How to Access Blocked Websites, View Restricted Sites
Most of us find ourselves in situations where a website we
wish to visit is blocked by a software or by our ISP (Internet Service
Provider). So the question arises, how can we access blocked websites? The
answer to this is simple: Proxy websites. Before going into details, let us
know a bit about these proxy websites.
Proxy Websites
A proxy website acts as an intermediate source between the
user and server the site being contacted is hosted on. Users send requests to
proxy websites which conveys them to the site's server. The reply received by
the proxy website is then forwarded to the user's computer. This gives an
impression to ISP's and blocking software that the user is visiting the proxy
website but in reality, s/he is visiting the site which was blocked. Thus,
proxy servers also provide extra security to users by hiding their online
activities from their ISP's.
Acess Restricted Websites
Commonly Blocked Web Sites
The sites which are most commonly blocked at workplaces,
schools and offices include websites like Facebook, Orkut, Blogger (blogspot),
Google News, Typepad, eBay, MySpace, YouTube, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, Bebo,
Google Talk, Gmail, Photobucket, AOL AIM, Flickr, Twitter etc. In some
countries, social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit are also blocked.
Countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China have even blocked access to
mainstream media websites like The New York times. A proxy website can be used
to easily access these blocked websites. As proxy websites hide a user's
location, they can also be used to access popular websites which are restricted
to particular countries and block users from other countries from visiting
them.
Types of Proxies
There are two types of proxies. First, there are web proxies
which have an interactive interface; and second, the proxy servers which work
on the basis of IP Addresses and port numbers. Proxies can also be segregated
on the basis of anonymity into Anonymous, Transparent and High Anonymous
depending upon the amount of privacy they provide.
How to Find Proxy Websites and Proxy Servers
A simple Google search containing the word "proxy
websites" is likely to return a lot of useful results. However, most of
them are likely to be lists containing proxy servers which you can setup using
their IP Address and Port Number. So, in order to find interactive proxy
websites, you will have to search for something like "Facebook Proxy
Server" or "Orkut Proxy Server". A search like this is most
likely to return interactive proxy websites with which you can access your
blocked website by simply entering the URL in URL field. If you want additional
security and anonymity, you can opt for a paid proxy server.
If you do not want to search, here are few popular free
proxy websites you can use:-
How to access Blocked websites
How to Setup Proxy Servers using their IP Address
If you wish to visit your blocked website using a web proxy,
you do not need any setup. However, if you wish to use a proxy server that can
only be accessed by using its IP address and port number, you must configure
your browser to use it. Follow the instructions given below to setup this type
of proxy in your browser:-
Google Chrome and Internet Explorer Users
Google Chrome uses the same network settings as Internet
Explorer. So, in order to configure Google Chrome to use a proxy server, you
have to configure Internet Explorer. You can configure a proxy server in
Internet Explorer by following the instructions given below:-
Start Internet Explorer.
Click on Tools, Internet Options.
Click on Connections Tab, select your Network Connection and
click on Settings.
Check on Use a Proxy Server for this Connection.
In the Address field, add the IP Address of your Proxy
server. In the Port field, enter the Port Number.
Click on OK and OK again.
Mozilla Firefox Users
Mozilla Firefox users can configure their browser to use a
proxy by following the instructions given below:-
Start Mozilla Firefox.
Click on Tools, Options.
Click on Advanced Tab.
Click on Network tab.
Click on Settings.
Encircle Manual Proxy Configuration.
Enter the IP Address and Port Number at the appropriate
place. In most cases, it will be a HTTP server.
After you have successfully configured your browser to use
the proxy server, you will be able to access blocked websites whenever you
browse the internet with your browser.
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