Setting a proxy server

Fact is its going to cost you. If you happy to pay then you need to sign up to a proxy server. I don't think you can set your own, you have to direct via a proxy thats abroad as it were.

Goody, I'll await instructions.

Nothing in life is free, you have been warned.

Many download sites will also verify your billing address on your credit card - something they can do through the card issuer. So, your plan still may not work.

Should this topic be somewhat more sub rosa?

How about a walk in the countryside?

HH, indeed this is straightforward and can be the safest way to use the web if you resent your meta data being used by web sites/ organisations to monitor your useage. Commercial organisations use proxies and VPNs all the time for security, what is good for them is equally good for the consumer In my opinion.

If Dayjay is unable to post, Ill give you a few pointers. However some of the best VPN services that don't impact your internet performance too much do cost a little.

Some popular proxy service providers http://proxy-services-review.toptenreviews.com

Simon

HH and others,here is a guide on VPN and web proxies:

http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/20...hoose-best-one-needs

I'm doing this from memory as I'm away from home so apologies for any lsck of clarity

Go to justfreevpn.com and decide which country you want to be from, I use Canada. Make a note of the id and password, the latter changes each day.

On Windows machines, goto network centre (on windows 8 right click in the bottom left corner of the screen).

Select, create or join a new network and then,  I think, select join a work vpn or virtual private network. There is an option to use a new or existing internet connection,  use your existing one. Key in the deatils you copied down from justfreevpn and click connect, at which point your pc should make a new vpn connection. If this works you will see vpn connection 1, with a status of connected along with your usual network connection which should also be connected.  There are loads of sites that will check your ip address on the net but if I've explained properly any site should see you as based in Canada. 

If it doesn't work let me know and when I'm home and sober I'll revise

Probably worth pointing out that your vpn connection will be slower than normal but its quick enough to purchase cds etc. When you've finished ho back to network centre, right click over your vpn connection and select disconnect.  If you're using a mac I can't help uou I'm afraid but the vpn will still work

I have successfully used VPN Unlimited over the last 12 months. You can dynamically select country, which can be helpful. They have apps for OS X, Windows, Linux and all the mobile platforms. 

Wat, although nothing dubious about using proxies, you are correct that there are possibly some dubious proxy services out there. That is why I pointed to some proxy service providers who offer service under terms and conditions.

As far encryption, which HH was not asking for, then yes you need to think about what it means if your proxy service provider terminates your encrypted tunnel and thereafter the traffic is in the clear. You should treat a general consumer proxy service as if it's general Internet access but simply you have displaced your internet entry point .

Of course with a proxy service you can encrypt your traffic via the proxy service through to the end service just as with regular direct Internet access such as with Internet banking or e commerce, and your proxy service provider just sees encrypted transport traffic.

As always on the web, and especially if you use wifi hotspots, whether using proxies or direct using encrypted traffic ensure your SSL encryption  key of the service you are connecting to is showing as valid. (Often in or by the address bar in browser). By doing this you bypass the interception or man in the middle attacks shown in your diagram. All quite straightforward really. A little bit of good practice goes a long way,.

Simon

I have received a mail expressing concerns about this thread, along similar lines to Wat's post above. If these concerns are well founded, I would ask anyone reading this thread to consider their online safety very carefully if considering using a proxy server. 

Why would you feel justified in circumventing restrictions that may be part of the arrangements they have had to make over Rights in order to be able to offer any service?

Why not get an Amazon EC2 instance in the us-east-1 region and download it from there to your S3 storage? (It wouldn't have very far to go )

Seriously, it's not worth the hassle to turn your network upside down for downloaded music....

My view is quite simple. If I can buy a CD from - for example - a retailer in the USA then I should also be able to download the equivalent from a site based in the USA.

But then I also have two Sky accounts neither of which are for boxes in the UK.