🏛️ Government Blocks

Examples: Roskomnadzor in Russia, the Great Firewall in China, various censorship bodies in other countries. Blocks are implemented based on court orders, regulatory decisions, or lists of prohibited resources.

🏢 Corporate Blocks

Examples: Employers block social media, streaming services, torrents. Schools and universities block entertainment content.

🌍 Geo-blocking

Examples: Netflix offers different content in different countries. BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Some stores do not accept orders from specific regions.

Example:

User → request to 104.16.132.229 (blocked IP)
Provider → ❌ Connection blocked

✅ Effectiveness: Medium. Easily bypassed using a proxy/VPN.
❌ Drawbacks: Multiple sites might share one IP (shared hosting)—all are blocked simultaneously.

Example:

User → "What is the IP for blocked-site.com?"
Provider DNS → "0.0.0.0" or the IP of the block page

✅ Effectiveness: Low. Easily bypassed by changing DNS to Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1).
✅ Plus: The simplest blocking method for providers.

How DPI sees a blocked site:

HTTPS packet contains:
- SNI: blocked-site.com ← DPI sees this
- Encrypted content ← DPI cannot see, but this is irrelevant now

DPI → ❌ Terminates connection

✅ Effectiveness: High. Harder to bypass than DNS or IP blocks.
❌ Circumvention: Requires a proxy/VPN with encryption so that DPI cannot see the SNI and packet contents.

Example:

• facebook.com/games — blocked
• facebook.com — works

✅ Effectiveness: Medium. Works only for HTTP, not for HTTPS (the provider cannot see the URL).
📌 Application: Corporate proxy servers (Squid, Blue Coat).

WITHOUT PROXY (blocked):
┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐
│   You    │ ────❌───→│ Provider │ ────❌───→│ Blocked  │
│          │  request  │   DPI    │  blocked   │ Site     │
└──────────┘           └──────────┘           └──────────┘

WITH PROXY (working):
┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐           ┌──────────┐
│   You    │ ────✅───→│ Provider │ ────✅───→│  Proxy   │ ────✅───→│ Blocked  │
│          │ encrypted │          │ sees only  │  Server  │  request  │   Site   │
└──────────┘   tunnel  └──────────┘  proxy IP  └──────────┘  from proxy└──────────┘

What the Provider Sees:

• ✅ Without Proxy: "User connecting to blocked-site.com (IP is blocked)" → Blocked
• ✅ With Proxy: "User connecting to proxy-server.com (IP is not blocked)" → Allowed
• 🔒 The provider does not see that the proxy then connects to the blocked site

👨‍💼

🎓

💻

🎬

📰

🛒

Suitable for: Data scraping, website testing, accessing news portals, bypassing simple blocks.

Suitable for: Bypassing geo-blocks, social media scraping, accessing protected sites, SEO monitoring, multi-accounting.

Suitable for: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp Business, mobile applications, complex multi-accounting.

Windows:

1. Open Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy server
2. Enable "Use a proxy server"
3. Address: proxy.example.com
4. Port: 8080
5. Save

macOS:

1. Open System Settings → Network
2. Select the active connection (Wi-Fi/Ethernet)
3. Click "Advanced" → "Proxies" tab
4. Check "Web Proxy (HTTP)"
5. Enter the proxy address and port
6. Click "OK" → "Apply"

💡 Tip: Use extensions (FoxyProxy, Proxy SwitchyOmega) for quick proxy switching without changing system settings.

1. Open Settings → General
2. Scroll down to the "Network Settings" section
3. Click the "Settings..." button
4. Select "Manual proxy configuration"
5. HTTP Proxy: proxy.example.com
6. Port: 8080
7. ✅ Check "Use this proxy for all protocols"
8. Click "OK"

💡 Additionally: In Firefox, you can configure a SOCKS5 proxy in the same menu (SOCKS Host field).

Features:

• ✅ Multiple proxy profiles
• ✅ Automatic switching based on URL patterns
• ✅ Supports HTTP, SOCKS4, SOCKS5
• ✅ Import/export settings
• ✅ Proxy testing functionality

Quick Setup:

1. Install the extension from the browser store
2. Click the FoxyProxy icon → Options
3. Click Add → fill in the fields (address, port, login, password)
4. Save the profile
5. Click the icon → select the created profile

Features:

• ✅ Automatic switching based on rules
• ✅ PAC script support
• ✅ Creating proxy chains
• ✅ Profiles for different tasks
• ✅ Import rules from Adblock Plus

Example Rule: Open YouTube via proxy, and all other sites directly.

Features:

• ✅ Automatic list of blocked sites
• ✅ Built-in (free) proxy servers
• ✅ Works "out of the box" without configuration
• ✅ Automatic updates of the block list

⚠️ Drawback: friGate's free proxies are slow and unreliable. It's better to use your own proxies via FoxyProxy.

✅ Advantages:

• 🔒 Increased anonymity—the final site sees the IP of the last proxy.
• 🛡️ Protection against deanonymization—even if one proxy is compromised.
• 🌍 Bypassing complex blocks—can combine proxies from different countries.
• 🔐 Additional layer of protection—each proxy encrypts its segment.

