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Who knows.

Point being, I've got to make updates to my blog to make sure that Google things I'm still alive.

Because apparently they think that some jackass answers from 2009 in Yahoo! Answers and Flyer Forums is more relevant that my super helpful information on the site.

Sure, it's a bit narcissistic, but what expats in China are going to devote thousands of hours to bringing an easy to understand, up to date, and helpful website to people trying to unblock Facebook in China?

Not many.

Ok, so I make commissions of the sales, that's to be expected.  Even sites like ChinaSMACK or LostLaoWai make money off of advertising – it's the way the game works.

But do they comment on which VPNs are blocked? No. They are news oriented.

Do they tell you the difference between VPNs and proxies? No. It's not on their agenda.

Do they make it easy to hide your IP address from The GFW? No. I do that.

So I'll continue to complain till Google gives my back my rankings.

Otherwise, expats and potential tourists in China are going to be stuck with retarded answers from Flyertalk (they really don't know what they're talking about there), and "access Facebook " proxies (that don't work BTW) are going to rank and give you false answer to the questions you're asking.

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Proxy Server For Facebook In China

In most areas of China and Vietnam, it is not possible to access Facebook.  Facebook in China is blocked because of the country’s policy of Internet censorship.  But, there are still many people who are able to access Facebook in these countries.  If you live in China, you know how hard it is to keep in touch with friends and family. Facebook is blocked, Gmail is only accessible sometimes, and Skype is soon to be blacklisted.  But,  it is possible to access Facebook and all the other major websites which are blocked!  A proxy server for Facebook in China is the best means of accessing Facebook.

But, does a proxy server for Facebook in China work?

When I went to China for a visit last year, I found out that most of the major social networking sites had been blocked.  I was so upset because I could not access my account and I could not even send my friends messages and tell them how my trip was going.  Making your friends jealous of your trip is the best part of going abroad!

Then one day, I received a call from one of my friends who lives in Saudi Arabia.  Internet censorship issues are also common in Saudi Arabia and while we were discussing on this topic he told me that there are some websites in his country which are inaccessible, but with a proxy server, he is able to access those websites.  I asked him if proxy servers can be used to unblock Facebook and he replied that it is possible.

How does a proxy server for Facebook in China work?

A proxy server sits between you and Facebook, and is located somewhere outside of China – usually in The US, The UK, or Europe. Because Facebook is accessed a lot all over the world, when you connect to the proxy server (not to Facebook), you'll probably see a cached, or stored version of Facebook as provided by the proxy server.  If you use the proxy server to access a site that is less frequently accessed, the proxy server can make a new request for you, it just might take a few seconds longer than getting something cached.

The results

After that I started my search for the best proxy server for Facebook in China and I came across a proxy site called SecuriTales. This proxy server for Facebook in China does not require any installation. This meant that I could use the proxy server on any computer I wanted to without being detected.  With this proxy server for Facebook in China, I was not only able to unblock Facebook, but a number of other major sites which had been blocked in China.  And yes, I was able to stream video from YouTube and other video streaming sites like Vimeo.

About SecuriTales

SecuriTales was the only reliable proxy server for Facebook in China that I was able to find.  Most other links were dead, or slow and timed out.  They are a premium service, which means that they charge a monthly fee, but $6 a month or $36 RMB is great, especially considering you can also get a 25% discount for taking advantage of their FREE trial.  Weird huh? For trying them out for FREE, they give you a 25% discount.

Get their free trial HERE

Visit their main site HERE

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Facebook – Firewall – Proxy

Help! Facebook is blocked by my networks Firewall. How do I use a proxy to access it?

School and Work Firewalls blocking Facebook

Most school and work Internet networks block entertainment, chatting, and networking sites like Facebook to keep people on task. The truth is that these sites are addictive and distracting. These blocks are created with firewalls. Firewalls mediate the communication of IPs on the network with IPs outside of the network.  You can unblock Facebook when it's blocked by a firewall by using a proxy.  Proxies use cached data or make requests on your behalf to provide you access with blocked sites.

Governments blocking Facebook with Firewalls

The world is moving towards the direction of further integration of social networking sites into everyday business and communication.  Sites like Facebook and YouTube have gone beyond their original purpose of "just being fun" and turned into billion dollars businesses. However, Facebook, YouTube, and other similar sites (Vimeo, Twitter) have been banned in China due to the censorship laws about national security. Facebook is blocked in China with The Great Firewall, and all the same, a proxy can be used to unblock it.

Using your web browser to surf anonymously

Though there are settings on most web browsers nowadays that allow anonymous surfing through open proxies, these don't work all the time. Most network administrators are aware of these and are able to block them.  Also, this can be confusing for new users.

