Due to security and legal concerns, users are faced with numerous restrictions when browsing the web in corporate workplace environments. Most companies now restrict users from visiting sites hosting questionable content. Access to blogs, web-based email and social networking sites such as Facebook is often blocked as well. There is sound reasoning behind this approach due to concerns about information and network security but sometimes these restrictions are a cause of decreased productivity or they are simply a nuisance for advanced and knowledgeable users who are aware of safe practices and don’t download malicious content or surf the web in an insecure manner. Finally, there are times when you are simply bored and want to waste time on Facebook and read blogs.

So what can you do if you don’t have access to a lab network that’s not protected by corporate firewalls and want to access the sites blocked by your employer.  Here are some suggestions:

1. Use a proxy. Go to proxy.org to get a list of proxies and use them to surf the web. A web based proxy site that worked for me is ‘hidemyass.com’. Note that many corporate networks are now blocking access to popular proxy sites so don’t be surprised if you can’t access these sites. There must be a few proxy sites that aren’t yet blocked so keep looking and trying until one works. I would only use these to casually surf websites and would never think of logging into banks or other sites that require authentication.

2. Use Google translate using the English to English translation feature. Try entering a URI like ‘google.com/translate?langpair=en|en&u=www.example.com’ where ‘example’ is the address of the site you would like to visit.

3. Use a web-based virtual computer to browse the web. I came across Go.ho.st today. It’s a really cool and free web-based virtual computer with its own operating system and applications. It has been implemented with Flash. It also comes with a web browser of its own. You can access your web-based desktop using most browsers and you get 5GB of storage for files and 3GB of storage for email. Best of all you can access it over HTTPS so your communications will be encrypted. Check out https://g.ho.st/ and use it until your corporate administrators block access to that site as well. This could also be used to browse semi-anonymously. This is also the safest method of visiting sites that require authentication as proxies can’t always be trusted.

Note that none of these approaches will prevent your activities from being logged though SSL based communications will at least hide the content of your data communications. Only use these methods if you trust the sites that you are visiting and avoid downloading or installing unknown and possible malicious applications. You shouldn’t enable JavaScript for unknown sites. Also be aware that if you break corporate network policies and end up getting infected with something as a result, you will probably get in a lot of trouble including getting fired.