How to access blocked web pages, It is incredibly frustrating when you are surfing the Internet and you find a website blocked by a filter. Be it your office, school, ISP or even the government.
Of course, there are many legitimate reasons to establish -and respect- filters that are established. But even the best filter sometimes makes mistakes and blocks pages that should not be blocked.
Whether you are a victim of a too-restricted filter that has flagged something inappropriate that you should not mark. Or you simply want to work around a block that works as it should. There are several ways to bypass a filter and access any content that you wish.
We recommend opting for a payment VPN such as NordVPN or ExpressVPN. Although it is also advisable to take a look at other available VPN options.
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How to access blocked web pages
Option 1. Anonymous web browsing with a VPN
One of the most popular methods to work around a web filter is to use a VPN. A VPN routes your traffic through another private computer network, usually anonymously. It allows you to browse as if you were using a different device in a different location.
Unlike a simple proxy (we explain this option more in depth below), a VPN routes all your Internet access through this connection. Instead of just your web browser.
This may be more than you need to bypass a web filter. But there are other reasons to want a VPN.
There is a wide variety of VPNs available. And the configuration varies from provider to provider. However, you will normally have to download and install a software on your PC, Mac, phone or tablet. This will allow you to configure some options and select from where you want it to look like you browse.
Then you can simply start browsing as you normally would. Free of any access filter.
One disadvantage is that the use of a VPN can slow down your Internet access. And the speeds vary depending on the VPN provider. Costs also vary. There are free options. But they are limited (and sometimes they collect data on your browsing habits). And prices vary for paid VPNs.
In general, we recommend opting for a decent payment service. Simply because you are likely to enjoy better service and greater privacy and security. However, if you prefer, there are also free VPN available.
Recommended: How to hide your IP address: browse privately
Option 2. Run your browser through a proxy to access blocked web pages
The simplest way to bypass a web filter is to use a proxy service. Like a VPN, it will route traffic through another network. But unlike a VPN, it tends to work only with specific applications. (For example, your web browser or torrent application ) instead of your entire connection.
This means that this option is suitable if you only want to quickly avoid a web filter. But for continuous browsing there are some disadvantages.
The proxies are often used by people wanting to access blocked content by region. And they also offer a little more anonymity while surfing.
But they can also be used often to avoid local content filters by bypassing them. Hoping that they allow you to browse the web freely without blocking.
The easiest to use proxies are simply executed in their entirety through a web page or a browser extension. But that also means that only your browser traffic will be routed through the proxy and not from any other application or service.
You should also make sure to find one that uses HTTPS encryption instead of SOCKS or HTTP. This is the only way to encrypt traffic.
There are free public proxies. But many have a bad reputation for collecting or selling user data. Inserting ads on web pages or eliminating encryption.
Keeping this in mind, we would not recommend using a proxy service for normal browsing (it’s better to use a VPN). But if you only want to bypass a web filter on specific occasions, a free proxy is probably the easiest option.
HideMyAss is one of the best known free proxies. And they also offer a VPN service. (Although we do not rate it very well in our review).
Otherwise, if you find another proxy service, you can use this online tool Proxy Checker to check economically if it is a secure service or if you are manipulating your web traffic.
Option 3. Tor to surf the Internet anonymously
One of your other options is to use Tor. Also known as “the onion router”. Tor is the best-known example of an ‘anonymity network’. It uses encryption in layers (hence the name) and peer-to-peer networks. This allows you to navigate with an almost complete anonymity.
However, there is a major drawback when using Tor: it is slow. Forwarding your traffic around the world a few times takes time. This means you can expect to experience much slower speeds when you navigate through Tor.
This is the kind of compensation you might be willing to accept to increase privacy. But it’s not necessarily worth it if all you want to do is skip a filter. Especially because slower speeds make it difficult to transmit any type of video HD
There is also the concern that it is not 100% secure as initially thought. Especially if the site you are trying to navigate does not use SSL. And depending on how paranoid you are, you may worry that using Tor puts you on some kind of government watch list. Given how popular it is between political dissidents and criminals.
Option 4. Use open proxies to access blocked web pages
The proxies open are more complicated. And we do not recommend its use. For the record, open proxy servers require you to configure your browser’s proxy settings .
Because they do not have to modify web pages in transportation, they tend to work universally. But it is a complicated process that could leave you vulnerable to online attacks .
Option 5. Test Google’s public DNS
One last way to circumvent web filters is to instruct your PC or laptop to use different DNS tables.
Google Public DNS is a free and global domain name resolution service. Every time you visit a website, your computer performs a DNS search, converting the numeric address of that web page to the site you see.
If web filtering is applied to your system and network, domain names that belong to contaminated sites will be blocked to resolve the page you expect. Using an uncontaminated DNS like Google prevents this.
Google’s public DNS will accelerate your browsing experience and improve your security. And what is more important, it will allow you to see the results you expect from a URL without redirection.
Also Read: How to erase the data of the mobile before selling it
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