Free Web Based Proxies

There are also free web based proxies available.  With a quick Google search, you can find many.  The problem with these is that many are unprofessional and slow due to bandwidth limitations.  Well known spam distributors, you should always be cautious when choosing a free web based proxy to bypass firewalls.

Premium Proxy Services

This is my preferred way to access blocked sites.  I'm able to use some premium proxies even from behind The Great Firewall, the most advanced firewall in the world – proof that they work.  With a premium service, you don't have to worry about spam or bandwidth limitations.  You get support, and access to premium servers in The US and The UK.

I use SecuriTales.  There's a free trial and a 30 day money back guarantee, so I don't need to say much about it because you can try it for yourself – for FREE.

www.securitales.com

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Though tricks like using the IP address instead of the URL work in places like Vietnam and other countries that aren't that serious about Internet censorship, it's not going to work in China. In the past, sometimes, you would be able to visit blocked sites by changing URLs such as www.moumoumou.com  the IP address of the site. You can try it again if you like – When on a local computer, using the ping domain.com command returns the IP address. Put this in the address bar and it might just give you access to the blocked site – but probably not.

In most cases, the URL that you are trying to access will be banned. Actually, China's been known to ban whole lists of URLs just because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  But you can try converting them to a shorter URL which will help you bypass the settings. There are short URL services available which can help with this.  Again, I haven't had much luck with this.

You can even use Google cache. If you are not bothered that the content isn't latest on a website, you can do a Google search for that particular website. Clicking on the cached link underneath the search results can help you access the blocked site. However, Google and China aren't on the best of terms, and a lot of Google Tools are blocked. Plus, Facebook has been blocked for almost 4 years now, so old sites like this aren't going to get unblocked like this

Another technique I read about the other day is using an online translation tool.  Sometimes if you translate sites into lesser known languages that version of the site won't be blocked. However,  understanding what's on the site will be a problem.
 

Another technique that most people have been successful in using is the use of IP anonymizer.  You may have heard of proxies, web based proxies, rolling proxies, anonymous proxies, open proxies, or stuff like this.  In this technique, you have to access a third party site which redirects your request to the required server. Though open proxies are famous for being free, most of them have been shut down in China.  There is one particular service that seems to be doing well, which is SecuriTales.  It's a paid service, but I've tried it myself, and it's a very quick way to visit blocked sites in China.  There's no setup required, and it'll only cost you $6 a month (36 RMB).

Get their FREE trial HERE

The most secure and guaranteed way is through a VPN service.  I won't go into the whole "which VPN is the best to visit blocked sites in China" speech, but, I will tell you that VPNs are very handy.  I leave mine on all the time.  Most sites will have unlimited bandwidth, or limitations that only affect people that download billions of movies every month.  Proxies can be annoying because you have to open up the secure browser each time you want to unblock stuff, and they don't work on software running on your computer or apps running on your phone.

Check out the top 5 VPNs in China (My review), or browse the sites for other stats on VPN services that operate in China.

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Did you know that there is software to unblock sites?

If you're talking specifically about SOFTWARE to unblock sites, there are software based proxies out there. However, I would suggest two other options before you go looking into that.

More common that software based proxies are actually web based proxy. A web based proxy can be used to unblock sites at work, school, or at home.  These require no installation and therefore can't really be called "software". Web based proxies have been used from a very long time and the main purpose they serve is to protect the privacy of the user or bypass firewalls.  People who don’t want others or a third party to find out their IP address or their location or browsing history through packet sniffing or tracking cookies often make use of proxies to protect their IP information. Web based proxies also work to bypass firewalls put in place by your ISP.

Web based proxies are sites which have been created to function as unique web browsers. Instead of using the school or work server, any person can simply use a proxy server and access cached  information of blocked sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and Gmail.  Proxies can also provide you with fresh data by replacing your IP with its own and making site requests on your behalf.  Open proxies are open to the public, and are widely available.  Though it sounds like a great idea, open proxies can be home to spam, malware, and other unscrupulous individual if you get connected to the wrong kind of server.

Proxy services are a more effective way to unblock sites but they do require a monthly fee. One of the best proxy services to unblock sites that I know of is SecuriTales.   Fast connection speed, support, servers in The US and The UK, and a free trial are just some of the perks of SecuriTales service.  SecuriTales of course does not require installation so connection is instant.  This also means you'll be able to use it on work/school/public computers that you can't install private software to unblock sites on.

www.securitales.com

Have you got your heart set on software to unblock sites

Before you start searching for software based proxies as I mentioned above, there's yet another option.  Virtual private networks can't really be considered software, they work much to the same effect, and actually provide better anonymous surfing results than many softwares on the market.  Tunneling and encryption are the main players here, which mean that the anonymous IP assigned to you by the proxy server will be secure, reliable, and protect you from IP tracking tactics.

