SOPA Bypass Plugin
By Griffin Boyce
Soapy is a small, free Fire Fox plugin that allows users to go to web sites banned under SOPA — making SOPA, if it is passed, moot. It focuses on the DNS-blocking technique favored by oppressive regimes and middle management. Because this is designed to go around a complete block, HTTPS is disabled for sites covered by this plugin.
There’s a bit of a lag time between coding and releasing source on git, just so you know. Every site that this circumvents for has a set of XML rules that are tailored to the quirks of that specific site. These are found in rules and src/chrome/content/rules. Much of the code has been borrowed from HTTPS-Everywhere and NoScript.
Let him know what you think, either by email at griffin@griftastic.com, or on Twitter at @abditum. ~Griffin Boyce
Here are the sites so far, with more added daily.
What is Soapy, exactly?
In a technical nutshell:
Soapy works by automatically redirecting users to the website’s server directly. It replaces the DNS system entirely for these blocked websites.
Domain Name Servers match domains like Google.com to their server’s IP address (in this case http://74.125.224.72/ ). This process is usually invisible to the user, but you can access Google’s site by using their IP address as well.
More basic, less technical:
Computers use Domain Name Servers to make the connection to websites. These large servers act as online address books for websites, telling computers where the site they want to visit is located. Soapy acts as an alternative address book for sites that are at risk of being blocked.
More technical info:
Soapy is a plugin for FireFox written in JavaScript and XML that is designed to bypass DNS blocks by automatically redirecting the user to the site’s IP address (if available). This is based on pre-defined rules for websites which may be at risk of being blocked. So while this means that sites must be included in the plugin package, it also means that they’ve been tested and aren’t simply assumed to work.
A more elegant solution is in the works as well, but Soapy works now.
Version: 0.04; MD5: eacb420b5f209f2b2335dee6adbbe9d5
How to install:
Step one: Download the SOPA Bypass Plugin, and save it to your hard drive.
Step two: Drag and drop the file onto your FireFox window.
Step three: Restart Firefox.
How to remove:
Since SOPA isn’t in effect, you should disable the plugin or uninstall completely. Soapy updates its definitions automatically.
To remove, go to Tools > Addons, click Soapy, then click Uninstall. Firefox will ask you to restart your browser.
GitHub
The code is on GitHub, for programmers, activists, and informed consumers. There’s a bit of a lag time between coding and releasing source on git, just so you know. Every site that this circumvents for has a set of XML rules that are tailored to the quirks of that specific site. Much of thecode has been borrowed from HTTPS-Everywhere and NoScript.
All code is open source under GPL v2.
Another SOPA Bypass Plugin ~ DeSopa, can be found on Mozilla’s Add-ons for Firefox site.
SOPA is a horrible piece of legislation, and soon the world will feel the sting of what SOPA could do to a large number of companies.