Net Neutrality row: Here is how to enable "free" internet

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Thakur

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Thanks to discussions and nationwide protests, the notion of net neutrality is widely known. No one should discriminate on the basis of different types of data. But there's another argument and movement in play -internet freedom. 

Access to the Internet is subject to restrictions in many countries. Some steal your privacy. Sometimes, it is countries & governments that try to control what you can and cannot see. Other times, it is the organisation you work for or the company that provides the internet in the first place. If you feel strongly enough about it, here's how you can 'stick it to the man'. 

PROXY SERVICES 

A proxy server is usually a computer that works as a midway between your computer and the Internet. When you access a website, the site detects the traffic coming from the proxy server IP and not your actual IP address. One proxy server can work with multiple computers (each one is often connected to thousands) because resources are not dedicated to a single computer. 

Mostly, free web proxies change your IP address to one of their own anonymous IP addresses to hide your location. Some of them even provide an option of anonymous web search. The most common setup requires you to select a country such as US, Romania or Germany via which you want to access a website. 

A few paid proxy services also offer data encryption if you are paranoid about privacy (in case you don't want your internet traffic to be accessed by the internet service provider or a government agency). A simple web search will bring up a list of free proxy services that you can try out. Some of the other services we tried out include www. hidemyass.com and www.ninjaclock.com 

PROXY WEBSITES VS VPN 

Proxy websites perform the same function as a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service — they can allow you to access websites that are blocked and help your be anonymous. However, they work differently. 

For starters, proxy services do not typically encrypt data, so your ISP or your office network administrator can figure out what you are trying to access. You'll also find that proxy services can't be relied on all the time — they can suddenly stop working and will often limit your speed. Another issue is that you are exposed to a lot of pop up adverts while using a proxy. 

Lastly, most web-based proxies are well known by websites and are therefore blocked from accessing any locked content. You'll have to frequently change proxies which is a pain. VPNs don't have any of these issues except that at peak traffic, they also can reduce Internet speeds. However, you will have to pay if you want to use a good VPNservice. Compared to that, various proxy services are available for free. 

NEED A VPN? TRY THESE 

Hotspot Shield is a free (ad supported) and easy-to-use generic VPN service that works across Windows, MAC, Android and iOS. Using it is as simple as getting the app or extension that you need and starting the service. 

The paid Elite service (US$ 4.95 per month) removes the ads and adds features like the ability to spoof an IP address: to make websites think you are accessing them from another location than where you are. This is great if you want to access services that have been blocked in certain geographies. Cyber Ghost is another service that has a free and paid version. Read more at www.cyberghostvpn. com/en. 

Some of the other highly rated VPN services include NordVPN, VyprVPN and PureVPN. And in case you're looking for something that's completely free and without restrictions, try VPNBook. There's no software to download with VPNBook but you do have to spend some time understanding how to use and configure everything yourself. Head to www.vpnbook.com for more information on how to get started. 

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TOR PROJECT 

Tor is a tool that lets you access blocked sites and browse the web anonymously. Head over to www.torproject.org to get started. All traffic sent over Tor is encrypted — so someone snooping over the data (usually) won't be able to make out what it is. 

Websites won't be able to track your location and internet service providers won't be able to identify you. The best way to use Tor is with the preconfigured browser bundle — a customised version of Firefox with all of Tor's settings and extensions built in. If you prefer, you can still configure your existing web browser. The only catch with Tor is that it's sometimes painfully slow. 

All internet traffic is routed through multiple relays in different locations which slows things down a fair bit. But when you have no other choice (like if the entire country is blocking access to certain websites), Tor helps. 

PORTABLEAPPS 

PortableApps is a free (open source) solution that can help get around restrictions on software installations. You can keep all the software you prefer as well as their settings with you on a flash drive. This also works great if you tend to switch computers often or work on a locked computer at work. 

From the website, you can access individual apps for the PortableApps platform and run it from a USB drive or even a memory card. You can choose from hundreds of free apps ranging from accessibility tools, office & productivity apps, security, multimedia playback as well as games.

http://m.economictimes.com/tech/internet/net-neutrality-row-here-is-how-to-enable-free-internet/articleshow/48167416.cms
 
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