Walid, I like this a lot and would like to use as an example for my students. Perhaps using the Gaza Strip as a more concrete metaphor for some of the ideas would be helpful... Certainly re SSH tunnels.
Michael On Jun 22, 2013 3:41 PM, "Walid AL-SAQAF" <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear friends, > > I have been asked to explain how four mechanisms of censorship > circumvention work using some sort of analogy that any layman could > understand. I proposed the analogy of surfing the Internet as traveling and > firewalls as ticket inspectors checking where you are going as described > below. > > So I would love to get from those of you who are familiar with censorship > circumvention methods some feedback on how useful/accurate such an analogy > is and ways to fix it. If you have another suggestion, I would love to know > it because I could use it instead if it made more sense. This is all under > development so changes can be accommodated. > > Note that I want the analogy to make it easier to understand each > circumvention method without implying something that is inaccurate when it > comes to the limitations and abilities of each method. > > ============== > > Technology today offers a variety of Internet censorship circumvention > solutions to bypass those ISP-imposed firewalls. > > To illustrate some ways of how Internet censorship could be circumvented. > I don’t know about you, but I truly love to travel. So let me present this > simple analogy of travel. > > *Using a particular website = Visiting to a particular town* > * > * > *Protocol used (http, ftp, ssh, pop3, ....) = mode of transportation > (taxi, bus, minibus, train, plane,..) > * > *Censorship authority (firewall) = Ticket inspector > * > And let us imagine that surfing the web, having a video chat or playing > online games, etc. are all forms of travel. The different applications are > like different transportation (e.g., train, car, sea, air). > > As a user in a country where there’s Internet censorship, you’re like a > tourist hoping to buy a ticket to a particular destination as you can’t get > out without having your ticket checked by the ticket inspector, who serves > as the gatekeeper. Heavy censorship means very few destinations could be > reached because tickets to forbidden destinations won’t be permitted by the > ticket inspector. > > Now there are several methods of getting to a town that is normally off > access. > > *Web-proxies: * > If you get access to a web-based proxy, then it’s like having a ticket to > an allowed destination that is not on the blocked list. However, that very > destination is merely a transfer point where you could go to one more > destination without any additional tickets. So while the ticket inspector > thought you were going to a particular town, that town was basically used > as a transfer point to another town that you were originally supposed not > to go to. However, the ultimate destination could only be reached based on > the conditions of the proxy station, which may not be convenient (too slow > transportation, no air conditioning, etc., planting surveillance devices). > But because the ticket inspector doesn't know, he let you go any way. > Remember that this setting allowed you to only get one single ride. To go > to another destination, you need to come back and take another ride. > Surveillance is often possible to limit if the web-based proxy allows the > use of SSL (adding an ‘s’ to http on the address bar). > > *HTTP/SOCKS proxies: * > Through the HTTP/SOCKS proxy method, you’d get a pass that would allow you > to go to one allowed destination and then from there, you would have free > transfers on all the trains of the world. However, when you visit insecure > websites (that don't start with https) with this method, you’ll sacrifice > your privacy because you'll need to install a spyware device on your leg to > track your movement for the ticket inspector to know where you are going. > So when you come after a long vacation, authorities would know what you > have been up to and what you bought and where you've been all this time . > You might be in big trouble if you did naughty stuff while you were on the > different trips. > > *SSH Tunnels:* > Through a locally opened SSH tunnel, you would get a pass to an allowed > destination that would grant you free access to not only trains, but also > buses all over the world. At the same time, you also won’t be tracked. So > you are really protecting yourself from being spied on while enjoying > visiting almost all the destinations you wanted except the ones that can’t > be reached by land. > > *VPNs: * > And through VPNs, you show a pass to an allowed destination, from where > you will be free to use all methods of transportation including land, sea > and air. Furthermore, your movement or baggage would not be inspected. It’s > the ultimate method that would allow you to be totally free in seeing the > world with no restrictions. > > ============== > > Your feedback is welcome. > > Sincerely, > > Walid > > ----------------- > > Walid Al-Saqaf > Founder & Administrator > alkasir for mapping and circumventing cyber censorship > https://alkasir.com > > PGP: https://alkasir.com/doc/admin_alkasir_pub_key.txt > > -- > Too many emails? 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