Tips for bypassing internet censorship – DW – 29.04.2024

In certain countries, the most recent example being Burkina Faso, where our site has just been blocked, our radio and/or internet content is being censored by states that want to stifle press freedom. However, according to its statute, DW has duty defend fundamental rights and freedoms.

On the user side, it is possible to continue collecting information independently, but for this it is good to know certain tools. here are some options to bypass internet censorship:

DW application

The most obvious is the Deutsche Welle app, which you can find on Google Play for Android smartphones or the App Store for Apple devices. Be sure to download the latest version of the application and activate the “Proxy” option in the settings.

Tor browser

Another option: surf the web using the Tor browser. It guarantees the anonymity of its users and provides access to all pages.

You can download Tor either by going to the site “torprojet.org” which exists in French. Or by emailing gettor@torproject.org. Simply enter the name of your operating system in the body of the message. For example: “windows” or “linux”. You will then receive an automatic reply with a download link.

Another tool: Psiphon

DW uses the Psiphon tool allow users to access content – their own and content from other platforms – that would otherwise be blocked by a country’s censorship, including Facebook or X.

Users just need to send a blank email to dw-w@psiphon3.com. As with Tor, you will receive an automatic reply with a link to download Psiphon.

Downloads of Psiphon via DW increased ninefold in the days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, proving the tool’s popularity.

Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

Finally, of course we should mention VPNs, virtual private networks. They allow you to connect a private computer located inside a non-free network (for example, because it is controlled by the government) to a server on an external Internet network – one that is free.

However, be careful with the security of your data: not all VPN providers respect privacy in the same way.

In March 2023, DW concluded a partnership with Proton, which is the only provider that offers VPNs that do not track their users’ online activities, do not log their data, and therefore cannot transmit it to third parties.