I did not install "Fortinet", but this censored wireless network wanted my browser to think otherwise.

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If you've ever used the internet at school, you've probably encountered this kind of censorship. Traditionally used in schools to block games and other non-school-related websites, and in more limited cases at workplaces, these blockers often overstep the bounds of their seemingly acceptable purposes. At my middle school, for example, almost all search engines other than Google were blocked and would throw a "privacy error" when used on the school network. The blocking techniques used in this type of censorship vary, and it can also include surveillance of web activity or collection of IP addresses, or blocks on circumvention techniques such as VPNs or Tor. 

Depending on the type of blocker used, your options for circumventing this censorship vary. If not blocked, a Tor connection will bypass any restrictions and surveillance, at the cost of long load times. To connect to Tor, install the Tor browser and browse normally (you can also do some hacking to get Tor at the OS level, or use another Tor client like Brave, but the Tor browser is sufficient in this case and recommended for most users). 

In the vast majority of cases, a VPN will also work to get around censorship. If VPNs are blocked on your network, initiate the connection on another uncensored network before switching over to the censored one. The VPN should continue to operate normally. Make sure to review the privacy policy of your VPN, as those with bad policies may be harvesting your data. In general, paid VPNs are much safer than free ones.

Certain networks with weaker blockers are vulnerable to a third method as well. If blocked sites show a "privacy error" and tell you that they could be impersonated, you are probably on this type of network. If this is the case, a free encrypted DNS resolver, such as NextDNS (again, the privacy policy is important here), will be sufficient to overcome the network censorship. These are configured similarly to VPNs but have different features, and can be activated directly on the censored network.

*(This section refers to civilian software packages such as GoGuardian and Qustodio, used in educational institutions or by parents. For hacks or military/intelligence malware, see Amnesty International's Pegasus Project or go off-grid for a while.)

The industry of commercial spying programs for use on children began in the early 2010's with parental control company Qustodio. It saw explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these programs are being now deployed in schools across the U.S. without consent from users, creating a new and very alarming category of censorship and surveillance. Often cited for censoring LGBTQ content, and more generally for blocking random websites for no apparent reason, this form of censorship is a bit harder to get around. 

The most effective way is to be proactive. If you know ahead of time that your school is rolling out one of these tools, take steps to prevent your device from being infected. While many schools only deploy this software to school-issued Chromebooks (in which case leave it on, as schools are within their rights to censor their own machines), some also deploy the tool to privately owned devices, which remain infected even when not on school premises. Many tools, such as GoGuardian, the most popular software for this purpose, work using a Chrome extension, which may be tied to a Google account. Removing Chrome from your computer will disable it completely. This vulnerability exists in any tool designed to be installed remotely, so if you don't have Chrome and nobody else has physical access to your machine, you will not be vulnerable to these attacks.

Other programs, such as Qustodio or Bark, which are primarily installed by parents, use apps and are therefore harder to remove. The steps to remove these apps will depend on your operating system, but generally, if you have the administrator password on a desktop OS, you can remove the app normally. If you are on a mobile device or a non-administrator on a desktop device, your options are much more limited, but bypassing these apps is still possible. If you have access to a VPN, use it, as this can bypass the app's filters. However, to remove all censorship, the app must be completely uninstalled. On a mobile device, a bit of hacking may be necessary. For Android devices, use the Android Debug Bridge from a computer to force uninstall the app. There are methods for iPhones as well, but all of these require third-party hacking software, and no method is guaranteed to work.

Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash 

Many search engines personalize their results based on the inferred interests of the user. This can feed into confirmation bias and prevent you from getting the full picture on important issues. Commonly referred to as a filter bubble, this type of censorship can be found anywhere on the internet where content is curated by an algorithm, such as social media sites and even news apps. Even private search engines like DuckDuckGo aren't immune, as while they don't personalize their results, their algorithms still must choose what results to favor over others, which leads to bias.

The best way to combat this type of censorship is to get your information from many sources. Use several search engines with different algorithms, and search multiple forum sites and social media platforms, especially when dealing with highly politicized (and thus highly censored) issues. If the news is your preferred source of information, read articles from several news outlets, on different sides of the political spectrum. By comparing these different sources, you can weed out disinformation and get a more accurate picture of your topic of inquiry.

Many governments around the world censor internet access in their countries. Some governments shut down the internet during protests, while others block certain keywords or restrict access to foreign content. According to a 2022 report by Freedom House, Iceland is the country with the freest internet, scoring a 95 on their 100-point scale (it dropped to 94 in 2023). The U.S. came in 12th with a score of 76, and China was in last with a score of 10.

Aside from moving to Iceland, government censorship can be circumvented in a number of ways. Since the government has the power to arrest and/or kill you, this circumvention is more dangerous than for other types of censorship. One way to circumvent such censorship is with a VPN, allowing you to move your internet connection to Iceland (or another free country) without actually going there. However, in many censored countries, VPNs are illegal and their sites are blocked, so this may not be an option. 

Another way to get around censorship is by using a Tor connection. This is a very popular choice, as it hides your identity and is free, meaning that there will be no payment record for the government to follow. Tor is often used by activists, journalists, and whistleblowers living or working in authoritarian countries for these reasons. However, this method is also illegal in many heavily censored countries, so you should exercise caution. The Tor network also has several security vulnerabilities, so your identity could potentially be revealed to the government or hackers, and you could be caught.

No 100% safe method exists for circumventing censorship in countries where circumvention is banned. Doing so could result in a hefty fine or even jail time, depending on the country you are in, and many authoritarian governments will also suspect you of other crimes if they catch you using these tools.

Photo by Lianhao Qu on Unsplash