• Mar 19, 2020
  • Caleb Chen
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments,

Jordan uses internet throttling instead of internet shutdowns and blocks to censor websites

Internet blocking by governments is evolving at a fast pace, and new research shows that one government in particular, Jordan, has decided to start internet throttling instead of blocking to decrease the discoverability of the government’s anti-freedom of expression actions. Access Now recently published their 2019 #KeepItOn report (definitely a suggested read) which details internet … Continue reading “Jordan uses internet throttling instead of internet shutdowns and blocks to censor websites”

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  • Feb 19, 2019
  • Caleb Chen
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments,

South Korea expands internet censorship to HTTPS with first countrywide use of SNI filtering

Previously, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) used Domain name System (DNS) filtering to ferret out which domains users were trying to visit, compare them to the blacklist, and redirect them to the warning site if needed. This basic DNS filtering was defeatable by using a different DNS server or visiting the HTTPS versions of … Continue reading “South Korea expands internet censorship to HTTPS with first countrywide use of SNI filtering”

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  • Aug 15, 2018
  • Derek Zimmer
  • Censorship, Cybersecurity, General Privacy News, Governments,

TLS 1.3 is Coming – an Opportunity for Amazon, Google and Microsoft to End Censorship

A new standard for cryptography is on the horizon, called Transport Level Security 1.3 (TLS 1.3). TLS 1.3 is a major update to cryptography, and fundamentally changes how websites and services will handle negotiating and executing encrypted services. Among the big improvements are faster handshakes with websites (meaning faster page load times), new ciphers (new … Continue reading “TLS 1.3 is Coming – an Opportunity for Amazon, Google and Microsoft to End Censorship”

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  • Apr 13, 2018
  • Josiah Wilmoth
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments,

Rhode Island Lawmaker Pulls Porn Censorship Bill, Citing Its ‘Dubious Origins’

A Rhode Island lawmaker has a yanked a controversial porn censorship bill, citing its “dubious origins.” The “Human Trafficking and Prevention Act” (HTPA), versions of which are circulating in more than a dozen statehouses across the US, would require device manufacturers to install permanent internet filters that block pornographic content by default. To remove the … Continue reading “Rhode Island Lawmaker Pulls Porn Censorship Bill, Citing Its ‘Dubious Origins’”

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  • Mar 16, 2018
  • Josiah Wilmoth
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments,

UK Internet Porn Censorship Policy Delayed (For Now) as Government Scrambles to Figure Out How to Implement It

A policy requiring UK residents to undergo age verification before accessing pornographic content online has been delayed until later in the year, as the government has not yet figured out how to put it into practice. The Digital Economy Act’s most controversial provision was scheduled to be put into to practice in April, but the … Continue reading “UK Internet Porn Censorship Policy Delayed (For Now) as Government Scrambles to Figure Out How to Implement It”

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  • Mar 9, 2018
  • Josiah Wilmoth
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments,

State Lawmakers Propose Internet Censorship under Guise of Preventing Human Trafficking

Lawmakers in more than 15 states have proposed legislation that would censor the internet and stifle free speech in an ill-conceived attempt to prevent human trafficking. State Lawmakers Propose Internet Censorship under Guise of Preventing Human Trafficking The “Human Trafficking and Prevention Act” (HTPA), versions of which are currently circulating in state legislature across the … Continue reading “State Lawmakers Propose Internet Censorship under Guise of Preventing Human Trafficking”

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  • Jul 24, 2017
  • Caleb Chen
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments, VPN,

Thousands march in Moscow, Russia to support Internet Freedom, protest VPN ban

Over 2,000 protestors marched in Moscow, Russia over the weekend to protest the recent VPN ban and the tightening grip of internet censorship in Russia. The protest was in response to the anti VPN and proxy bill that passed in the State Duma on July 21st, and was officially allowed by Moscow City Hall. The … Continue reading “Thousands march in Moscow, Russia to support Internet Freedom, protest VPN ban”

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  • Apr 20, 2017
  • Caleb Chen
  • Censorship, General Privacy News, Governments, Social Media,

As Russian internet censorship grows, Twitter reportedly agrees to move some user data to servers in Russia

Twitter has reportedly agreed to comply with Russia’s Big Brother law – which forces tech companies to store data on Russian soil. Russia’s Big Brother laws, passed in July of 2016, force companies like Twitter to store all of the personal user data they have on Russians, in Russia.  While Twitter declined to make any … Continue reading “As Russian internet censorship grows, Twitter reportedly agrees to move some user data to servers in Russia”

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France blocked or removed over 2,700 websites in 2016

Authorities in France ordered the blockage or removal of over 2,700 websites in 2016, according to Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux. The orders were designed to minimize extremist content online. At a recent cybersecurity conference in the northern French city of Lille, Le Roux remarked that the French government requested that 834 websites be blocked, … Continue reading “France blocked or removed over 2,700 websites in 2016”

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  • Dec 6, 2016
  • Caleb Chen
  • Censorship, General Privacy News,

Ahead of 2022 World Cup, Qatar doubles down on internet censorship and blocks independent news website

Last week, an independent news website in Qatar, Doha News, discovered that they had been blocked in Qatar. While there has been no official news on why this block has happened, Doha News stated that they suspect that the block happened at the behest of the government. The news site has a reputation for toeing … Continue reading “Ahead of 2022 World Cup, Qatar doubles down on internet censorship and blocks independent news website”

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