diff --git a/src/conf.py b/src/conf.py
index 5cb51b2ba..307b7e6a6 100644
--- a/src/conf.py
+++ b/src/conf.py
@@ -254,6 +254,18 @@ class Servers(registry.SpaceSeparatedListOfStrings):
         L = registry.SpaceSeparatedListOfStrings.__call__(self)
         L.append(s)
 
+class SocksProxy(registry.String):
+    """Value must be a valid hostname:port string."""
+    def setValue(self, v):
+        # TODO: improve checks
+        if ':' not in v:
+            self.error()
+        try:
+            int(v.rsplit(':'))
+        except ValueError:
+            self.error()
+        super(SocksProxy, self).setValue(v)
+
 class SpaceSeparatedSetOfChannels(registry.SpaceSeparatedListOf):
     sorted = True
     List = ircutils.IrcSet
@@ -301,6 +313,9 @@ def registerNetwork(name, password='', ssl=False, sasl_username='',
     registerGlobalValue(sasl, 'password', registry.String(sasl_password,
         _("""Determines what SASL password will be used on %s.""") \
         % name, private=True))
+    registerGlobalValue(network, 'socksproxy', registry.String('',
+        _("""If not empty, determines the hostname of the socks proxy that
+        will be used to connect to this network.""")))
     return network
 
 # Let's fill our networks.
diff --git a/src/drivers/Socket.py b/src/drivers/Socket.py
index 0c2e28b74..96c1513d1 100644
--- a/src/drivers/Socket.py
+++ b/src/drivers/Socket.py
@@ -183,7 +183,16 @@ class SocketDriver(drivers.IrcDriver, drivers.ServersMixin):
         server = self._getNextServer()
         drivers.log.connect(self.currentServer)
         try:
-            self.conn = utils.net.getSocket(server[0])
+            socks_proxy = getattr(conf.supybot.networks, self.irc.network) \
+                    .socksproxy()
+            try:
+                if socks_proxy:
+                    import socks
+            except ImportError:
+                log.error('Cannot use socks proxy (SocksiPy not installed), '
+                        'using direct connection instead.')
+                socks_proxy = ''
+            self.conn = utils.net.getSocket(server[0], socks_proxy)
             vhost = conf.supybot.protocols.irc.vhost()
             self.conn.bind((vhost, 0))
         except socket.error, e:
diff --git a/src/utils/net.py b/src/utils/net.py
index 289a2fe28..3b09c7e8a 100644
--- a/src/utils/net.py
+++ b/src/utils/net.py
@@ -80,12 +80,18 @@ class EmailRe:
         return count >= 1
 emailRe = EmailRe()
 
-def getSocket(host):
+def getSocket(host, socks_proxy=None):
     """Returns a socket of the correct AF_INET type (v4 or v6) in order to
     communicate with host.
     """
     addrinfo = socket.getaddrinfo(host, None)
     host = addrinfo[0][4][0]
+    if socks_proxy:
+        import socks
+        s = socks.socksocket()
+        hostname, port = socks_proxy.rsplit(':', 1)
+        s.setproxy(socks.PROXY_TYPE_SOCKS5, hostname, int(port))
+        return s
     if isIPV4(host):
         return socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
     elif isIPV6(host):