since the JAP ANON website is often already blocked in many countries a user in a censored country may have to acquire the software through a third party The service may still be accessible if the web site is blocked although a determined censor could also block the service Since the application must be installed it may not be suitable for public terminals or high risk users whose equipment may be seized 25 udu MTZ E EAZ Guk He ANONYMOUS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS Tor E E E http tor eff org Tor is a free anonymous Communications system that w
19. o open public proxy computers whose connection information is advertised in some manner Users should be aware that these are the least secure by definition since a user can never be certain that an adversary has not set up a trap or honey pot to entice dissidents Having someone you know and trust set up a connec tion instead is a better option but it is not without its own set of risks and considerations Providers can moni tor everything you do online including all of the sites you visit That is why it is essential that you fully trust the person or organization that is providing the circum vention service for you Successful long term and stable circumvention is greatly enhanced by having a trusted contact in a non filtered location If you do not have access to trusted friends and family members outside of your jurisdiction then you may have to put your trust into a third party There are many commercial providers that offer circumvention services for a fee If you are able to afford this option be careful to explore the terms and conditions of the service and the privacy policy Commercial services may offer anonymity to surf the Internet but not anonym ity from the commercial provider itself If compelled by law the commercial service may turn over all of their records and your personal information choosing circumvention cont d CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION USER what do you know What is your leve
20. o so However developers are working on blocking resistance solutions Because of the multiple routers through which Tor traffic passes surfing the Internet via Tor can be slow Tor requires considerable computer skills and is not for the novice 26 ANONYMOUS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS I2P http www i2p net IZE is an anonymization network that is primarily intended for users to publish content anonymously and access content anonymously through I2P However it can also be used to surf the Internet anonymously I2P provides a client download for Windows Mac Linux that a user in a censored country downloads and installs on their computer The user s browser must be manually configured to point through the I2P network IZE is a good choice for technical users who require anonymity primarily for publish ing but also for circumventing filters at slow speeds Since the I2P website is often already blocked in many countries a user in a censored country may have to acquire the software through a third party The service may still be accessible although it too could be blocked by a determined censor Since the ap plication must be installed it may not be suitable for public terminals or for high risk users whose computers may be seized 2T Cached Pages Many search engine provide copies of web pages known as cached pages of the original pages they index When search ing for a web site look for a small link labelled c
21. orks by routing web requests through a series of routers each of which peels away a layer of encryption so that no individual router on the network can identify the source or the destination of the request It is an excellent choice for those who require strong anonymity because it would be extremely difficult for a government to monitor your communications through the Tor network Tor also allows users to tunnel a variety of other protocols through its network such as instant messaging traffic and email It also has a feature known as hidden services that allows users to anonymously publish their own web pages that are only accessible via Tor It presently requires a client download so is likely not appropriate for public terminals and implies a significant risk for those whose computers may be seized It is available in multiple languages and is open source and has a very dedicated thriving develop ment network and documentation After installation the Tor service begins and the user may use the preferred Firefox broswer which comes with Torbutton so Tor can be easily toggled on and off Other browsers require manual configuration Tor is an excellent choice for technical users who require strong anonymity along with circumvention service for multiple applications at slow speeds Even though the Tor website is blocked in some countries the service is not However a determined government could easily block Tor if they choose to d
22. provides both an encrypted web based circumvention system and a Secure Shell SSH Tunnel for a fee A variety of software applications including web browsers and email clients can be tunneled through the encrypted SSH tunnel of Guardster Guardster SSH http www guardster com Guardster SSH is a good choice for those users who are not technically proficient and are willing to pay and trust a third party for a encrypted tunnel As with many others since the Guardster SSH website is often already blocked in many jurisdictions and by filtering applications a user may have to acquire the software through a third party A determined censor could also block the service of Guardster SSH 24 udu MTZ E d NI N ANONYMOUS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS Anonymous technologies conceal a user s IP address from the server hosting the web site visited by the user Some but not all anonymous technologies conceal the user s IP address from the anonymizing service itself and encrypt the traffic between the user and the service Since users of anonymous technologies make requests for web content through a proxy service instead of to the server hosting the content directly anonymous technologies can be a useful way to bypass Internet censorship However some anonymous technologies require users to download software and can be easily blocked by authorities gt JAP ANON provides a client download for Windows Mac Linux that the user in a ce
