Using Port Scans And Proxy Servers To Route Out Censorship

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the do-the-ends-justify-the-means? dept

Wired News is asking if the “ends justify the means” for an anti-censorship tool that will let anyone see if any particular website is banned in certain countries. The problem comes about when you look at how the tests are done. The system scans the ports of machines in those countries, looking for an open one, and then uses a proxy server from that machine to try to access the website in question. The method makes sense, but many still see it as illegally (or at least, unethically) hacking into someone else’s computer, and using resources without permission. The guy who created the system first seems to say that there’s nothing wrong with it, and then basically shifts tactics and says it’s worth doing no matter what, because it’s important to “uncover” censorship and surveillance.