The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is one that could threaten a lot of websites and a lot of online businesses. One thing is for sure though, industries where copyright is essential have probably donated heavily to the cause. If SOPA or even its “lighter” version PIPA gets passed, even if you have Comcast internet, the internet will change forever.
If the internet is a super highway, SOPA will be the tens of millions new police checkpoints added to it. What is worse is that these police checkpoints care about profit rather than serving us, the public. However, you do not need to worry a lot about SOPA. There are many things you can do to bypass the blocking that SOPA imposes and visit sites directly.
DeSOPA the Evil SOPA
One method is to use an extension named DeSOPA. This is a Firefox extension that enables you to easily bypass SOPA restrictions and access websites directly.
There may not be any SOPA restrictions currently in place, but that does not mean that we should not be prepared. Granted, DeSOPA will not work with every website (subdomains as an example) but at least it is a start.
Manually “De-SOPA-fy” your Surfing
You can actually do what SOPA does manually should you choose not to install the extension. This method is rather simple.
All you have to do is become a little nerdy.
1. Open up Command Prompt
2.Ping the website you wish to browse. For example ping insertwebsite.com
3. This will give you an IP address in return.
4. All you need to do is type that IP address into your browser’s search bar and you are ready to go.
However, this method is not permanent. If SOPA does blacklist various domains, you will not be able to use this method. Although it is not a perfect method, something is better than nothing and it sure is a start to bigger things.
Tor
Everyone knows that it was bound to happen at sometime. Better now than never right? Thanks to the bill, there are now even programs that you can use to bypass the restrictions placed by SOPA. Tor is an example of a free program that allows you to reroute your traffic through the computers of various volunteers.
Practically every one of you is probably thinking that their data and their surfing history are now vulnerable. However, thanks to the “onion” technique used by Tor, your browsing experience will still be very secure. Actually, considering the effects of SOPA, it will be more secure than ever.
You do not need to worry Of course, your identity is not 100% secure and you may experience slightly lower speeds but considering the benefits, is it not worth it? You can still use your existing Comcast internet connection with this method.
Use Virtual Private Networks
There is always a fail-safe for everything. As far as anti-SOPA solutions go, virtual private networks, or VPNs, are the ultimate fail-safe. VPNs have been used for many years where your data passes backwards and forwards through encrypted means.
If you get a VPN server that is located internationally (not in the United States), you can quite easily bypass SOPA without any major worries. Best of all, there is no leak in security. However, a clause in SOPA does allow the Department of Justice to shut down any service providers found providing services to customers who were using the company’s services for illegal or pirated activities.
Again, if you get a VPN server outside the United States, everything should work for the best. This is because that the United States cannot shut down VPN servers that operate and are based outside their soil. There are obviously things that the United States government could do to stop you but as I have said before, there are always ways to get around it.
If SOPA does get implemented and many restrictions are put in place, there will at least be many ways through which you can access websites directly. From simple command prompt commands to subscribing to a virtual private network, it seems that SOPA may not be able to stop users who value their anonymity.
About the Author:
The above article is composed and edited by Eva K. She is associated with many technology and web communities as their freelance writer and adviser. In her free time she writes articles related to broadband deals, technology, mobile applications, etc
