Bypassing School Internet Filters

Schools restrict access to various websites for a host of reasons. Often, it’s because the material on certain websites is considered risque. Other times, access can be restricted to ensure that usage of the internet is confined for academia (as opposed to playing video games). These restrictions are maintained by the use of filters. Unfortunately, these filters often identify useful websites as inappropriate. Below, we’ll provide you with step-by-step instructions to bypass your school’s internet filters and access the websites you need.

Step #1: Find An Online Proxy

There are hundreds of dependable online proxies that you can use to access websites that are restricted by your school’s filters. I suggest searching Google for “free online proxy” (use the quotes). Write down the website addresses for a number of proxies. If you use the same proxy often, your school’s internet filters could identify and block the proxy. So, use several.

Step #2: Visit The Proxy

When you visit a free online proxy, you’ll probably notice advertisements. While the proxy service is valuable, it requires server capacity and bandwidth. The ads finance the service. Typically, you’ll see a web address bar. Type the address of the website you need to access and execute the command.

Step #3: Visit The Blocked Website

Once you execute the command through the online proxy, the blocked website will be delivered to your browser. If you have successfully found the website, you should be able to navigate through it without issue.

Additional Thoughts On Using Proxies

First, most of the administrative personnel at schools realize that students use online proxies to visit sites deemed inappropriate. In response, they track, filter and effectively disable the most popular proxies. So, when choosing an online proxy to visit restricted websites, use several on the 3rd, 4th and 5th pages of Google. They’re less-likely to be used by other students. Therefore, they’re less likely to be targeted by the school’s administrative staff.

Keep your proxies to yourself. That is, don’t tell others about them. The fewer people at your school who use your favorite proxies, the less likely your proxies will be identified as targets.

Also, keep in mind that your school’s IT personnel will probably track your history, even if you’re using a proxy to access filtered websites. So, limit your online activity to viewing websites that have a legitimate academic use. If you’re asked by your school to justify your actions, you’ll be able to explain why you chose to circumvent the filters.

Bypassing The Filters For Good Reason

It’s important to remember that your actions while using your school’s computers are likely to be tracked. IT personnel are savvy. Plus, the software to track your activity is robust. If you’re doing research for a school project and need to access a filtered site, use an online proxy (as described above) to bypass the school filter. Otherwise, be cautious about using proxies to access content that is obviously inappropriate. If tracked and caught, there may be consequences.