Normally when you view a web page, your computer’s browsing software makes a connection to the destination server, downloads the page’s data, and displays it for you.
This would normally be the preferred way of doing things, but occasionally you’ll find yourself on a work or school connection that disallows you from connecting to certain web sites. In these scenarios, what you need is a proxy. A proxy is a server or service that will connect to the blacklisted server on your behalf and send you back the results.
Now, you still need to directly access the proxy server, so it’s important that it’s not on the blacklist itself. It’s very interesting that Google, a host unlikely to end up on most blacklists, has a couple of tools that can essentially act as a web proxy!
Google Proxy Trick #1
The first tool is Google’s translation service. This service will dynamically download and translate any web page you request, and if you specify the “to” launguage as English (or your desired language), Google Translate will just spit out the destination document, acting as a simple proxy. Note that you used to be able to set the “from” and “to” language both as English to ensure no translation, but this feature seems to have been removed. However, I’ve found that if you specify Chinese to English (or anything to english) on an already english document, you usually get the exact text. The bonus of using the Chinese filter is that you can hover over any text and it’ll give you the exact original text.
Just replace www.myspace.com in the URL below with a blocked site to see:
http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=zh%7Cen&u=http://www.myspace.com/
The only problem with this is that it doesn’t proxy any of the images for you. Those are still coming directly from the destination server, so they will likely be filtered and all you’ll see is the page text.
Google Proxy Trick #2
The second Google tool that can be used as a proxy service is the Google Wireless Transcoder. This service was designed to make web pages viewable on mobile phone browsers. It will download a destination site’s web page, including images, and rework the entire page, on the fly, to fit into an average cell-phone’s screen space.
To try it out, go to http://www.google.com/gwt/n and enter the url you’d like to view. You’ll quickly see that most of the page formatting has been stripped out, leaving a very simple, single-column page. You’ll also notice that all the images are scaled down to mobile phone optimized size. It’s a bit of a downside, but google is actually downloading and sending the scaled versions from a google server. So, if you’re on a blacklisted site, you’ll still be able to view images – they’ll just be smaller than usual.
On the plus side, I’ve found that 99% of MySpace templates look better using the Google Wireless Transcoder.
Update (my poor memory):
I have the long term memory of a goldfish. It looks like Brian Sawyer wrote about this back in January –Link. He also linked to another article on the topic of bypassing a blocked myspace connection, which I’ve also included below. Thanks, Brian!
Related:
60 thoughts on “Using Google as a Proxy (or HOW TO: View MySpace at School)”
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try using:
http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en%7Cen&u=http://www.myspace.com/
note the key bit: ‘langpair=en%7Cen’ thus forcing it to translate English into English, this trick works on most online translators, I have been using babel fish as a proxy for years now. Very few actually give the option but if you hack the URL it almost always works.
Daniel,
I remember being able to do that before, but now Google just seems to immediately do a http redirect to the destination url when the languages are the same.
After that didn’t work, I ended up using Chinese to English for 2 reasons:
1) It’s different enough from English that I expect things won’t get accidentally translated. If you use spanish, for instance, you’ll see the word “a” getting translated to “to” and annoying stuff like that.
2) For some reason, the Chinese filter has an extra feature that displays the original text in a floating div when you mouse over things in the document. So there’s always a way to see what it originally looked like, even in cases of accidental translation.
or just use
http://camopad.com
to view myspace
or just use
http://camopad.com
to view myspace
I never register on blogs and post comments
but i really have the urge to do it this time
–
Your thing doesnt work. I live in Alaska and our school filter is St. Bernard. A typical access denied page
It must have blocked that single section of google
–
The requested page is currently unavailable Your organization has chosen to limit viewing of this site (http://www.myspace.com/), due to the rating of its content (local deny).
–
The requested page is currently unavailable Your organization has chosen to limit viewing of this site (http://www.google.com/gwt/n), due to the rating of its content (anonymizer).
I never register on blogs and post comments
but i really have the urge to do it this time
–
Your thing doesnt work. I live in Alaska and our school filter is St. Bernard. A typical access denied page
It must have blocked that single section of google
–
The requested page is currently unavailable Your organization has chosen to limit viewing of this site (http://www.myspace.com/), due to the rating of its content (local deny).