VPN also allow for server choice and switching, which means you can surf as an American, a Canadian, a German, a Brit, or many more.  Connecting to a VPN also means that other programs and applications running on your phone/computer will use the anonymous IP address, and you'll be able to unblock more sites than with a proxy.  Most of the time, the end-site will  be unaware that you're hiding your real IP address.

Hide My Ass provides the most comprehensive VPN package on the Internet, which is why they're one of the most popular VPN services out there.  18,000+ IP addresses, 160+ VPN servers, and 32 countries.  PPTP, L2TP, OpenVPN. 30 Day money back guarantee, unlimited bandwidth, a free web based proxy and other free anonymous surfing tools.  This is just part of what they offer, so you have to take a look at their site.

http://hidemyass.com

……………….

PureVPN offers a few things that Hide My Ass doesn't.  For one, it's blocked in fewer locations.  While Hide My Ass is blocked in China, Oman, UAE, and a few other places, PureVPN is not.  PureVPN also offers custom VPN settings for users in China, SSTP VPN for Vista and Win 7 users, and static IP addresses for users who want to surf anonymously but don't want to frequently change IP.  The 30 GB bandwidth limitation will only affect P2P users, and there are unlimited bandwidth options as well.

http://purevpn.com

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Other sites which are blocked in various countries around the world include Myspace, Twitter, Bebo, Photobucket, Youtube, Vimeo, Wikipedia, Linked In, Flikr, Picasa, The BBC, and many more. Although it is possible to do without poking your friends and keeping up on international news, its convenient, fun, and many times important to us to keep up on current events or keep in touch with family and friends from overseas.

Internet censorship is not limited to power-crazy governments and 3rd world countries, and there are many more websites that students and employees do not have access to. If you are one of them and are looking for sites that unblock other sites, then read on!

It's kind of a funny phrase, "sites that unblock other sites", but that's just what web based proxies are – a websites you access in order to unblock another site you can't connect to. When you searched for the term"sites that unblock other sites", you were probably looking for a web based proxy – the official term.  While there are other ways to change your IP address and access restricted websites, web based proxies are the type which you can access directly from your Internet browser and require no installation.  If you want to look into IP changing tools that can be installed, you should read more about virtual private networks.

To use a web based proxy, you just type a URL in the area provided on the proxy site. The network that you belong to will check against all the URLs which are banned. Most of the time the URL of the proxy server website may not be blocked.  In case it is, its easy enough to sign in again and assign yourself a new IP that's not blocked.

By masking your IP with that of the proxy server's IP address, you'll be able to unblock sites like Facebook, YouTube, Gmail, and others.

But, where do you find sites that unblock other sites? In other words, how is it possible
to find a trusted proxy server?

Hide My Ass has a FREE web based proxy.  Totally Free – you just have to look at their advertisement while you surf. There's also an option to upgrade to a VPN which will increase speed, reliability, and security of your anonymous surfing exploits.  They've also got a FREE list of proxies that are listed by level of anonymity, speed, and age.  These can be used to alter your Internet browser and surf anonymously.

http://hidemyass.com

*Hide My Ass is blocked in China. For an alternative, go to PureVPN at http://purevpn.com

If you're looking for a proxy service free of advertisements, with better speed, support, and zero issues with bandwidth limitation you should check out SecuriTales.  It's a paid service, but paying for stuff just means its going to be better.  For $6 dollars a month you get access to a pretty awesome proxy service.  It will allow you to unblock any sites you want.*

Get a FREE trial at www.securitales.com

*Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Netflix and other streaming sites need a VPN

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Then, when I got to college, the dorm blocked all kind of sites too. Again, it was a firewall that was standing between me and Internet freedom.

So then I graduated, and my work firewall blocked me from email and video sites.  Boring.

Now I'm living in China, and stuff is blocked everywhere – even in my own home. Can I escape this Internet oppression?  How do I unblock restricted sites?

There are basically two ways to unblock restricted sites.  In most cases I listed here I'd suggest using SecuriTales. This is because you don't have to install anything, so if you're using it at home, work,  school, or public computers, when you close the secure browser no one will know you were using it.  There's no "trail" of stuff you forgot to uninstall.  Also, many times the download links for software based stuff expire after a day or two, so you've got to request a new link each time you install, making installing and uninstalling a real pain.

SecuriTales is known as a web based proxy because you can operate it straight from the web.  There's no setup and it's cheap ($6 / month) which makes it great for your smart phone, laptop, or computer.

www.securitales.com

Another option to unblock restricted websites is with a VPN. Here's a checklist to see if you want to "upgrade" to a VPN. (VPNs are proxies are actually different things, but VPNs are more secure, faster, and also more expensive, so it's kind of an upgrade if you ask me.)

1. Do you own the device
2. Do you run software that needs to bypass a firewall/change IP
3. Do you run apps that need to bypass firewalls/change IP
4. Are you worried about privacy?
5. Do you download or do things that require you stay connected to the Internet for a long period of time?

