While free access to facts online is a cornerstone of democratic societies, it remains an elusive goal in many parts of the world. recognizing this disparity, researchers at paderborn University and the Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi have pioneered techniques to bypass internet censorship. Their work focuses on modifying encryption protocols to facilitate access to blocked websites, particularly in countries with stringent censorship systems like China and Iran.

the Core of the Innovation

The researchers have created an open-source censor scanner that encrypts web requests in a way that censorship systems struggle to detect or block. This tool tests various techniques to ensure that web requests bypass censorship while remaining understandable to actual websites, enabling the successful display of blocked pages.

TLS Fragmentation: A Key Strategy

One critical area of focus is the Transport layer security (TLS) service, which normally ensures secure encryption of internet connections. Though, censors frequently enough target TLS to block access to undesired websites.

As TLS is used by millions across the world, it is a popular target for censors. They can analyze the protocol to block undesired websites. This is possible because the very first TLS message transmitted is sent unencrypted and reveals the name of the website to which the user is trying to connect. This means that censors can look at the start of TLS connections and halt them where required.

Professor Juraj Somorovsky, Head of the System Security Research group, Paderborn University

To counter this, the researchers have developed TLS fragmentation, a technique that breaks down the initial TLS inquiry into smaller parts, making it tough for censorship systems to analyze.

This means that the first TLS inquiry containing the name of the target website is fragmented into small parts that censorship systems struggle to analyze.

Niklas Niere, Led Author, Paderborn University

Other methods involve altering or disguising details of the target website or removing certain information entirely from web requests. The common thread among these solutions is their effectiveness against censorship systems while maintaining compatibility with internet servers.

Implications and the Ongoing Battle

The implications of this research are profound, offering a lifeline to individuals in repressive regimes who lack free access to the internet. These techniques could be integrated into practical technologies that help people worldwide circumvent censorship. However, the researchers acknowledge that censorship techniques are constantly evolving.

The ongoing struggle for online freedom is a race between technical progress and state control. This study provides a foundation for future academic work and serves as a blueprint for developing tools that promote unrestricted access to the internet.