Re: Cannot Download Bridges

[Roger Dingledine <arma@xxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Apr 01, 2010 at 01:50:06PM +0000, john smith wrote:
> I've been unable to download bridges in the 1.3.3 version of the
> tor-browser bundle for windows, when attempting to download bridges
> via Settings>Network>Find Bridges Now.
> 
> Each time I attempt to download bridges I receive the following:
> 
> "Unable to download bridges: HTTP request failed".

What happens when you try to visit https://bridges.torproject.org/
with your (non-torified) browser?

> Is it possible this connection is being blocked from within the
> country where I'm attempting to retrieve the bridges (Thailand) or
> perhaps from somewhere else?

It's possible. It's just a website, and the people running your country's
firewall are already good at blocking websites when they choose to.

Also, you should notice that the bridges given out via https tend to
get blocked earlier than the bridges given out via gmail. So if they do
block that website, it may be that the next step is to block the bridges
it gives out.

> Of course I've been able to obtain & successfully use bridges using
> the other [documented] means of acquiring bridges but I'm left
> wondering why this connection problem is happening and if anyone else
> was having similar problems either in Thailand or elsewhere?

A fine question. Last I heard, that website is only blocked in China.

--Roger

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