Step 2: Browsing With a VPN

Using the same piece of paper again, place it inside one of the small envelopes (representing a VPN) and write the number of a participant who is in the middle of the ‘chain’. Hand the envelope to the person closest to you and ask them to “send” the message down to the person with the number you have chosen (the person should be several “steps” away).
•When the envelope arrives at the person with the number you have chosen, ask that person to open the envelope. When they see the name of the Recipient, they should then pass the message along.
•Have the Recipient open the envelope and read what’s in it; trainer(s) should provide extra explanations as needed.
•At this point, explain that this is how a VPN can help us to reach websites that otherwise may be blocked. When we use a VPN, our PC visits the location of the unblocked VPN instead of the website.
•Our ‘real’ request is protected until it reaches the VPN, and the VPN can pass our request along.
Explain that a VPN is like a “tunnel” with an exit point, and that exit point is usually a server at a point where the pages are being requested.
•The VPN you’re using knows what you’re requesting, as well as the sites delivering your requests Online.
•Send down papers with a variety of types of data and protocols down the line in the VPN envelope, in order to illustrate the difference between a VPN and having an HTTP connection to a website in a browser (for example, an HTTP request; a PGP/GPG-encrypted email; an IM message).
•Try to use protocols and data types that your participants are likely to already be familiar with at this point in the training.