Defeating Singapore Internet Censorship - How to

 

Overview

This document explains how to defeat Singapore's Internet Censorship.
Singapore's internet censorship is now only half-hearted. The government agency responsible states that 100 "high impact" sites are blocked.
For instance, www.playboy.com is blocked. Of course, blocking only 100 sites is a futile effort, and I am sure this is obvious to all. The government probably finds it politically unacceptable to remove this censorship, even if it is only a gesture. The government made this bed, and they can lie in it. Censorship really irritates me, so I am pleased to present simple instructions to bypass it.
 

Step 1.

You need a new proxy server address outside of Singapore.
You need to know the address of the proxy server, and the port numbers. In Singpore, your browser is already configured to use a proxy server.
You need to get a new proxy server, one that does not censor sites.

Go here to find one:
http://allfreeweb.hypermart.net/

There is a database of proxy servers available.
You can also try this list.
http://home6.swipnet.se/~w-61609/Proxies.htm (URL checked July 1999)

There is software to find proxy servers. Here is the home page of Proxy Hunter:
http://member.netease.com/~windzh/indexe.htm
 

Step 2.

Change your browser's proxy setup.
You can follow the instructions you received with your internet package. Don't forget the port number.
For Netscape, you find this screen in Edit->Preferences->Advanced->Proxies->Manual Proxy Setup.
 

Finished

That's it. Test by browsing www.playboy.com
 

Theory

This is my poor understanding of what's involved:
Singapore Internet Service Providers must go through a government controlled exhange to the internet. The equipment at the exchange blocks normal HTTP requests sent by a browser without a proxy in use. So you must use a proxy. But this equipment does not check what proxy you are using. To do so would slow down the traffic too much. Hence, the loophole allowing you to use another proxy.
What is a proxy server? See here for some information: http://megawaki.hypermart.net/

Happy surfing.

Comments?
 
 
 
 

[Blue Ribbon Campaign icon]
Join the Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign!