<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /></head><body><div data-html-editor-font-wrapper="true" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <p>Today, I wanted to try to see how the Internet looks behind the Great Firewall of China. I used a <a href="http://spys.ru/free-proxy-list/CN/">public HTTP proxy list</a> listing Chinese proxy servers (meaning getting into Chinese censorship from the US, not bypassing it in China), and guess what? I was already blocked. Why? I suspect that I was running a <a href="https://atlas.torproject.org/#details/A20840A16CB658024B0D3A0E3F19A9C0E34C843F">Tor relay from my home connection</a>.</p> <p>Some Chinese websites do load, but many of those who do usually have a CDN outside the Chinese firewall. For example, I can visit AliExpress from my home computer without Tor, but I can't visit 163.com or 2345.com.</p> <p>While I don't care at all for Chinese websites, there are people who do. If you want to access Chinese websites AND run a Tor relay on the same IP address, you may be screwed. Surprisingly, I can <strong>sometimes</strong> visit Chinese websites over Tor, but it's about as reliable as having Comcast as your home ISP.</p> <h1 id="prooftelnet2345com">Proof: <code>telnet 2345.com</code> </h1> <p>Optimum Online 100/35 in Westchester County, NY, home computer on same connection as <a href="https://atlas.torproject.org/#details/A20840A16CB658024B0D3A0E3F19A9C0E34C843F">Tor middle node</a>:</p> <pre><code>neel@megora:~ % telnet 2345.com 80 Trying 42.62.30.180... telnet: connect to address 42.62.30.180: Operation timed out telnet: Unable to connect to remote host neel@megora:~ % </code></pre> <p>Verizon FiOS 50/50 in Brooklyn, NY, <a href="https://atlas.torproject.org/#details/D5B8C38539C509380767D4DE20DE84CF84EE8299">Tor middle node</a> (this connection isn't exclusive to Tor, it's used when I am in Brooklyn as well):</p> <pre><code>neel@kat:~ % telnet 2345.com 80 Trying 42.62.30.180... telnet: connect to address 42.62.30.180: Operation timed out telnet: Unable to connect to remote host neel@kat:~ % </code></pre> <p>Total Server Solutions in Los Angeles, CA (via an ITL VPS), <a href="https://atlas.torproject.org/#details/0D8211D34F29F51D690303E319766E1B7C28BADB">Tor exit node</a>:</p> <pre><code>neel@us-west:~ % telnet 2345.com 80 Trying 42.62.30.180... telnet: connect to address 42.62.30.180: Operation timed out telnet: Unable to connect to remote host neel@us-west:~ % </code></pre> <p>Vultr VPS in New Jersey, non-Tor IP used for this website:</p> <pre><code>neel@newwww:~ % telnet 2345.com 80 Trying 42.62.30.180... Connected to 2345.com. Escape character is '^]'. ^] telnet> quit Connection closed. neel@newwww:~ % </code></pre> <p>It seems that IP addresses used for Tor nodes are blocked by the Chinese firewall, even if the same IP address used for a Tor node is accessing a Chinese website outside of Tor. And the little bit of the Chinese Internet which can be accessed on the same IP address as a Tor node is usually on a CDN outside of the Great Firewall.<br><br>Keep in mind that this article is also available on my website at this URL: <a href="https://www.neelc.org/psa-if-youre-running-a-tor-relay-and-are-accessing-a-chinese-ip-address-you-may-get-blocked/">https://www.neelc.org/psa-if-youre-running-a-tor-relay-and-are-accessing-a-chinese-ip-address-you-may-get-blocked/</a></p> </div></body></html>