The Basics: How to Outwit the World’s Internet Censors

While China’s censorship of the internet receives increased attention, less publicized are the system’s imperfections. Relying on loopholes, greater freedom can be sought, even in a restrictive environment. One way individuals subvert a watchdog government is by surfing the web through a proxy server, which dissociates computer addresses from visited websites. In China, an underground network of proxy servers, supported by volunteers around the world, grants small latitude to citizens who wish to use the internet clandestinely. Also apparently accessible from within China is the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s network Tor, which retains anonymity of internet communications. Even small commercial companies – such as Dynamic Internet Technology and UltraReach Internet – market software and web services designed to exploit holes in China’s system. Such options, though scant, offer quiet models of resistance to a Big Brother policy. – Yale Global