THE BUSINESS of CENSORSHIP: CONTENT MANAGEMENT and the CHINESE ECONOMY By
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The Filtering Matrix
The Filtering Matrix Filtering and Surveillance Practices Worldwide Nart Villeneuve Director of Technical Research The Citizen Lab / OpenNet Initiative University of Toronto Internet Challenges Bloggers and independent media challenge traditional corporate and state-owned media VoIP is seen as a threat by traditional tele-communications companies Offshore gambling and banking sites challenge existing laws and regulations File sharing services have significantly impacted the area of copyright and intellectual property Spam, child pornography, identity theft, computer break-ins and terrorism present significant security concerns Borders in Cyberspace In an effort to counter the once borderless Internet, states are seeking to create informational boundaries in cyberspace. Informational Borders Although decentralized there are significant ªchoke pointsº at which controls can be placed on the Internet Technical & non-technical mechanisms used to censor and control access to the Internet Filtering is the technical mechanism through which such controls are operationalized Internet Filtering Internet content filtering is a term that refers to the techniques by which control is imposed on access to information on the Internet The motivations for state-directed Internet filtering include those with: a specific emphasis on e-commerce: tax, copyright, VoIP a specific emphasis on children: child pornography, violence a specific emphasis on content cultural: pornography and gambling political: dissidents and independent media security: (cyber)terrorism and hacking Filtering Techniques DNS filtering: modification to DNS servers to prevent a domain name from resolving to the correct IP address. IP filtering: entries are made in routing equipment that stop all outgoing requests for a specific IP address URL filtering: filtering technology that (a) reassembles the packets for traffic flowing through its network, (b) reads each http request, and (c) if the URL in the request matches one of the URLs (or keywords) specified in a blocklist, block the http request. -
West Censoring East
West Censoring East The Use of Western Technologies by Middle East Censors 2010-2011 Executive Summary The OpenNet Initiative has documented network filtering of the Internet by national governments in over forty countries worldwide. Countries use this network filtering as one of many methods to control the flow of online content that is objectionable to the filtering governments for social, political, and security reasons. Filtering is particularly appealing to governments as it allows them to control content not published within their national borders. National governments use a variety of technical means to filter the Internet; in this paper, we analyze the use of American- and Canadian- made software for the purpose of government-level filtering in the Middle East and North Africa. In this report, the authors find that nine countries in the region utilize Western-made tools for the purpose of blocking social and political content, effectively blocking a total of over 20 million Internet users from accessing such websites. 1 The authors analyze as well the increasing opacity of the usage of Western-made tools for filtering at the national level. Helmi Noman and Jillian C. York authored this report. ONI principal investigators Ronald Deibert, John Palfrey, Rafal Rohozinski, and Jonathan Zittrain authored the foreword. Noman is a Senior Research Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, and is a Berkman Center Research Affiliate. York is the coordinator for the OpenNet Initiative at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. The authors would like to thank James Tay of Citizen Lab for technical support and test data analysis. -
Everyone's Guide to Bypassing Internet Censorship
EVERYONE’S GUIDE TO BY-PASSING INTERNET CENSORSHIP FOR CITIZENS WORLDWIDE A CIVISEC PROJECT The Citizen Lab The University of Toronto September, 2007 cover illustration by Jane Gowan Glossary page 4 Introduction page 5 Choosing Circumvention page 8 User self-assessment Provider self-assessment Technology page 17 Web-based Circumvention Systems Tunneling Software Anonymous Communications Systems Tricks of the trade page 28 Things to remember page 29 Further reading page 29 Circumvention Technologies Circumvention technologies are any tools, software, or methods used to bypass Inter- net filtering. These can range from complex computer programs to relatively simple manual steps, such as accessing a banned website stored on a search engine’s cache, instead of trying to access it directly. Circumvention Providers Circumvention providers install software on a computer in a non-filtered location and make connections to this computer available to those who access the Internet from a censored location. Circumvention providers can range from large commercial organi- zations offering circumvention services for a fee to individuals providing circumven- tion services for free. Circumvention Users Circumvention users are individuals who use circumvention technologies to bypass Internet content filtering. 4 Internet censorship, or content filtering, has become a major global problem. Whereas once it was assumed that states could not control Internet communications, according to research by the OpenNet Initiative (http://opennet.net) more than 25 countries now engage in Internet censorship practices. Those with the most pervasive filtering policies have been found to routinely block access to human rights organi- zations, news, blogs, and web services that challenge the status quo or are deemed threatening or undesirable. -
