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I was googling some problems and noticed some results (on the first page) pointing to

http://security.stackexchange.com.3567586363.proxy.jyj.lf.gov.cn/questions/112355/how-to-further-ensure-ssh-security/112361

All results seem to go through the same 'proxy id' (3567586363.proxy.jyj.lf.gov.cn).

The pages don't load when I try to access them (I am outside mainland China).

  • How can Google spiders index these pages?
  • Why does 3567586363.proxy.jyj.lf.gov.cn let the proxied pages get indexed by Google?
  • Is this against Stack Exchange's terms and conditions or can I proxy it myself and publish it?
  • I am guessing that people in China can access Stack Exchange this way. How can users find it? Do they have to know the proxy URL? Or does the Great Firewall make that proxy transparent to the users, so they can access the website normally via stackexchange.com?
  • My second assumption is that Stack Exchange is deemed vital for Chinese industry, so the government want its citizen to able to access it. Are there other pages where this applies?

Example

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    I doubt it is designed for public use by Chinese citizens. Our rate limits usually end up auto-blocking publicly accessible proxies due to excessive use, because we do not approve of proxies and do not grant them special limits. Whatever it is, the amount of traffic going through it is low enough not to have gotten blocked. How it ended up on Google is another interesting question.
    – animuson StaffMod
    Commented Jan 18, 2022 at 2:56
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    I wouldn't use this for serious browsing. Don't give them your credentials! In fact, I wonder if it would even be wise to visit pages the Chinese government wouldn't like, or if those pages are just not available this way.
    – Laurel
    Commented Jan 18, 2022 at 13:46

1 Answer 1

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I am completely unsurprised to see this happens. There are so many badly-built techninal stuff in Chinese governments, and open proxies certainly aren't unheard of.

  1. Google spiders can (sometimes) reach mainland China, and anything they see has a chance to be indexed.

  2. These kinds of "proxies" have little-to-no protection (firewalling etc.) to the Internet, so no doubt Google's bots reach it.

  3. It's against Stack Exchange's terms - don't do it.

  4. Chinese users access Stack Exchange directly, though often not the full experience.

  5. There are more "vital" things for Chinese industries like GitHub that was blocked in the past (and to some extents, still now), which received considerable criticism and backlash. I doubt Stack Exchange carries any more importance than GitHub.

To reiterate that "open proxies certainly aren't something new":

Google for this: proxy site:gov.cn.

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