Making money from Internet censorship

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    Date: 
    22 February 2010

    There is always an opportunity to make money out of any situation. The same goes for the emerging internet censorship trend. Software companies are starting to turn internet censorship into an opportunity for business as people are searching for tools to allow them to access filtered information.

    Among the tools highly sought after are virtual private networks (VPN), proxy servers and other workarounds that enable users to breach barriers to blocked information online. Users are willing to pay the price.

    VPNs "tunnel" through to servers in a country with no Web controls, encrypting information under an anonymous computer address to conceal private traffic. Proxies also allow unfiltered Internet access but are considered less secure than VPNs.

    "The market is growing very rapidly at the moment," said Patrick Lin, who offers a circumvention technology he calls "Puff" to those looking for ways to leap over firewalls. One version is available for free, while another costs $16 to use for a year.