31 March 2013

Iran Failed to Block VPNs

An outfit running a VPN service for Iranian clients announced that the attempts of the local authorities to block the service during the weekend have failed.

The country tried to block VPN ports all across the country in order to prevent citizens from visiting banned websites like Facebook and Skype, but the owner of a Brazilian VPN service claimed these attempts have largely been inefficient. According to Joshua Van Raalte, the users of the “Hide My Ass” free proxy haven’t been affected by the ban.

He believes that the latest attempt of the government at Internet restriction will most likely be fruitless. Van Raalte pointed that the block on VPNs was confirmed by a local protester on Facebook, which should have been banned in Iran.

In the meanwhile, the Chinese government has also spent many years and millions of dollars on technology which should have blocked VPNs, but yet they still get through regardless. In addition, the provision of proxy technology, instruments and software has so far managed to circumvent all attempts at censorship.

Over 1,200 Iranians make use of HMA’s free proxy service every week, despite that fact that it is officially blocked by the Iranian authorities. Joshua Van Raalte promised that “Hide My Ass” will keep supporting Iranian users as much as it can, because the company’s mission is to promote openness and the global freedom of expression provided by the worldwide web.

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