23. r Yuan Li had been maintaining several forums in the United States where users within China could tunnel through China s national firewalls to read and post information on the banned religious movement Although there is no conclusive evidence to prove the case Mr Li believes that the assailants were operatives of the Chinese government trying to shut down his service 16 technology WEB BASED CIRCUMVENTION SYSTEMS Web based circumvention systems are special web pages that allow users to submit a URL and have the web based circumventor retrieve the requested web page There is no connection between the user and the requested website as the circumventor transparently proxies the request allowing the user to browse blocked websites seamlessly Since the web addresses of public circumventors are widely known most Internet filtering applications already have these services on their block lists as do many countries that filter at the national level Web based circumvention systems could be a good choice for the users connecting with no trusted out of country contacts assuming the pages are not yet blocked NOTE Although some may advertise themselves as anonymous many web based circumvention are not Some may not even be encrypted It is important to remember that encrypted websites begin with https and are signified by the open lock icon in your web browser moving to the locked position If you send your bed web requests
24. rd party and require free web browsing at reasonable speeds Since the UltraReach website is often already blocked in some countries a user in a censored jurisdiction may have to acquire the software through a third party Even though the site may be blocked the service could still be accessible as measures are taken to acquire unblocked IP addresses in a variety of ways However even these could be blocked by a very determined censor 19 d NI N WEB TUNNELING SOFTWARE Free SS es FreeGate http www dit inc us Freegate is an anti censorship technology developed by DynaWeb similar in many ways to UltraSurf Unlike UltraSurf however Freegate does not encrypt the URL by default If users want to encrypt the URL request they have to download another software package and specially configure Freegate FreeGate is a good choice for expert users who are more concerned with circumven tion than security are willing to trust a third party do some manual configuration and require free web browsing at reasonable speeds As with UltraSurf the Freegate website is blocked in many censored jursidictions and so users must acquire the software through a third party Likewise the service itself may be blocked although users can manually insert unblocked IP addresses into Freegate WEB TUNNELING SOFTWARE Pay z Anonymizer http anonymizer com Anonymizer provides a client download for Windows that a user in a censored countr
25. sers What is the number of users you expect or want to accommodate and what is your available bandwidth What will you allow your users to do through your connection Would you want to know what information they are accessing or publishing What are you going to do with their surfing records The number of users you allow to surf through your computer will affect your computer s processing capa bilities and your connection speeds affecting not only what you do but what circumvention users can do The more users you have the more complicated it will be to monitor their usage if necessary and manage their accounts Make sure that you offer circumvention services only to the number of users you and your computer can comfortably handle Setting up a circumvention service means that you will be able to monitor all of the usage that runs through it Having this capability means that you can decide what information you will allow users to retrieve or publish Some circumvention systems make this feature easier to employ than others but even those that do not still leave traces on your computer of the user s activity You must decide for yourself what information you will choose to view archive and or discard If you choose to discard this information make sure that you do it properly as even deleted information can leave traces Above all make sure that you let your users know what your standard operating procedure will b
26. set to Normal by default meaning all traffic is in plain text and easily intercepted To encrypt the traffic the user must change this setting to Secure the highest setting the Anonymous setting is misleading only blocking cookies not making traffic anonymous Once the software is configured with the Secure setting and the user has modified the browser settings if not using Internet Explorer the user s traffic is encrypted and is routed through Ghost Surf servers Ghost Surf is a good choice for those who are somewhat technically proficient and are willing to pay and trust a third party for a fast connection As with Anonymzer since the Ghost Surf website is often blocked in many jurisdictions a user may have to acquire the software through a third party While the service may still be accessible in spite of the filtering of the website the service itself could be easily blocked by a determined censor Since the application must be installed it may not be suitable for public terminals or high risk users whose computers are at risk of being seized WSIS in Tunisia The World Summit on Information Society II WSIS was held in Tunis Tunisia in 2006 Tunisia filters access to content extensively including web sites critical of the government s examples from human rights record Wor b WSIS was held in a building that had two sections each with different Internet access protocols In the official proceedings s
