FAQ
Frequently
Asked Questions
_____________________________________
Q:
What is alkasir?
A:
It is a software program that allows its users to bypass censorship
of specific URLs and tracks censorship imposed by your ISP.
Q:
When saying 'specific URLs', what do you mean?
A:
alkasir's aim of circumvention is to allow users to access
information about their countries and regions that are concealed by
the states mainly because of political reasons. An example would be
news websites that cover protests, expose corruption, promote open
online discussions and debates on political, social and cultural
issues, etc. Therefore, alkasir's team devised a clear policy,
which defines the content allowed to be accessed through alkasir.
Q:
But by limiting it to certain websites, aren't you also doing
censorship?
A:
There are a number of reasons why we don't allow access to all
blocked websites. The first and foremost is bandwidth consumption. We
cannot afford to have servers that allow access to massive
bandwidth-hungry websites that include videos and excessive images,
games, etc. The second reason is that the program focuses on
promoting access to information to websites that are more
informational by nature and that includes websites for news,
opinions, reports, information, etc. that people are eager to know
about and often relate to. Those website usually cover issues about
reform, development, democracy and human rights. alkasir is not
censoring, but it is simply gate keeping to ensure that its servers
are used according to its policy.
There are certainly other circumvention tools that allow access to
almost all websites. If you ask
us for
information on that, we'll be happy to help.
Q:
Why are you doing this?
A:
Two reasons: The first is because we wish to contribute in promoting
access to information and freedom of expression around the world and
by enabling users to bypass censorship, we believe we are achieving
that goal. The second reason is because we are carrying out a
worldwide study of censorship trends using data gathered from
computers around the world indicating if a website is blocked or
unblocked and hence be able to assess censorship trends and do
various types of academic and professional studies.
Q:
Is the program free?
A:
Given that the program was created for purposes of promoting the
basic human right of the freedom to know, we felt that it should
remain free for all to use. The fact that it only circumvents some
blocked websites makes it easier and less costly to maintain compared
to other servers that allow access to the whole world wide web.
Hopefully the program will remain free as we are in the process of
exploring various ideas to generate funds for it to continue.
Q:
How does your circumvention technology work?
A:
It is not possible to explain the details here but in brief, the
software depends on a number of service providers (servers) who offer
their resources so the program could securely channel website content
through them so you could access their content. Your ISP will not
know which blocked website you accessed because all the data received
to and from the service providers are encrypted. If you want
technical details on how it works, go ahead and contact
us.
Q:
Do I have to report a blocked website to be able to access it?
A:
No, although reporting websites will make alkasir more effective for
you and other alkasir users hooked to the Internet through your ISP.
Each blocked website is reported once for it to be considered by the
service. The first person to report the website would practically
have acted on behalf all the other users of that specific ISP that is
blocking it. Hence, upon approval of a website, the person who
reported it plus every other user depending on that ISP would be able
to bypass censorship and access the website seamlessly.
Q:
Is there a time lag between the moment I report a website and the
time I can access it?
A:
It depends. If the website you reported had already been approved
before by moderators, it will automatically be approved and added to
the database. In about a minute, alkasir will restart and you can
then restart your browser to be able to visit that website as well.
There are already dozens of approved websites such as facebook.com,
youtube.com, etc. that if found to be blocked, will be automatically
available through alkasir without the need for approval by
moderators. Similarly, if a formerly rejected website is reported, it
will be automatically rejected if reported again.
Q:
What does alkasir offer and that other similar programs don't?
A:
Click
here for the answer.
Q: Am I
risking anything by using this program?
A:
Remember that alkasir is not responsible if you are breaking the laws
of your country by accessing blocked websites. Like the case with any
other web-based proxy or circumvention software, we serve as a tunnel
to blocked websites and do not bear any responsibility for that
content nor can we be responsible for your actions. Furthermore, you
should have read the terms
of use you
agreed on when you installed alkasir. Everything you need to know is
right there.
Q:
Are you using or exposing my IP and other computer information?
A:
We don't store your IP on our server and are committed to keeping any
information obtained through the use of alkasir strictly confidential
will never be shared by outsiders unless obliged by the court of law.
Q:
I am facing trouble using your program. What should I do?
A:
You can try the diagnostics
service and
read the troubleshooting
guide.
If errors or problems persist, you can send us debugging information
as instructed here.
Q:
Your website is now blocked and your software failed too? What should
I do?
A:
You can send us an email to admin@alkasir.com
with
debugging information to help solve the problem and if needed, we can
provide you access to a private
proxy.