Use of Proxy or VPN Servers

[Brent W]

Hello,

Starting immediately, members using proxy servers to access Christian Forums will no longer be allowed unless specifically granted permission to do so.The potential for abuse puts a large strain on our volunteer staff here.

Proxy servers are beneficial in certain situations and permission to use a proxy server to access Christian Forums may be granted on a case by case basis.

Those situations are but may not be limited to:

• Accessing Christian Forums from a country that censors the internet
• Accessing Christian Forums from a work place environment where a VPN or Proxy server is required.

We take security of your account here seriously which is why we use some of the strongest encryption now to encrypt the data from your computer to our servers computer. So when you login from a public wi-fi place such as a coffee shop, you can be sure that your login credentials are safe and sound due to our site using HTTPS.

We also offer 2-Step Verification as an option via either a mobile app or email. You can enable this on your account here: https://www.christianforums.com/account/two-step

New members registering from proxy or vpn services will immediately be given a ban to Support and unless proof of a valid reason for use of those services is provided, will be banned from using our community.

For the vast majority of you (99%) this new rule will not affect you.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Lulav]

This sounds great Brent!

I do have a question, does this include those who are already members or only those that sign up from here on out?

 

[High Fidelity]

staff edit

This can never truly be stopped. This change does, however, allow us to ban members to the MSC if they're using proxies to determine why they are and to ask they stop before being allowed back on the forums.

 

[Brent W]

Today I rolled out new code that will automatically check based on the IP address if the user is using a Proxy or VPN. If so they will be put into the moderation queue.

 

[Hammster]

 

[teresa]

Today I rolled out new code that will automatically check based on the IP address if the user is using a Proxy or VPN. If so they will be put into the moderation queue.

WOW! I would hire you if I owned a large company and needed an IT person. This is outstanding Brent!

 

[Brent W]

This is a reminder. We will start terminating accounts that use VPNs to post unless an exception is made on a per account basis. If you believe you need to use a VPN to connect to our forum, please contact us.

 

[Abraxos]

I tend to use VPN often when online for secure peace-of-mind, so if I forget to turn it off when on CF, it would be much appreciated I get a message that I have it on and will get banned. Not for my political views of course... but for forgetting to turn off VPN.

Ta!

 

[“Paisios”]

Hello,

Starting immediately, members using proxy servers to access Christian Forums will no longer be allowed unless specifically granted permission to do so.The potential for abuse puts a large strain on our volunteer staff here.

Proxy servers are beneficial in certain situations and permission to use a proxy server to access Christian Forums may be granted on a case by case basis.

Those situations are but may not be limited to:

• Accessing Christian Forums from a country that censors the internet
• Accessing Christian Forums from a work place environment where a VPN or Proxy server is required.

We take security of your account here seriously which is why we use some of the strongest encryption now to encrypt the data from your computer to our servers computer. So when you login from a public wifi place such as a coffee shop, you can be sure that your login credentials are safe and sound due to our site using HTTPS.

We also offer 2-Step Verification as an option via either a mobile app or email. You can enable this on your account here: https://www.christianforums.com/account/two-step

New members registering from proxy or vpn services will immediately be given a ban to MSC and unless proof of a valid reason for use of those services is provided, will be banned from using our community.

For the vast majority of you (99%) this new rule will not affect you.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Please pardon my technical ignorance. How does one know if they are using a proxy server? Is this some kind of setting one can change, or related to the type of internet router one uses? And what is VPN and how do I know if I am using it?

 

[pgp_protector]

I tend to use VPN often when online for secure peace-of-mind, so if I forget to turn it off when on CF, it would be much appreciated I get a message that I have it on and will get banned. Not for my political views of course... but for forgetting to turn off VPN.

Ta!

Yep, I'll have to remember to never use my Ubuntu box, as that is always running on a proxy

 

[SgtBen]

I believe when one is truly the person they are, they have no reason to hide anything.

I can say, as I have had to track down one man who was in a chat room hitting on a young girl for - I am sorry - to have illegal physical relations. He used a proxy IP, and we had to call in the SBI to help us track him. Our small department did not have the ability to find him.

He was found, and subsequently arrested.

I must say, in a forum such as this, there is certainly no need to hide anything, for we are open and honest.

Chat rooms, on the other hand, are different. Predators abound in those.

Stay safe.

Ben

 

[Brent W]

I tend to use VPN often when online for secure peace-of-mind, so if I forget to turn it off when on CF, it would be much appreciated I get a message that I have it on and will get banned. Not for my political views of course... but for forgetting to turn off VPN.

Ta!

That is what you got and since this was a knock at me, your entire IP posting history is nothing but being on a VPN on this site

Lets not pretend that I did not take this to you privately and now you try to bring it into the public area with this comment. We wouldn't want people to think that you were attacked because of your political opinion, which you seem to be implying.

So let it be known, that I contacted you privately and let you know to turn your VPN off and then you made this comment here.

 

[mmksparbud]

Starting immediately, members using proxy servers to access Christian Forums will no longer be allowed unless specifically granted permission to do so.The potential for abuse puts a large strain on our volunteer staff here.

Proxy servers are beneficial in certain situations and permission to use a proxy server to access Christian Forums may be granted on a case by case basis.

Those situations are but may not be limited to:

• Accessing Christian Forums from a country that censors the internet
• Accessing Christian Forums from a work place environment where a VPN or Proxy server is required.

We take security of your account here seriously which is why we use some of the strongest encryption now to encrypt the data from your computer to our servers computer. So when you login from a public wifi place such as a coffee shop, you can be sure that your login credentials are safe and sound due to our site using HTTPS.

We also offer 2-Step Verification as an option via either a mobile app or email. You can enable this on your account here: https://www.christianforums.com/account/two-step

New members registering from proxy or vpn services will immediately be given a ban to MSC and unless proof of a valid reason for use of those services is provided, will be banned from using our community.

For the vast majority of you (99%) this new rule will not affect you.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.[/QUOTE]



This is embarrassing---what exactly is a proxy server? I am rather "challenged" in some of the internet lingo.

 

[Brent W]

This is embarrassing---what exactly is a proxy server? I am rather "challenged" in some of the internet lingo.

No need to worry for the majority here. A proxy or VPN is usually used to conceal your location. So if you were in Texas, you could connect to a VPN and to our website you could pretend to be in Canada, Mexico or anywhere else.

The reason we block them is because spammers and other malicious users use them to bypass bans and other methods we use to keep people from signing back up on our forum to cause problems.