27. significant variation of accesslbility to web sites Iran uses this system to filter Iran related and Persian Farsi language content critical of the regime including politically sensitive sites gay and lesbian content women s rights sites streaming media and blogs While there are debates within government that openly acknowledge and discuss Internet content filtering policies there is very little transparency about the specific content that is targeted for filtering U S A In the United States public institutions e g schools and librar ies are required by law the Children s Internet Protection Act CIPA to use filtering software to block access to obscene pornographic and other materials related to the sexual exploita tion of children Most implement the filtering policy by using commercial filtering technologies which are prone to miscat egorization and error Researchers have found that commercial filtering technologies mistakenly block access to content related to women s health gay and lesbian rights groups and sexual education for teenagers In the face of this growing global problem citizens around the world have sought solutions to evade government filters and exercise their basic human rights to access information of their own choosing where there is a problem BE there is a EE ASL The tools methods and strategies that are used to by pass Internet content filtering ar
28. tunneling for services other than browsing http at reasonable speeds As with Anonymzer and others since the Gpass website is often already blocked in many jurisdictions and by filtering applications a user may have to acquire the soft ware through a third party To counteract the possible filtering of the service measures are taken to automatically find unblocked IP addresses Since the application must be installed it may not be suitable for public terminals or high risk users whose computers are at risk of being seized 22 APPLICATION TUNNELING SOFTWARE Free gt HTTP Tunnel http www http tunnel com HTTP Tunnel is another client download for Windows that a user in the censored country downloads and installs on their computer Much like psiphon and Peacefire Circumventor HTTP Tunnel also proviodes a server that a user in an uncensored country can download to setup a private service for someone in a censored country The HTTP Tunnel can be used for free although a pay service is also available Users must manually configure applications such as web browsers email clients and in stant messengers to use HTTP Tunnel HTTP Tunnel is a good choice for technical users who are more concerned with circumvention than security and are willing to trust a third party do some manual configuration and require tunneling for services other than browsing http at reasonable speeds HTTP tunnel traffic does not appear to be
29. u can install any software of your own choosing that you may not be able to install on a public Internet terminal However doing so can impose addi tional risks as there is now evidence on your computer of the use of circumvention technologies which if seized by authorities could lead to liabilities Public Internet access can offer anonymity that private computers cannot although some require visitors to present personal identification and or monitor visitors usage Whether you circumvent censorship through your home or a public terminal it is always important to understand as fully as possible the terms and condi tions of the service that is being provided choosing X circumvention eei e EEE Ge bere 7 N ed cont d CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CIRCUMVENTION USER who do you know Do you have any connections to or availability of trusted out of country contacts e g friends family members colleagues Are you willing to pay and put your trust into a third party organization to access or publish information on the Internet 10 a Immm Since circumventing Internet censorship involves making connections to a computer outside of the jurisdiction in which the censorship takes place an important factor for consideration is whether you know and trust someone or group outside of the country who is willing to provide circumvention services for you Many users who circumvent censorship do so by connecting t
30. uration or fees in order to activate such features further reading NGO in A Box http security ngoinabox org A multi lingual and peer reviewed collection of software and manuals to increase computer security and Internet privacy for human rights defenders and independent media Tactical Technology Collective http www tacticaltech org A non profit foundation promoting the use of free and open source software for non governmental organizations and producers of the Security NGO in A Box Reporters Without Borders Handbook for Cyber Dissidents and Bloggers http www rsf org rubrique php3 id_rubrique 542 OpenNet Initiative http opennet net A collaborative project among the Universities of Toronto Cambridge Oxford and Harvard whose aim is to document Internet censorship and surveillance worldwide Digital Security and Privacy for Human Rights Defenders http www frontlinedefenders org manual en esecman by Dmitri Vitaliev Published by Front Line The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders ICE www nartv org blog Blog of Citizen Lab Research Fellow Nart Villeneuve 29 www citizenlab org aE MUNK CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDI
31. y installs on their computer After completing the easy installation process the user enables the Anonymous Surfing tm option after which their traffic is transpar ently tunneled through Anonymizer However to ensure security the user must enable the Surfing Security tm SSL Encryption so that all traffic is encrypted with HTTPS SSL This option is disabled by default The software also provides other services such as Digital Shredder Anti Spyware and disposable email addresses Anonymizer is an excellent choice for users that are not technically proficient and are willing to pay and trust a third party for encrypted web browsing at high speeds Since the Anonymizer website is often blocked in many jurisdictions a user may have to acquire the software through a third party While the service may still be accessible in spite of the filtering of the web site the service itself could be easily blocked by a determined censor Since the application must be installed it may not be suitable for public terminals or high risk users whose computers are at risk of being seized 20 WEB TUNNELING SOFTWARE Pay Ghost Surf http tenebril com GhostSurf provides a client download for Windows that a user in a censored country installs on their computer After completing the installation the software configures the Internet Explorer browser automatically All other browsers must be manually con figured The software is
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search