5 ms·

This program is a proof of concept that SOPA will not help prevent piracy. The program, implemented as a Firefox extension, simply contacts offshore domain name

This program is a proof of concept that SOPA will not help prevent piracy. The program, implemented as a Firefox extension, simply contacts offshore domain name resolution services to obtain the IP address for any desired website Part of SOPA is a provision that any tools for circumventing the DNS hijacking are themselves banned. So this extension would have to be removed from the Mozilla repository. At best, it would be distributed underground, and hence would not help to preserve the freedom of the average user.

delimitted 15y ago
Yes, I agree. However at this point I am just hoping that it catches the attention of congressmen giving them another reason to rethink SOPA's feasibility before the vote
- thebigshane 15y ago
  I like your idea but I sincerely believe that congress(wo)men will only think of this as another attempt by infringers to continue to infringe and steal. If anything, it may want them to wish they could prevent tools and techniques like this from from being available for "just anyone" to download. </cynicism>
  - delimitted 15y ago
    Thanks, I agree. That occurred to me too. However, I hoped that it would still force them to rethink their implementation strategy forcing them to allocate more resources to further the effort and buying more time for public awareness.
pavel_lishin 15y ago
I choose to be an optimist, and foresee a future where every user is dragged far enough up the evolutionary ladder to be able to subvert things like this.
lloeki 15y ago
> So this extension would have to be removed from the Mozilla repository. IM unfamiliar with the bill, but given SOPA's wording, could it be that the whole of addons.mozilla.org, or even mozilla.org end up banned? > At best, it would be distributed underground If it were to happen, I envision a world where Aunt Jackie will ask little nephew Steve to enable her the full internets because she can't watch some photos on Flickr anymore, just like she could not install the Flash ten years ago. Steve will simply be asked to provide a piece of software to bootstrap, which if banned from the internets, will be distributed on underground network channels then diffused on a local scale through sneakernet. It looks awfully like the BBS and early Internet in the '90s, with those warez sources like IRC DDC bots, and a select few having access to such sources and able to distribute pirated games on high-price CD-Rs.
- delimitted 15y ago
  I think if SOPA passes, Mozilla will remove extensions such as this. I hope this extension is a deterrent to SOPA passing at all.
  - finnw 15y ago
    Most likely they will also be pressured into releasing a FireFox update that breaks previous versions as well (just so we cannot keep using older versions of the addon without also being stuck with an old/insecure version of the browser.)
  - delimitted 15y ago
    finnw, the code is actually pretty trivial and does not make use of very special functionality. Further, if SOPA does pass, many even more innovative programs will come out of the woodwork, at the OS layer. I think forcing a patch like that would be a hard sell.
    - vidarh 15y ago
      You don't need a OS patch. I run dnsmasq on my machines, for example, and its primary purpose is to alter DNS resolution - my nameserver is set to localhost, and my dnsmasq configuration sets which DNS servers to use for what top level domains etc., and routes *.local to a flat file on my home server, for example. Dnsmasq itself isn't suited to avoid SOPA, but it's a good proof of concept for a small dns server that mediates the lookups based on rules, but defer to "regular DNS" for everything else. There are tons of simple DNS servers out there that can easily be modified to do detect likely SOPA blocked domains and use whatever mechanisms to resolve it through non-US servers (even if your upstream ISP gets forced to filter DNS). Worst case? Distribute zone files of blocked domains as torrents automatically, or hide lookups in otherwise innocuous looking traffic. If they IP block the sites, the same mechanism can be used to serve up lists of addresses of proxies instead of the real sites. The system just needs to be faster than the SOPA proponents manage to send their extortion letters to ISPs. The beauty is that if/when mechanisms like this start becoming commonplace, the cat is out of the bag - they'll never regain control.
tomjen3 15y ago
The average user has friends who can supply him/her with this extension. As soon as these ordinary people her about these they will as "the guy they know who is really good with computers" about that program. Won't take very much to do it. Heck I can even write one (since all you need to do is replace the DNS server).

delimitted 15y ago

Yes, I agree. However at this point I am just hoping that it catches the attention of congressmen giving them another reason to rethink SOPA's feasibility before the vote

thebigshane 15y ago
I like your idea but I sincerely believe that congress(wo)men will only think of this as another attempt by infringers to continue to infringe and steal. If anything, it may want them to wish they could prevent tools and techniques like this from from being available for "just anyone" to download. </cynicism>
- delimitted 15y ago
  Thanks, I agree. That occurred to me too. However, I hoped that it would still force them to rethink their implementation strategy forcing them to allocate more resources to further the effort and buying more time for public awareness.

pavel_lishin 15y ago

I choose to be an optimist, and foresee a future where every user is dragged far enough up the evolutionary ladder to be able to subvert things like this.

lloeki 15y ago

> So this extension would have to be removed from the Mozilla repository. IM unfamiliar with the bill, but given SOPA's wording, could it be that the whole of addons.mozilla.org, or even mozilla.org end up banned? > At best, it would be distributed underground If it were to happen, I envision a world where Aunt Jackie will ask little nephew Steve to enable her the full internets because she can't watch some photos on Flickr anymore, just like she could not install the Flash ten years ago. Steve will simply be asked to provide a piece of software to bootstrap, which if banned from the internets, will be distributed on underground network channels then diffused on a local scale through sneakernet. It looks awfully like the BBS and early Internet in the '90s, with those warez sources like IRC DDC bots, and a select few having access to such sources and able to distribute pirated games on high-price CD-Rs.

delimitted 15y ago
I think if SOPA passes, Mozilla will remove extensions such as this. I hope this extension is a deterrent to SOPA passing at all.
- finnw 15y ago
  Most likely they will also be pressured into releasing a FireFox update that breaks previous versions as well (just so we cannot keep using older versions of the addon without also being stuck with an old/insecure version of the browser.)
- delimitted 15y ago
  finnw, the code is actually pretty trivial and does not make use of very special functionality. Further, if SOPA does pass, many even more innovative programs will come out of the woodwork, at the OS layer. I think forcing a patch like that would be a hard sell.
  - vidarh 15y ago
    You don't need a OS patch. I run dnsmasq on my machines, for example, and its primary purpose is to alter DNS resolution - my nameserver is set to localhost, and my dnsmasq configuration sets which DNS servers to use for what top level domains etc., and routes *.local to a flat file on my home server, for example. Dnsmasq itself isn't suited to avoid SOPA, but it's a good proof of concept for a small dns server that mediates the lookups based on rules, but defer to "regular DNS" for everything else. There are tons of simple DNS servers out there that can easily be modified to do detect likely SOPA blocked domains and use whatever mechanisms to resolve it through non-US servers (even if your upstream ISP gets forced to filter DNS). Worst case? Distribute zone files of blocked domains as torrents automatically, or hide lookups in otherwise innocuous looking traffic. If they IP block the sites, the same mechanism can be used to serve up lists of addresses of proxies instead of the real sites. The system just needs to be faster than the SOPA proponents manage to send their extortion letters to ISPs. The beauty is that if/when mechanisms like this start becoming commonplace, the cat is out of the bag - they'll never regain control.

tomjen3 15y ago

The average user has friends who can supply him/her with this extension. As soon as these ordinary people her about these they will as "the guy they know who is really good with computers" about that program. Won't take very much to do it. Heck I can even write one (since all you need to do is replace the DNS server).