The proxy servers can access a blocked website like a geo-restricted site with the IP address of the desired location. Scrapers usually prefer staying anonymous in their browsing history. In this case, these proxies help the scrapers to scrape values from all the websites through an anonymous web without any restrictions. With these features, proxies will easily access the blocked web pages.
Proxies for schools have multiple applications around the school’s premises. They help the students to bypass the blocked websites and also help the management to protect their data from cyber-attacks.
Educational institutions will manage the students, teachers, and the institutions’ records on the internet. It becomes their responsibility to protect those data from hackers. Schools use proxy servers which act as a gateway that monitors every incoming mail for security threats like spam and fraudulent links. The proxy servers use encryption techniques like digital signatures to check the authenticity of the message.
There are many premium proxy sites and free web proxy sites out there in the market that bypass blocked websites. The school students use proxy sites to unblock websites, youtube, and other social networking sites. The proxy sites will use their IP address and hide the IP address of the actual client’s system so that the school organization and the Internet Service Providers can not track the original identity of the system. So that the students can access the unblocked proxy sites.
Schools block all the fun and entertainment websites and only permit access to useful websites like the school portal, their ERP, and a few educational-centric websites. Here are some of the reasons why educational institutions do so. Students will get exposed to unnecessary things that could reduce their interest in studies. Though students login into their social media accounts or start watching an educational video, they may eventually lead to unnecessary content like movies or games. Apart from social media, some web pages promote abusive and violent content which may guide them on the wrong path.
Bypassing the blocked sites is the process of accessing them apart from the restrictions. A firewall is the cyber security component that helps the users in blocking unwanted content from the students. The firewall is placed in between the student’s computer and the server so that every web requests pass through the firewall. Concerning the functioning model of the firewall, you can use different methods in unblocking the blocked websites.
Proxy sites/Proxy servers are the key component that could easily unblock websites. The schools will include a firewall in the communication network so that it filters the requests and blocks some websites. To bypass these restrictions, the students have to include one more component called a proxy server in the communication network. These proxy servers hide the request from the computer system so that the firewall does not know the actual client as proxy sites use their proxy address. Proxy providers may also furnish a free web proxy site for schools. Proxy is not just a physical device. There are a few proxy sites in the market with which people can make use of proxies in form of websites.
Every technological development comes with benefits and threats simultaneously. In the same way, the proxies for schools also have their advantages and disadvantages.
Pros | Cons |
Bypasses The Restrictions on Useful sites:Not all restricted sites are bad. Some of them help the students to gather information as well. Proxies for School can bypass the restrictions and allow the user to access blocked content. | Against the rules: Students can get used to the bad practices of violating the rules and regulations of the educational institution. |
Prevents cyber attacks:There are dedicated cyber security proxies that protect user data from cyber attacks. These proxy sites act as a gateway through which all requests pass before reaching the destination server. These proxies for school monitor communication messages, emails, or links and checks if there is any malicious content. | Distracts students:Proxy sites for schools can distract students from their studies and make them form the wrong habits. |
Scraping for Research Purposes: Proxies for School can help students scrape huge amounts of data if they are required to for a project. They may also conduct a survey and collect user responses through social media, which is only possible with proxy sites that can unblock the blocked websites. | Schools may remove students:A s students are not allowed to access particular sites, the school could find and expel students who use a web proxy. |
Violating any rule is illegal. But, there are also cases like ethical hacking where bypassing the blocked websites for good purposes. Testing the security system and scraping data for research purposes are considered a few of the reasons to justify proxy website usage.
The social networking sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, and youtube can distract students from their studies. Students will eventually get used to chatting, watching movies, and playing games instead of focusing on academics. This is why schools block social sites.
People will use domain names to access the sites. But the internet server will not know the names of the websites. Here, the Domain Name Service acts as an internet phonebook and converts the domain name into an IP address, and allows the user to access the sites.
The secure socket layer proxy is also known as an SSL proxy that is responsible for the encryption process to improve the security of the communication.