Google has just unveiled an Android application to bypass the DNS manipulations implemented in certain dictatorships.
Jigsaw, a project incubator integrated into Alphabet, a subsidiary of Google, has just launched Intra, an Android application to bypass DNS manipulation, one of the censorship techniques among the most used by governments to censor the Internet.
DNS servers act as an intermediary between your web browser and the website you want to reach by redirecting the URL you enter to the IP of the server you want to reach. By performing DNS manipulation, governments are able to prevent Internet users from communicating, accessing social networks, viewing news sites, etc. and redirect them to more regime-friendly sites, or worse, malicious sites set up to steal personal information such as login credentials and passwords.
To work, Intra natively offers to connect securely to the DNS of Google and Cloudflare, but also offers the possibility of setting up your own DNS server.
1. Download Intra
From your Android smartphone, download and install the Intra application.
- Download Intra for Android (Free)
2. Activate the Intra connection
Launch the application on your smartphone and go through the three presentation screens.
When Intra asks to connect, authorize the application by pressing OK. Intra sets up a VPN connection on your device in order to encrypt your connection. Once on the app’s home screen, activate the switch to protect your connection.
From there, you can close the app, surf the web and use the apps on your smartphone as you normally would. Intra runs silently in the background until you turn it off.
3. Access protection details
Swipe up on the home panel to view protection details. Intra indicates the number of requests that have been protected since the application was started, indicates that your connection is encrypted, and displays the DNS server currently in use.
By checking Show recent requests, Intra is able to list all the requests that have been made while you are viewing a website or an application.
Momentarily close Intra and open your favorite website from the browser or launch an application. Then return to Intra to view the various requests that have been made.
4. Configure another DNS server
Open the hamburger menu at the top left and enter Settings. Access the first menu titled Select a DNS server and choose one of the two preconfigured DNS servers, or configure the URL of your own DNS server.
If you are worried about slowdowns in your connection, you can always measure the speed of the DNS you are using.
5. Exclude an application from Intra
While using Intra on your smartphone, some applications may no longer respond correctly. Intra allows you to exclude them from protection from the Settings, in the menu dedicated to Excluded Applications.
