Sites That Get Around Blocks

[Mike]

Hi all,

I've come across a few sites that get around the programs that block certain urls. Could anyone tell me if these are legal?

They seem to form a url like example.com/proxy/http://www.anotherexample.com

What does anyone think?

Thanks,
Mike

[chrispian]

Of course it's legal. We need more anonymous proxy servers. What people do with them might not be legal, or if you using them to get around the rules your employer has set, that's your problem. The proxy didn't do anything wrong.

[Mike]

I just thought wondered if they were getting the html from the site requested and just displaying it on their server. Or isn't that what happens?

[Cutter]

No, the site is accessed through a proxy.

There are some grey areas here, Archive.org is actually being sued right now.

[Mike]

How do these proxies work? What is Archive being sued for? I've just started using that again...

[chrispian]

A proxy just process the request. Instead of going direct from SERVER -> You. It goes Server -> Proxy -> You. They don't store anything (usually, there are caching proxies that make it seem "faster", but they only store for short periods and the cache isn't publicaly available). Archive.org isn't a proxy, they are being suied for archiving content without permission, I think.

A proxy simply passes your request on to the website making you anonymous. EFF support anonymous proxies in a big way. They believe we should all have the right to be anonymous on the web.

[Mike]

Ah right I see, thanks chrispian :)