–
The requested page is currently unavailable Your organization has chosen to limit viewing of this site (http://www.google.com/gwt/n), due to the rating of its content (anonymizer).
Another thing to keep in mind: If the images are still coming from the destination server and being filtered, there’s a good chance they’re also being logged.
At some places circumventing web blocking can often get you into more trouble than just sitting on your can and surfing unblocked sites instead of working.
Any IT department that has a decent staff will also catch other means of getting around web filters such as tunneling your connection through ssh or using VNC or MS Remote Desktop to access a PC on the outside.
What’s wrong with waiting until you get home or some other place to look at websites? Is being able to view MySpace or check your eBay auctions really worth getting canned or a failing grade?
um….. i use a couple of sites to get on myspace at school.
myspacemirrors.com/proxy
myspaceld.com
undofilters.com
filter-proof.com
not sure how to link so just copy and paste into url box.
hello myspace really rock the whole www and even countries like america, and the school blocked myspace to restrict their students to access it…
but blocking myspace is not the solution because they can unblock it using PHP proxy site like this one: http://therealproxy.info is used this for almost a week.
ineed a proxy i can use during school when im on comps the ones ive tried my school bloks it
i can check back on this website fer the proxy by tuesday of next week
i just use proxybiz.com it works
Im a compter analyist in the US Navy SEALs and if you want to get on myspace or porn or whatever it is you look at during school, kiddies, just copy and pste this IP adress: 199.237.240.105
then go to the user name (its myfreenetshaq) and then the password (free) and go from there.
All those proxies that you guys use are already blocked at my school.
Anybody have andy new ones?
wow this site sucks…none of these effing proxies work…..
every single thing on this page is blocked my the technicians at our school, even the IP addresses (they dont let you enter them any more as we used to use them to get around the blocks). they are complete bastards here n the only thing thats got past them in the last 11 years at this school that i know of is ultrasurf. search google for it, download it then bring it into school on a usb or whatever n save it to your area, it might work for you lot for a while n we’ll carry on trying to figure out another way to get around them.
ay ive been trying to get to myspace from the last month already
wtf
all da websites dont work
even the proxys dont work
unblock myspace at pineforesthigh
there are only two websites i no work they are ilikeyourpants.info and broomvideos.com byee
i go to menchville high in newport news VA and they try so hard to block myspace but they cant because im always comming up with a website. like
proxygoblin.com is one
but if you want to find websites go to
proxygoblin.com
have a good day
http://www.bypassfilter.co.cc works for me :) Try unblock filter with that :P
of coz all proxy don’t work, filter pick this website fast because too many people accesing this website and filter will notice that. (too many request obviously and bandwidth suddenly skyrocket?? 5 year old will notice that) to be honest proxy website only last 2-3 days :/
All you need to do is make your own proxy website and dont tell anyone about it. That way your proxy website can last longer or you can signup to any proxy newsletter to receive daily proxy list. Filter will still block it but you get daily list everday Anyway you can always try this one: http://www.mathisfun.co.cc
– I think by the time you try this it already block so be quick to join the newsletter for fresh proxy not advertise anywhere
goodluck anyway
This one really works! I’m at a public library and they have blocked most of the sites I need to study for my college classes because the content on those sites is not censored and may be considered adult or they have been deemed “social-networks.” The library uses Total Traffic Control v6.
How about a proxy that works for video. We have recorded tutorials that I still cannot view.
i really need to find a site i can get on at school. HELP!!
I just use HideMyAss.com. It’s fast and works well, much better than CTunnel. But too bad you can’t use it to download files.
i need a proxy for runescape and myspace my school has block over 300 proxies already and i need one they use somehting called webwasher and its gay so plz comment back asap
i need a way to get on myspace in school…
no joke, non of there work, its cause these sies are sending information to the filters…”anonymizer” is what keeps popping up as being blocked. The gay part is that im in COLLEGE and theyre flippin blocking the sites from MY LAPTOP!! i dont flippin pay $1,200 A SEMESTER so that i cant watch movies, or listen to music, or read my e-mails on campus in between classes!! so weak dude, the system is gay…
Ye may be lett to load any site without a proxy; copy and paste a zero width space, or its kin, in the domain to get throuh a pattern match. The address will be forwarded without the extra marks and load normally. This trick works on YouTube’s comments.