Social networking websites distract students at school much like how they distract employees at work, so many schools block Facebook on their computers. However, students can still access Facebook while at school by using a proxy server that the school’s network has not disabled.

 

What is a Proxy Server?

A proxy server is one that reroutes browsing activity through its own hardware, hides the user’s IP address, and allows the user to access websites that have been blocked or disabled on his/her own network. Though a school’s network may have blocked a specific website or service such as Facebook, it cannot prevent the user from accessing the website if it has not disabled the specific proxy server that the user is accessing.

 

How Proxy Servers Work

When someone accesses a proxy server by going to that server’s URL, like any other website, he/she is able to enter the website’s URL that he/she is trying to access. This causes the computer to request a file or webpage from the proxy server, which then downloads the requested content and forwards it to the user in its own user interface. The proxy server handles all traffic between the requested webpage and the computer and allows the user to access the webpage even though the school’s network has blocked it.

 

How to Enable a Proxy Server

Normally, anyone can access a proxy server by simply entering its URL into any browser. However, the user may need to specifically tell his/her computer which proxy server he/she is using. This can be done by going to Start, Control Panel, Internet Options, Connections, and clicking the LAN settings button on the bottom of this window. The user can then check the checkbox labeled “Use a proxy server for your LAN,” enter the proxy server’s URL, and enter the port number, both of which can be found on the proxy server’s webpage.

 

Reputable Proxy Servers

A highly reputable free proxy server that the user can download and install on his/her computer to run inside the browser, Tor, is a program that hides the user’s browsing activity from copyright agencies, law enforcement agencies, and other institutions that collect information from the user’s computer. If the user does not wish to or cannot download or install software on his/her school computer, free online proxy servers such as Enough School, Get Us In, and Nobody Can Stop Us, are also available.