Jun
17
2008
The well-known (to our regular readers) Chinese media site Danwei linked to a Shanghaiist article that the Anonymouse proxy servers have been blocked in the PRC (along with comedycentral.com apparently). From the article:
It’s finally happened: Anonymouse.org, the proxy service that many of us use to access blocked websites and surf the Internet anonymously, has been blocked by Net Nanny. Shanghaiist first noted it at 10:30PM last night Shanghai time, along with the block of ComedyCentral.com. While the decision to block Anonymouse is self-evident (okay, sort of), we’re not completely sure why ComedyCentral got the axe. In the mean time, Shanghaiist suggests using alternative proxy services ProxyChina or Hack520.
Commenters noted that the Hack520 program is the same as the well-known Ultrasurf/Ultrareach system and that although the client program works to anonymously proxy surfing, one needs to use another proxy to get to the download site to get the client to begin with.
One of the best client anonymizers out there is TOR, which also still works in the PRC. Interestingly enough, there are many TOR exit nodes inside the PRC, which leads me to wonder: Why would anyone who uses TOR (political dissidents, journalists, pr0n surfers) want to be proxied into a country that most people are trying to get proxied out of?
May
12
2008

James Fallows was interviewed in a Network World article today about his articles on the Great Firewall of China. We blogged about the GFW previously. From the article:
When it comes to the Internet, this haziness about just what is and is not permissible has two implications. At a purely technical level, it makes it harder to reverse-engineer the firewall’s filters. One day, you can reach all pages at the BBC. The next day they’re blocked. If you’re trying to game out the system, you’re stymied. And at a social level, it makes it hard for people to be sure that they’re ever operating in a truly safe zone, since the rules of enforcement might shift tomorrow.
FYI: www.thedarkvisitor.com has been GFW’d since January of this year. We still get occasional hits from the mainland though. Mostly from English language browsers - probably in hotels.
I first became interested in Internet censorship after hearing Roger Dingledine talk about TOR and Kenneth Geers’ talk “Greetz from Room 101 (PDF)” at DEFCON XV.
Feb
07
2008
…and he makes fun of your crappy Western online game playing skills.
Chinese Internet censorship is little more than a joke to Li Shenwen, an unemployed computer game enthusiast who remained glued to his keyboard well past midnight in a dingy “Wangba” or “NetBar” on a recent Saturday night.
Official blocks on controversial or political Web sites pose no obstacle to any experienced user who wants to get past them, said Mr. Li, who picks up spending money by amassing points in computer games and selling them to a broker who in turn sells them online to avid but inept Western gamers.
Further…
Opening a new browser, he promptly brought up outlawed content in Chinese and English from YouTube, Voice of America, Falun Gong and, for added measure, Reporters Without Borders — all within less than three minutes.
Go read this…after you guys practice a little bit more on gaming! Quite frankly, I am just embarrassed for you…Chinese hackers evade Internet censorship.