How to get around China's policy of Internet censorship using Tor?

Question

I have a trip planned to go to China in a few months, but many websites are blocked over there because of the country's policy of Internet censorship. Honestly, all I want to get to is Facebook and Gmail.

As I was searching around for solutions, one of the websites suggested to use Tor, so I decided to check it out. I was hoping someone could just list out the steps I need to take so that I can access my usual websites while in China.

BTW, I also saw some posts about how I should simply not bring my laptop to China at all due to all the hassle when they have to scan my laptop at customs. If I shouldn't, is there a way to access these sites from my iPhone 5s on iOS7?

And if this helps in anyway, I have a Windows OS in the laptop.

Answer 1

At customs, they don't scan the contents of your hard drive(s). They just scan the laptop with x-rays to be sure you're not hiding something else inside it. That is unless of course you were on their criminal list or you were arrested and they decided to deep-search all your belongings.

Anyway, answering the first part of your question, Tor Browser is one of your best options. You can download it at https://torproject.org and install it with easy steps. It is essentially a customized Firefox browser, that protects your privacy better, and which uses the Tor network to browse the web. Don't forget to read the really important advice bits written in the download page to ensure you're taking the right steps to protect your privacy.