Amnesty International Report 2014/15 the State of the World's Human Rights
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS THE STATE REPORT 2014/15 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2014/15 THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS The Amnesty International Report 2014/15 documents the state of human rights in 160 countries and territories during 2014. Some key events from 2013 are also reported. While 2014 saw violent conflict and the failure of many governments to safeguard the rights and safety of civilians, significant progress was also witnessed in the safeguarding and securing of certain human rights. Key anniversaries, including the commemoration of the Bhopal gas leak in 1984 and the Rwanda genocide in 1994, as well as reflections on 30 years since the adoption of the UN Convention against Torture, reminded us that while leaps forward have been made, there is still work to be done to ensure justice for victims and survivors of grave abuses. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL This report also celebrates those who stand up REPORT 2014/15 for human rights across the world, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances. It represents Amnesty International’s key concerns throughout 2014/15 the world, and is essential reading for policy- THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S makers, activists and anyone with an interest in human rights. HUMAN RIGHTS Work with us at amnesty.org AIR_2014/15_cover_final.indd All Pages 23/01/2015 15:04 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. -
Deep Packet Inspection and Internet Censorship: International Convergence on an ‘Integrated Technology of Control’1
Deep Packet Inspection and Internet Censorship: International Convergence on an ‘Integrated Technology of Control’1 Ben Wagner, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and Universiteit Leiden Introduction* The academic debate on deep packet inspection (DPI) centres on methods of network management and copyright protection and is directly linked to a wider debate on freedom of speech on the Internet. The debate is deeply rooted in an Anglo-Saxon perspective of the Internet and is frequently depicted as a titanic struggle for the right to fundamentally free and unfettered access to the Internet.2 This debate is to a great extent defined by commercial interests. These interests whether of copyright owners, Internet service providers, 1 (Bendrath 2009) * A first draft of this paper was presented at the 3rd Annual Giganet Symposium in December 2008 in Hyderabad, India. For their advice and support preparing this paper I would like to thank: Ralf Bendrath, Claus Wimmer, Geert Lovink, Manuel Kripp, Hermann Thoene, Paul Sterzel, David Herzog, Rainer Hülsse, Wolfgang Fänderl and Stefan Scholz. 2 (Frieden 2008, 633-676; Goodin 2008; Lehr et al. 2007; Mueller 2007, 18; Zittrain 2008) Deep Packet Inspection and Internet Censorship: International Convergence on an ‘Integrated Technology of Control’1, by Ben Wagner application developers or consumers, are all essentially economic. All of these groups have little commercial interest in restricting free speech as such. However some might well be prepared to accept a certain amount of ‘collateral damage’ to internet free speech in exchange for higher revenues. It can be argued that more transparent and open practices from network service providers are needed regarding filtering policy and the technology used. -
The Internet and Elections: the 2006 Presidential
ONI Internet Watch 001 2 About OpenNet Initiative’s Internet Watch Reports Internet Watch reports investigate emerging trends in Internet filtering and control. These occasional reports take a detailed look at events, policies, technologies and countries where filtering and content controls are occurring in new and unexpected ways, or where filtering has been alleged but undetected using conventional ONI testing methodologies. They are designed to test hypotheses, refine monitoring techniques, and report on the cutting edge of the global informational battle space. Internet Watch reports are available in download or hard copy from the ONI. ONI Internet Watch 001 3 Executive Summary As Internet penetration increases globally, so too does its importance to political contests. Both the Internet and cell phones were used to mobilize the masses during the recent “colour revolutions” in the former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, which brought down long-standing authoritarian regimes. This first Internet Watch report, which focuses on election monitoring, represents a pilot venture for the OpenNet Initiative. The motivating hypothesis is that in democratically-challenged countries, the openness of the Net is likely to come under increasing pressure at key political times. One key conclusion thus far is that state tampering with the Internet during election periods is likely to be multi- faceted, elusive, less direct, and more difficult to prove than outright filtering and blocking. A second conclusion, based on the first, is that monitoring the Internet for openness during elections is an extremely slippery task that requires the development of new testing methodologies and monitoring capabilities. This report presents the findings of ONI’s efforts to monitor the Internet during the March 2006 presidential elections in Belarus. -
Professional Search in Pharmaceutical Research
