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Internet censorship circumvention
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Internet censorship circumvention
Internet censorship circumvention is the use of various methods and tools by technically skilled users to bypass Internet censorship—the legal control or suppression of access to, publication of, or viewing of content on the Internet. Commonly used software tools include Lantern and Psiphon, which can bypass multiple types of restriction. Some methods evade less sophisticated blocking tools by using alternate domain name system (DNS) servers, false IP addresses, or address lookup systems. However, such methods become ineffective if censors block not only the DNS but also the IP addresses of restricted domains, thereby rendering a potential bypass ineffective. Other tools can tunnel the network traffic to proxy servers in jurisdictions that don't have censorship. Through pluggable transports, traffic obscuration, website mirrors, or archive sites, users can access copies of websites even in areas having Internet censorship.
An "arms race" (or competition) has developed between censors and developers of circumvention software. This competition leads to two types of innovation: more sophisticated blocking techniques by censors, and less detectable tools by circumvention developers. While estimates of user adoption for circumvention tools vary, it is widely accepted that tens of millions of people use them each month. Barriers to adoption include usability issues; difficulty in finding reliable information on circumvention; limited motivation to access censored content; and risks from breaking the law.
Major circumvention methods include alternate names and addresses; mirrors, caches, and copies; alternative platforms; proxying; and traffic obfuscation.
Censorship filters may block specific domain names, using either DNS hijacking or URL filtering. Websites can sometimes be accessed through alternate names and addresses that may not be blocked.
Some websites offer the same content at multiple pages or domain names. For example, the English Wikipedia is available at two locations: the main page and the mobile version.
If a website's DNS resolution is disrupted, but the site is not blocked in other ways, it may be possible to access the site directly through its IP address or by modifying a computer's hosts file. It may be possible to bypass DNS-based blocking by using alternative DNS servers or public recursive name servers (especially via an encrypted DNS client).
Censors may block specific IP addresses. Depending on how such filtering is implemented, it may be possible to use different forms of a blocked IP address, for example, by specifying the address in a different numeral system. For example, the following URLs all access the same site, but only some browsers will recognize all forms of the URL:
Blockchain technology—a distributed data store for digital transactions—is an attempt to decentralize Internet namespaces beyond the control of any single entity. Decentralized namespaces enable domains to resist censorship. Discussion of the BitDNS project began in 2010 with a desire to achieve names that are decentralized, secure, and human readable.
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Internet censorship circumvention AI simulator
(@Internet censorship circumvention_simulator)
Internet censorship circumvention
Internet censorship circumvention is the use of various methods and tools by technically skilled users to bypass Internet censorship—the legal control or suppression of access to, publication of, or viewing of content on the Internet. Commonly used software tools include Lantern and Psiphon, which can bypass multiple types of restriction. Some methods evade less sophisticated blocking tools by using alternate domain name system (DNS) servers, false IP addresses, or address lookup systems. However, such methods become ineffective if censors block not only the DNS but also the IP addresses of restricted domains, thereby rendering a potential bypass ineffective. Other tools can tunnel the network traffic to proxy servers in jurisdictions that don't have censorship. Through pluggable transports, traffic obscuration, website mirrors, or archive sites, users can access copies of websites even in areas having Internet censorship.
An "arms race" (or competition) has developed between censors and developers of circumvention software. This competition leads to two types of innovation: more sophisticated blocking techniques by censors, and less detectable tools by circumvention developers. While estimates of user adoption for circumvention tools vary, it is widely accepted that tens of millions of people use them each month. Barriers to adoption include usability issues; difficulty in finding reliable information on circumvention; limited motivation to access censored content; and risks from breaking the law.
Major circumvention methods include alternate names and addresses; mirrors, caches, and copies; alternative platforms; proxying; and traffic obfuscation.
Censorship filters may block specific domain names, using either DNS hijacking or URL filtering. Websites can sometimes be accessed through alternate names and addresses that may not be blocked.
Some websites offer the same content at multiple pages or domain names. For example, the English Wikipedia is available at two locations: the main page and the mobile version.
If a website's DNS resolution is disrupted, but the site is not blocked in other ways, it may be possible to access the site directly through its IP address or by modifying a computer's hosts file. It may be possible to bypass DNS-based blocking by using alternative DNS servers or public recursive name servers (especially via an encrypted DNS client).
Censors may block specific IP addresses. Depending on how such filtering is implemented, it may be possible to use different forms of a blocked IP address, for example, by specifying the address in a different numeral system. For example, the following URLs all access the same site, but only some browsers will recognize all forms of the URL:
Blockchain technology—a distributed data store for digital transactions—is an attempt to decentralize Internet namespaces beyond the control of any single entity. Decentralized namespaces enable domains to resist censorship. Discussion of the BitDNS project began in 2010 with a desire to achieve names that are decentralized, secure, and human readable.