Top > Webmaster > 2006 > December > 2006-12-06

New Anti-Censorship Tool Available

Internet freedom fighters will be happy to learn that a new anti-censorship tool was released on Friday. The new tool is aimed at disabling internet filters, such as the ones used by governments, and allow a freer online experience for all. The issue of online censorship made headlines when China ordered the search engine company Google to change their offerings for the Chinese market. The government in China is regularly blocking online content and controlling what Chinese citizens are exposed to, mainly for political reasons.

The new application was developed at the University of Toronto and offers the highest potential of bypassing online censorship inflicted by governments. The tool does not leave any track or evidence of past use on the computer who runs it, making it perfect for people looking to use it against governments ran protocols. The software is called Psiphon and is currently available on the Open Net Initiative. The Psiphon application works like a virtual private network and simulates a network of computers working together. With no-hassle installation, users can enjoy the benefits of a VPN, and use them to surf the net.

People are basically using a remote IP from overseas location to access the site that they need, and the authorities cannot block the flow of information. Even if the censorship operators realize that someone is using the bypassing protocol, there`s little to be done. One "node" of the protocol might be located and shutdown, but Psiphon works with multiple nodes and the bypass will continue.