❌ Disadvantages:

• 🐌 Speed reduction—each proxy adds latency.
• 💰 Higher cost—requires paying for multiple proxies.
• ⚠️ More complex setup—requires specialized software.
• 🔧 Single point of failure—if one proxy fails, the chain breaks.

SINGLE PROXY:
┌──────┐      ┌─────────┐      ┌──────────┐
│  You │ ───→ │ Proxy   │ ───→ │   Site   │
└──────┘      └─────────┘      └──────────┘
              Site sees proxy IP

3-PROXY CHAIN:
┌──────┐    ┌─────────┐    ┌─────────┐    ┌─────────┐    ┌──────────┐
│  You │ →  │ Proxy 1 │ →  │ Proxy 2 │ →  │ Proxy 3 │ →  │   Site   │
└──────┘    │ Russia  │    │ Germany │    │   USA   │    └──────────┘
            └─────────┘    └─────────┘    └─────────┘
                                           Site sees Proxy 3 IP (USA)

🤖 Android

🍎 iOS (iPhone/iPad)

✅ The proxy is working correctly if:

• ✅ The IP address has changed to the proxy server's IP
• ✅ The geolocation matches the proxy location
• ✅ The blocked site opens
• ✅ The speed is acceptable (test on speedtest.net via proxy)
• ✅ There are no DNS leaks (DNS servers belong to the proxy, not your provider)

❌ Problems to watch out for:

• ❌ IP has not changed—the proxy is not working
• ❌ DNS leak—the provider sees which sites you visit
• ❌ WebRTC leak—the real IP is visible via WebRTC
• ❌ Very low speed—the proxy is overloaded or too far away

For individuals: Using VPNs and proxies to bypass blocks is not directly prohibited by law. Liability only arises from accessing prohibited content (child pornography, extremism, calls to terrorism).

For VPN/Proxy providers: Since 2017, providers are required to connect to the FGIS (Federal State Information System) and block prohibited sites. However, most foreign services ignore this requirement.

Strict control: Using unauthorized VPNs/proxies has technically been illegal since 2017. The Great Firewall actively blocks VPN servers.

In practice: Individuals are rarely fined for using VPNs. The main focus is on sellers of VPN services and companies. However, cases of fining citizens ($145-1500) do occur.

Legal: In most EU countries, using VPNs and proxies is completely legal. Blocks are rare and usually only target pirated content or child pornography.

Exceptions: Belarus (not formally in the EU, but close)—VPNs and Tor have been banned since 2015.

Completely legal: Using VPNs and proxies is unrestricted. State-level blocks are virtually non-existent (except for trade sanctions against certain countries).

Corporate networks: Companies may prohibit bypassing filters in employment contracts.

Why free proxies are dangerous:

• 🕵️ Data interception: 79% of free proxies log all traffic.
• 🔓 Password theft: HTTP proxies see all unencrypted data.
• 🦠 Virus injection: Page modification, miner scripts.
• 💰 Data selling: Cookies, sessions, search queries sold to advertisers.
• 🚫 Slow performance: Overloaded servers, constant disconnections.

Real case: In 2020, researchers found that 80% of the top 100 free VPN/proxies on Google Play injected ads and trackers, and 38% contained malware.

Even through a proxy, always access sites via HTTPS, not HTTP. The proxy server sees the domain but not the content of your traffic.

• ✅ https://example.com — safe
• ❌ http://example.com — proxy sees everything

💡 Install the HTTPS Everywhere extension (from EFF)—it automatically switches sites to HTTPS.

DNS leak—when DNS requests go through your provider instead of the proxy. The provider sees which sites you visit, even when using a proxy.

How to check: Open dnsleaktest.com via the proxy. If you see your provider's DNS servers, there is a leak.

How to fix: Change system DNS to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google).

WebRTC (technology for in-browser video calls) can reveal your real IP address even when using a proxy.

How to check: Open browserleaks.com/webrtc. If you see your real IP, there is a leak.

How to fix:
Chrome: WebRTC Leak Prevent extension
Firefox: Settings → about:config → set media.peerconnection.enabled to false

Use IP Rotation

Change IP every 5-10 minutes for scraping. For social media, use sticky sessions (one IP per session).

Choose the Nearest Location

The closer the proxy server, the higher the speed. For bypassing blocks in Russia, use proxies from Europe.

Do Not Enter Passwords via HTTP Proxy

HTTP proxies do not encrypt traffic. Only for HTTPS sites or use SOCKS5 with an SSH tunnel.

Monitor Speed and Uptime

Use monitoring services (UptimeRobot) or check manually every few hours.

Keep Backup Proxies

Always have 2-3 backup proxies in case the main one gets blocked. Configure automatic switching.

Use User-Agent Rotation

Change the User-Agent header along with the IP. Mimic different browsers and devices for maximum stealth.

Solution	Speed	Bypass DPI	Cost/Month	For Beginners
Residential Proxies	⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅ Yes	$10-50	✅ Yes
Mobile Proxies	⭐⭐⭐	✅ Yes	$30-100	⚠️ Medium
Datacenter Proxies	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅ Yes	$5-20	✅ Yes
VPN	⭐⭐⭐	✅ Yes	$5-15	✅ Yes
Free Proxies	⭐	⚠️ Rarely	$0	❌ Dangerous