Why can JSTOR simply deny open proxies?
Once we know that a computer is running an open proxy, we can deny access to the archive from its IP address. However, it is not easy to determine which computers are running open proxy servers. While we can check an individual computer in a few minutes, there are currently hundreds of thousands of IP addresses that have access to the archive. Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to proactively check each one to see which are running open proxies and which are not. In addition, even if we had the ability to test all authorized IP addresses, this action could be construed as a breach of security on many campuses. It could trigger alarms on those computer networks which have intrusion detection systems in place to prevent wholesale scanning of IP numbers, which is a common tactic used by hackers to find open proxies. If you have any questions about this, please contact support@jstor.org.