Professional Search in Pharmaceutical Research Alex Kohn München 2009 Professional Search in Pharmaceutical Research Alex Kohn Dissertation an der Fakultät für Mathematik, Informatik und Statistik der Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universität München vorgelegt von Alex Kohn München, den 24.11.2009 Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. François Bry (Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universität München) Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Steffen Staab (Universität Koblenz‐Landau) Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 19.01.2010 Abstract In the mid 90s, visiting libraries – as means of retrieving the latest literature – was still a common necessity among professionals. Nowadays, professionals simply access information by ‘googling’. Indeed, the name of the Web search engine market leader “Google” became a synonym for searching and retrieving information. Despite the increased popularity of search as a method for retrieving relevant information, at the workplace search engines still do not deliver satisfying results to professionals. Search engines for instance ignore that the relevance of answers (the satisfaction of a searcher’s needs) depends not only on the query (the information request) and the document corpus, but also on the working context (the user’s personal needs, education, etc.). In effect, an answer which might be appropriate to one user might not be appropriate to the other user, even though the query and the document corpus are the same for both. Personalization services addressing the context become therefore more and more popular and are an active field of research. This is only one of several challenges encountered in ‘professional search’: How can the working context of the searcher be incorporated in the ranking process; how can unstructured free‐text documents be enriched with semantic information so that the information need can be expressed precisely at query time; how and to which extent can a company’s knowledge be exploited for search purposes; how should data from distributed sources be accessed from into one‐single‐entry‐point. -
The International Politics of Authoritarian Internet Control in Iran
International Journal of Communication 12(2018), 3856–3876 1932–8036/20180005 Transforming Threats to Power: The International Politics of Authoritarian Internet Control in Iran MARCUS MICHAELSEN1 University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands Authoritarian Internet control is generally explained by domestic power preservation: to curtail dissent within their borders, authoritarian regimes censor, monitor, and shape online communications. Yet this focus neglects important external factors. As a global communication technology, the Internet carries strategic and normative interests of competing international actors. This article investigates the influence of international politics on practices of Internet surveillance and censorship. Using the case of Iran, I analyze how opposition to the West, and particularly to the United States, led the Iranian state to perceive the Internet as a strategic battleground for regime stability. I argue that external threats in the form of democracy promotion, cyberattacks, and sanctions have created conditions enabling the Iranian state to advance and justify capabilities for censorship and surveillance. They have also pushed the regime to build a “national Internet” that is more resistant to outside influence and open to state control. Authoritarian practices are thus produced in international struggles over the use, content, and infrastructure of digital technologies. Keywords: information and communication technologies, censorship, surveillance, authoritarianism, international relations, Iran The fundamental aim of authoritarian rulers is to maintain and expand political power. In the field of Internet politics, authoritarian power holders have pursued this aim by establishing sophisticated systems of Internet control to curb alternative information and dissent perceived as challenge to their rule. They have also come to benefit from digital communication technologies for information manipulation, monitoring, and surveillance. -
Middle East, North Africa
MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA Iran: Armed Forces Ready to Take Over National Intranet Project OE Watch Commentary: The Islamic Republic launched plans to build a national intranet in 2005, driven by the Iranian leadership’s belief that the Islamic Republic is engaged in a cultural war against the West and that unfettered communications pose a threat to the Islamic Republic’s internal security. Almost 15 years later and more than five years after the project was supposed to be completed, efforts to build a national intranet continue (See: “Iran: Progress on National Intranet,” OE Watch, July 2018; “Comprehensive Legal System for the Country’s Internet and Cyberspace,” OE General Mohammed Bagheri, speaking to military elites at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Ground Forces Martyr Modarres Primary Combat Training School. Watch, October 2017). Source: Fars News Agency, https://media.farsnews.com/Uploaded/Files/Images/1398/04/24/13980424000739_Test_PhotoN.jpg In the excerpted article from the Fars News Agency, an outlet close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces, suggests that Iran’s military—presumably the IRGC from whose ranks Bagheri arose—could take charge of the project. His comments likely reflect frustration on the part of the IRGC and other hardline ideologues that the project to cut the Islamic Republic off from the World Wide Web remains delayed with no end date in sight. To advocate for such a position, he argues that foreign “control” of Iranian bandwidth is a danger to Iran, saying, “Foreigners control seventy per cent of the bandwidth in our country and we have just left the door open for them to come and influence public opinion and the youth here.” Beyond the excerpts provided here, Bagheri’s speech was wide-ranging. -
