You might have seen someone at school playing games, despite strict internet controls. How are they doing this? One of the most common ways is to use a proxy server.
How a Proxy Site Works
A proxy server is a type of website that lets you bypass internet filtering systems. When you connect to a website through your school’s internet, your school’s system will check whether the website is suitable for viewing at school or not. Proxy servers bypass this because the proxy server, rather than the school, fetches the details of the website.
Most proxy servers are very straightforward to use. When you enter a proxy server website, it will ask you to enter a website address. Enter the address, click the submit button, and you should be browsing the site!
Many proxy servers also allow you to specify a few options. For example, it may ask whether you want java script and flash enabled. If you are using a proxy to access a games website, you want to turn those features on. Other features, such as cookies, are optional. Some proxy servers might bombard you with advertisements, but that’s the price you pay for bypassing your school’s internet security!
How to Find a Proxy Site
To find a proxy site, the easiest way is to visit Google and type in ‘proxy server’ or something similar. Thousands of sites will come up on the search results page. You might want to make a note of some of them at home and then try them at school the next day to see if your school blocks any of them.
If you find a proxy site that your school does not block – congratulations! You can now play online games and access other sites as you please. Generally, however, using a proxy website at school may not be easy. Unfortunately, schools are very aware of proxy sites, and they ban many of these sites on their networks.
What if the Proxy Sites are Already Blocked?
If your school appears to block many proxy sites, you can try research newly established proxy sites and try those out. One easy way to do this is to search Google for proxy websites, except this time try clicking the ‘past 24 hours’ option. This may yield some new proxy sites.
Some schools may use a keyword filtering system on their internet connections. This means the system will block websites based on the words on the site. For example, if you access a games website, the system may recognize the site is about games due to certain phrases such as ‘free online games’, or whatever. The system will detect that you are trying to access a games website, and will promptly block access to it.
The same system may block proxy websites, so even if you find new proxy sites that may not be on school ‘blacklists’, your school’s system may even detect it is a proxy site due to the keywords on it, and deny access. You therefore may not be able to use proxy servers to play games at school.
Fortunately, many proxy site creators are smart, and they name their sites clever names. For example, you could find a proxy at a site like “funeducationalsite.org” which is less likely to be blocked than a site like “proxyproxyproxy.com”.