If you said yes to one or more of these, then a VPN is a good choice for you to unblock restricted sites. These are all advantages of VPNs over proxies. For example, because I'm in China, I prefer to use a VPN.  I don't want the government here snooping in my stuff. Also, because I run a website and upload/download/work on my site a lot, I need a VPN connection.  If you're looking for purely browsing stuff however, a proxy will do.

For users outside of China, I suggest Hide My Ass.  They've got the most IP's and severs of any VPN service I've ever heard of, and lots of free cool stuff like anonymous email, file uploading, and even a free proxy. Check them out at

http://hidemyass.com

But they're blocked in China, so for users who want to unblock restricted sites in China, I'd use PureVPN.  They've got custom VPNs for Chinese users that are super easy to install.  Also, because its PPTP and L2TP they've customized, you can also use a VPN on your smart phone (iPhone, Android), despite many areas of China not supporting PPTP and L2TP VPN. Take a look for yourself at

http://purevpn.com

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Did you know that many proxies are actually use to harm you?  I'm no hacker, and I'm no expert, so I guess I can only repeat what I've read on other blogs, but it seems that proxies have a negative reputation.

For one, many people use proxies to hide their IP address while doing illegal stuff on the net.  It could be hacking, it could be spamming, it could be something more serious.

The other thing they're know for is abusing the IP addresses of people who use them.  With the IP data of thousands of users you can send out phishing scam email, you can steal password/username credentials, and you can even track/monitor online activity – scary huh?

So how do you know which proxies you can trust to unblock Facebook?

It's tough to say.  First, you should find a professional looking site. If the proxy site you run into is full of Google Ads, a single page site with no web-design, uses improper English or has any strange characters, it might be a red flag.

Anything that's free should set up some red flags.  Free stuff is cool, but remember the saying, "If you don't pay for something, you're the product".  Free stuff gets their money from somewhere – it might be something innocent, like advertising.  But it might be something devious like spam.

If you're really worried about security, contact the support team. Any professional service will have a support team there to answer your questions.
……………….

So which proxy is the best?

You didn't think I leave you out to dry did you?

I use SecuriTales.

First of all, they're a proxy dedicated to unblocking Facebook – check 'em out HERE.

Secondly, you'll get access to any other blocked sites.

Lastly, but most importantly, it fits the description of a proxy you can trust, and it's only $6 a month with a chance for a 25% discount.  I used to switch proxies a lot, but after I started using SecuriTales as my proxy to unblock Facebook, I stopped switching.

Check out their FREE TRIAL, and don't worry about signing up because there's a money back guarantee to back you up!

www.securitales.com

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To get around the firewall, you're going to need that proxy!  A proxy for your workplace firewall works like this.  It "redirects" your traffic through a computer server outside your office firewall.  Normally, your work firewall would block computers on the network from accessing sites like Facebook by recognizing and blocking communication between your network IP and the Facebook IP. However, with the middle-man proxy server, you're no longer surfing the network on your REAL IP address. You're now using the proxy's virtual IP address, so you'll be able to access any blocked sites – not just Facebook.  These are the basics of how to use a proxy at work, and the same principles apply for any place with a firewall blocking websites.

Now there are software based proxies (ie you have to download and install) and web based proxies.  You want the second kind.  The main reason is that you don't have to install anything, so there's no traces of you using the proxy.  To access Facebook at work, just click the secure link from your email inbox (or the proxy site), and type your banned URL into the secure browser.  When you're finished, close the browser, and you're done. That's it.

A web based proxy has another big advantage for Facebook users at work – you can use it on any computer or phone.  Because there's no installation necessary, there's nothing stopping you from using it on your iPhone or Android, your personal laptop or your friends, you boss's computer or a public computer.  It's all the same!  And that's beside the fact that it's effective and quick to start up and close down.

Ok, enough explaining. So what's the best Facebook proxy for work?

SecuriTales

There's a number of reasons SecuriTales is the best Facebook proxy for work. Ok, five reasons.

• 1. Free Trial
• 2. 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
• 3. Fast Connection Speed
• 4. Professional and Secure
• 5. Inexpensive

Ok, I realize that number 4. and 5. sounds like marketing ploys, but to be honest, having a professional and secure proxy is important, especially for the workplace.  Proxies are pretty easy to set up, and especially some of these "free" proxies have the reputation of abusing your IP information for sending out spam and tracking your online activity.  Getting a proxy service you can trust, and that can provide you with a secure connection to access Facebook at work is important.  On top of that, the monthly fee they're charging is much cheaper than other paid services – remember that some IP changing tools charge upwards of $20 USD per month.

Take a look at their site www.securitales.com and at least take advantage of their FREE trial.  You can even try them out for a month, and get your money back if you don't like it!

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