A Psiphon Open node is a special kind of web proxy. They are sometimes also called 'Guest browsing nodes' or 'Right2Know nodes'. It is very easy to use such a Psiphon Open node. You just have to access the Psiphon Open node website, you don't have to download or install software first and you don't have to create an account.
How to find an Open node
Open nodes are distributed via various ways, both offline and online. You might find the address of a Open node as a link on a website or an email. The nodes are also distributed via social networks like Twitter (https://twitter.com/PsiphonIran) or Facebook.
How to use an Open node
Once you clicked on a link or entered the website address manually, you see the "Psiphon Terms of Use and Privacy Policy". Please read the terms carefully, as they contain important information about which of your data is saved as well as security advices.
Then click on the button "Agree".
Now you will see a blue URL bar on top of the website. In the example screenshot above there is already the website "http://chinadigitaltimes.net/" loaded. Please replace that URL with the website address you want to visit (instead of entering it in the URL bar of your web browser). You can also follow every link on that website, since they are automatically loaded through the Open node.
Create an account
You can use the Psiphon Open node without registration. However, when you create a personal account, we can send you an email with a new Psiphon node if the current one gets blocked in your country. To start, click on the "Create account" link in the blue URL bar.
Now you can choose the default language you want to use (can be changed afterwards) and a username. It may be wise to use a new username which is not connected to your real identity through other websites like social networks or email providers. In the next field you can enter your email address so we can send you a new address if this one gets blocked in your country, or you can choose to leave it blank for security purposes. It is always recommended to use an email address which you can use through an encrypted connection. Good an free email providers include for example https://mail.google.com/, https://www.hushmail.com/ and https://mail.riseup.net/. Then you have to enter a password (two times the same). To prevent computer software to automatically register accounts, you have to read the number from the image and enter it in the last field. Now click on "Create account".
You will now see a message confirming the successful creation of your account. From now on please use the website address shown in the message to login to your Psiphon node, not the address you used before! You can print the website or bookmark the link to remember it.
Important security advice
If you see a message like this in your web browser, you have to think twice before clicking next:
- If you access the Psiphon website via a domain (a name like in https://example.com/) such an SSL error might be a sign of eavesdropping from your government or Internet service provider. Please DO NOT accept the warning in this case and contact us at english@sesawe.net mentioning the website address, your country and the version and name of your web browser.
- If you didn't used to get such a warning on your Psiphon node and then suddenly see it, it may also be a sign of eavesdropping. Please follow the instructions above.
- If you access the website via the IP-address (a number like in https://123.45.67.89/), it should be safe since we can not buy a valid SSL certificate for every IP-address. In this case please click on "Continue to this website" or "Add Exception". Your connection will still be encrypted.
More Ressources
Psiphon Right2Know Technology on psiphon.ca: http://psiphon.ca/