A Survey of Defensive Measures for Digital Persecution in the Global South
future internet Article A Survey of Defensive Measures for Digital Persecution in the Global South Louis Edward Papa 1,2 and Thaier Hayajneh 2,* 1 Graduate School of Arts and Science, Fordham University, New York, NY 10023, USA; [email protected] 2 Fordham Center for Cybersecurity, Fordham University, New York, NY 10023, USA * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 27 July 2020; Accepted: 25 September 2020; Published: 29 September 2020 Abstract: This paper examines the phenomenon of digital persecution in the Global South and evaluates tools that defend against it. First, the paper explains the nature of persecution and its digital incarnation. It then provides a contextual overview of real-world instances of digital persecution in seven Global South countries. The possible defensive technologies against censorship and surveillance are discussed. The article goes on to discuss barriers to technology adoption in the Global South, explains the security implication of these difficulties, and examines the role that human computer interaction (HCI) metrics could play in overcoming these challenges. Finally, the paper surveys the viability of sixteen security tools in a Global South context. The survey results were mixed, with 37.5% of the reviewed tools being deemed to be inviable for use in the Global South to defend against persecution. Prescriptive recommendations are provided for creating security tools that are universal, simple, and effective. Keywords: persecution; oppression; free software; global south; cybersecurity; HCI; human rights 1. Introduction In a few short years, most internet users will be the poor of the Global South. Internet technology is often presented as a panacea for the common troubles in developing economies. -
Account Deactivation and Content Removal: Guiding Principles and Practices for Companies and Users
Account Deactivation and Content Removal: Guiding Principles and Practices for Companies and Users Erica Newland, Caroline Nolan, Cynthia Wong, and Jillian York† The Berkman Center for Internet & Society and The Center for Democracy & Technology September 2011 † Erica Newland is a Policy Analyst at the Center for Democracy & Technology. Caroline Nolan is a Senior Project Manager at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Cynthia Wong is Director of the Center for Democracy & Technology’s Project on Global Internet Freedom. Jillian York is Director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The authors wish to thank their colleagues at the Global Network Initiative (GNI) for their feedback and suggestions for improvement. They are also grateful to participants in the GNI’s shared learning workstream on account deactivation and content removal for their inputs and review. 1 Executive Summary From the role of Facebook during protests in the Middle East and North Africa,1 to the use of YouTube, Twitter, and other tools in the wake of earthquakes in Haiti and Japan and the wildfires in Russia,2 platforms that host user-generated content (UGC) are increasingly being used by a range of civic actors in innovative ways: to amplify their voices, organize campaigns and emergency services, and advocate around issues of common concern. However, while these platforms and services may be perceived as public, their users are subject to the rules and controls that private companies create and implement. Intentionally or not, private entities assume a primary role in providing and controlling access to the ‘networked public sphere.’ This ‘networked public sphere’ has supplanted, in part, the traditional town square by providing an open and dynamic online space for social and political debate and activism where citizens around the world increasingly exercise their rights to free expression, opinion, assembly, and association. -
State Power 2.0.Pdf
STATE POWER 2.0 Proof Copy 000 Hussain book.indb 1 9/9/2013 2:02:58 PM This collection is dedicated to the international networks of activists, hactivists, and enthusiasts leading the global movement for Internet freedom. Proof Copy 000 Hussain book.indb 2 9/9/2013 2:02:58 PM State Power 2.0 Authoritarian Entrenchment and Political Engagement Worldwide Edited by MUZAMMIL M. HUSSAIN University of Michigan, USA PHILIP N. HOWARD University of Washington, USA Proof Copy 000 Hussain book.indb 3 9/9/2013 2:02:59 PM © Muzammil M. Hussain and Philip N. Howard 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Muzammil M. Hussain and Philip N. Howard have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the editors of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company Wey Court East 110 Cherry Street Union Road Suite 3-1 Farnham Burlington, VT 05401-3818 Surrey, GU9 7PT USA England www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: Howard, Philip N. State Power 2.0 : Authoritarian Entrenchment and Political Engagement Worldwide / by Philip N. Howard and Muzammil M. Hussain. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4094-5469-4 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4094-5470-0 (ebook) -- ISBN 978- 1-4724-0328-5 (epub) 1.