Unblock Facebook in China

Tunneling Through The Great Firewall

New and Old Ways To Visit Blocked Sites In China

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visit blocked sites in chinaAre there certain websites such as Facebook and Twitter that you are unable to access from your computer? Duh, you're in China. There are tons websites that are blocked But, there is a solution on how to visit blocked sites in China, and it's not by asking, "Pretty, please…". So read on.

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.

google in chinaIn 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.
 

proxy blocked in china

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.



Previous Post

A Facebook proxy server that works

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facebook proxy server that works in ChinaA Breakthrough to the Social Sites Blocked – Finding a Facebook proxy server that works

In the past few years, social networking has drastically changed the lifestyle of many people, especially the youth and young adults of western nations. Facebook as a social networking site has dominated this industry. When I worked in The US, we are allowed to visit Facebook only on lunch time and after job hours. We used a network which blocks some sites and secures others within the internet. I'm sure you've had similar experiences at your jobs.  Almost everyone is aware just how much time you can waste on Facebook. All my friends are on Facebook and if I wanted to chat with  them or check up on them, I had to take a coffee break.  The rules were pretty strict.

Later on however I found out that I could use a Facebook proxy server that works to hide your IP and bypass firewalls at work and school. That way, I was be able to waste time when my boss wasn't around. Most of my workmates in my situation are still using proxies. I've moved to China now, where proxies and virtual private network are also used to evade  firewalls as well.  The security of both can unblock sites in China, just as it did at my workplace.  Trouble is, finding a Facebook proxy server that works in China is pretty tough sometimes.

facebook in chinaFor instance, the internet censorship in China has created so many limits and restrictions to the websites that are supposed to be providing these proxies, it's hard to find where to connect to them. But considering China with the highest number of internet users in the world, it's very likely (and common) that there are still quite a few ways to get a hold of a Facebook proxy server that works in China.  Free proxies were popular back in the day, but too much traffic got them blocked – or that's my theory on it anyway.

The great thing about proxies in China is that you can use them on your phone too. Unlike VPNs which have to be installed, and don't work on phones anyway, you can get one subscription and use the same Facebook proxy server that works here on your phone, laptop, school computer, and anything else really. But even with the Remote Access Service, Pocket Layer Filtering, Single Contact Point and all the other security features of proxies you will still find some limitations – one of these limitations is that you won't be able to access American or UK content like with a virtual IP address through a VPN.

The only Facebook proxy server that works in China (that I know of) is Securitales. I had long given up on proxies until I came across them.  The don't seem to advertise much, unlike a lot of the other VPN services out there, but as I've tried it myself, I can honestly say that it not only works, but it works like magic.  With no installation necessary, you just have to go to the Securitales site and you can get started with your FREE TRIAL in under a minute!

securitales web based proxyGo to www.securitales.com


If you're not up for checking out Securtiales, then you might want to schedule in another hour of research to find something.  Oh yeah, and Securitales is only 6$ a month.  I challenge you to find something cheaper.

 

yesterdays post

Firesheep, wifi, session jacking

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I know that a lot of people in China travel around quite a bit, and with all the cool stuff apple has come out with lately, everyone is using wifi.  The airport, the internet cafe, work, the dorm, school.  There are tons of places where you can get connected to a public wifi zone.

Recently a new firefox add-on called "Firesheep" is doing some nasty stuff.

In the past, hacking was for the nerds. It was for the baddies trying to steal stuff, make money, and make trouble. Ok, every once i a while some guy pulling a prank would hack some site for fun, but usually, this kind of stuff was for the professionals.

Now hacking has become automatic. With this Firefox add-on, any idiot can "side jack" or HTTP session jack your private information.

Emails, passwords, Facebook information – all with the click of a button – if you're on the same wifi network.

The good news is that with a vpn, this can't happen.  Remember how a vpn codes your information? Protects you

Remember how a vpn changes your IP address? Protects you

Remember how a vpn make The Great Firewall think you're somewhere else? So will these nasty Firesheep douchebags.

Read more about Firesheep – (it's a blog, I you might not be able to access it – Here's Witopia Firesheep)

Get a VPN to protect yourself