Freegate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Developed by | Dynamic Internet Technology Inc. (DIT) |
|---|---|
| Initial release | ? |
| Latest release | 6.79 / 12/01/2008 |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Available in | English, Chinese, Persian, Spanish |
| Type | Proxy system |
| License | Shareware |
| Website | http://www.dit-inc.us/freegate |
FreeGate is software that enables internet users from mainland China, Iran, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and UAE, among others, to view websites blocked by their governments (see Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China). The program takes advantage of a range of open proxies, which allow users to penetrate firewalls used to block web sites.[1] Developer Dynamic Internet Technology (DIT) estimates Freegate has 200,000[1] users. The maintainer and CEO of DIT is Bill Xia.[citation needed] As of January 1 2009 everyone outside of mainland China must pay to use Freegate.
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[edit] Trojan Horse reports
The Financial Times, citing a member of staff at Symantec in mainland China, reported that Norton AntiVirus identified Freegate as a trojan horse. There were initial fears that the reports may be a ploy by the CCP authorities to encourage removal of the software from computers,[2] but it was soon delisted as a threat. Symantec explained that its detection was based on the software operating similarly to various Trojan horses, based on the use of open proxies to penetrate firewalls used to block web sites, but that it had modified its detection to exclude Freegate.[1] However, Spyware Guide lists it as a Trojan.[3]
Since late September 2007, users in China trying to download the Skype software are redirected to the Tom.com site from which a modified Simplified Chinese version can be downloaded. Activists in China are warning about the possibility that TOM's versions have or will have more trojan capability. DIT believes that Skype has been pressured by the CCP authorities to apply censorship measures, which are targeted at curbing the popularity of Freegate in mainland China.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c John Leyden,Freegate is not Trojan horse, says Symantec, The Register, September 16 2004
- ^ John Leyden,Symantec labels China censor-busting software as Trojan, The Register, September 14 2004
- ^ Freegate, Spyware Guide, retrieved 2007-10-08 (Researchers note:- These may be two separate programs)
- ^ Dynamic Internet Technology Inc. Alleges Skype Redirects Users in China to Censorware Version - Ten Days After Users Are Able To Download Freegate Software Through Skype, TMCnet, September 24, 2007
