[ENCRYPTION] Proxy

[verduz]

While traveling I had problems connecting to the Internet due to censorships and unencrypted wireless connections. I managed somehow to use TOR but I don't want to "consume" bandwidth to users that really needs it.
So, I was wondering if there is a way to build my own proxy.
It has to be encrypted and for personal use only, running possibly on the Internet.

Is there a way to build that? Any ideas/tutorials?

Thanks

[SteveRiley]

The point of a proxy in this situation is to establish an encrypted tunnel from your current location to a computer in another country that doesn't impose censorship rules. This other computer operates on your behalf, and it appears as if all your actions are sourced from that location, not your actual location.

To build your own, you'll need to somehow set up a tunnel server in a place outside your existing jurisdiction. Putting one in your own house won't accomplish that.

[verduz]

No, I only need a proxy for when I am abroad (censorship) or when I use an unencrypted wireless connection (hotels, fast-food, etc.). I don't want "them" to sniff my Internet traffic (not all the sites I use supports https) or tell me what site I can visit.
I used to use TunnelBear but I found out it's not accessible everywhere.
So, what I really need is a "TunnelBear" operated by me using some kind of internet services or an old laptop in the basement.

[Feathers McGraw]

I managed somehow to use TOR but I don't want to "consume" bandwidth to users that really needs it.

Strangely, I think that's actually one of the things that will help other Tor users, because it obscures the traffic from people who might be being watched...

Also, to protect your anonymity, be smart. Don't provide your name or other revealing information in web forms. Be aware that, like all anonymizing networks that are fast enough for web browsing, Tor does not provide protection against end-to-end timing attacks: If your attacker can watch the traffic coming out of your computer, and also the traffic arriving at your chosen destination, he can use statistical analysis to discover that they are part of the same circuit.

(from https://www.torproject.org/about/overview.html.en)

Presumably, more users would make this more difficult for attackers.

[SteveRiley]

TOR would be the easiest method. Download and install the TOR Bundle from their web site.

You could use any of the existing online proxy services. Avoid the free ones.

Or you could create your own OpenVPN server at home, and use the built-in OpenVPN client to connect to it. That's what I do.

[verduz]

Strangely, I think that's actually one of the things that will help other Tor users, because it obscures the traffic from people who might be being watched...

If I am not an exit node (Orbot on Android, for what I know, doesn't allow it) I am only consuming "bandwidth" because I'll be another user wanting to use a limited number of exit nodes.

[Feathers McGraw]

Yeah but you'll be another user with traffic exiting from those nodes...

[verduz]

TOR would be the easiest method.

As stated above, I don't want to consume bandwidth because I cannot always be an exit-node.

You could use any of the existing online proxy services. Avoid the free ones.
Or you could create your own OpenVPN server at home, and use the built-in OpenVPN client to connect to it. That's what I do.

That's what I used to do. But I found out that sometimes proxy services, OpenVPN (or TunnelBear) are blocked.

[SteveRiley]

I'll be another user wanting to use a limited number of exit nodes.

But that's what TOR is for. Don't be reluctant to use it for its intendend purpose.

[verduz]

But that's what TOR is for. Don't be reluctant to use it for its intendend purpose.

But I'm not an activist or someone willing to fight a regime. I'm only a user concerned with privacy (when using wi-fi access point) and that doesn't want to consume activist's bandwidth.
I found out this solution but it doesn't work on smart-phones (it can proxy only web-browser traffic, not all apps traffic).

[SteveRiley]

There's no one-thing-works-everywhere solution here. You are not violating the spirit or intent of TOR to use it for your stated purpose. Re-build your own VPN server, use that primarily. When OpenVPN is blocked, switch to TOR. It generally takes multiple tools to accomplish your goal, because different tools work in different locations.