Circumvention tools
The following tools are anonymisers that allow you to circumvent geo-location technologies by making it appear as if you have a different IP address. Choose the tool you use depending on which location you would like to appear to be located at
(NOTE: Proxy servers and anonymiser can log all information that passes through them. Thus, it is not advisable to send e.g. passwords or credit card details through a proxy server or anonymiser) Arguably the easiest way to circumvent geo-location technologies, is through the use of so-called anonymisers. Anonymisers are applications designed to allow web-users to visit websites anonymously. As illustrated below, anonymisers act as an added layer – a buffer – between the web-surfer and the websites he/she visits:
When a web-surfer uses an anonymiser, his/her IP number is only transmitted to the provider of the anonymiser. He/she is then assigned a new IP number by the anonymiser in relation to any websites he/she visits while applying the anonymiser. It needs to be stressed that these applications were not developed for the purpose of circumventing geo-location technologies. However, by identifying the location of the anonymiser (or, more specifically, the location with which the IP numbers assigned by the anonymiser are associated), one may be able to find anonymisers from the country one wishes to appear to be located in. For example, when using an anonymiser called
The Cloak (
http://www.the-cloak.com/login.html), I was assigned an IP number (216.127.72.7) indicating my location as being the US, while when using an anonymiser called
Anonymouse (
http://anonymouse.org/anonwww_de.html), I was assigned an IP number (82.96.100.100) indicating my location as being Germany.
The number of anonymisers available is limited, and thus there are only a limited number of countries one can appear to be located in, using such applications. However, the use of so-called proxy servers opens up further possibilities. A bit simplified, a proxy server is a server that sits between the web-browser and the server being accessed. Thus, just like the anonymisers discussed above, a proxy server acts as a buffer between the web-surfer and the websites visited. The main difference is that while the anonymisers are web-applications, the use of proxy servers are determined by the settings in the web-browser. Using a proxy server to circumvent geo-location technologies, involves two steps. First it is necessary to obtain the address (with its port number) of a proxy server from the country you wish to appear to be located in. Then the browser settings must be changed to the obtained proxy address (with its port number). For example, users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer can change their proxy server setting by first clicking on
Internet Options under
Tools, and then clicking on
LAN Settings under
Connections (those connecting with a dial-up modem can make the equivalent changes).
A few words of warning must, however, be said in this context. Some proxy servers, or anonymiser, can very well log all information that passes through it. In other words, all the web-surfer’s traffic can be accessed by the operator of the anonymiser or proxy server. Thus, it is not advisable to send passwords or credit card details through a proxy server, or anonymiser. Furthermore, it is to be noted that people connecting to the Internet using a computer connected to the network of a larger institution, such as a university or a company, may not be able to use proxy servers in the manner outlined above.