Cannot Download Bridges

[Scott Bennett]

     On Fri, 2 Apr 2010 03:09:18 +0000 john smith <d1nqf0s4vg9wk5ilq at gmail.com>
top-posted:
>> What happens when you try to visit https://bridges.torproject.org/
>with your (non-torified) browser?
>
>I can confirm that it's possible to access this site at the present time.
>
>Thanks for the feedback on this question & thanks also for providing
>some alternative methods for obtaining bridges.
>
     Would it be feasible for tor, when configured to use bridges, to be
somewhat proactive thenceforth?  If bridges have been chosen for use, the
tor might continue to fetch new bridge information every so often via a
hidden service that wouldn't, in and of itself, be blockable.
     tor could be somewhat smart about this, too.  For example, if it
notices that a bridge has become unreachable, it could request three new
ones.  Given the possibility that the unreachable bridge might simply be
down for the moment, tor could keep it at the end of its list of bridges
to try until it had been unreachable for some time period before removing
it from its list.  Such a procedure would mean that, in many situations,
the user would only need to get an initial set of bridges, after which
tor would maintain a list of, say, six to twelve bridges that were current
for use.
     At present, bridge users have to remain vigilant and anticipate the
blockage or discontinuance of bridges that they have provided to tor, which
means that they could become permanently disconnected and unable to get new
bridge information.  It wouldn't be airtight, to be sure, but it would
greatly shrink the window of opportunity for censors to cut bridge users
off from the tor network.


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
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* Internet:       bennett at cs.niu.edu                              *
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