<s>
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
is	O
the	O
legal	O
control	O
or	O
suppression	O
of	O
what	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
,	O
published	O
,	O
or	O
viewed	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
may	O
also	O
put	O
restrictions	O
on	O
what	O
information	O
can	O
be	O
made	O
internet	O
accessible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
extent	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
varies	O
on	O
a	O
country-to-country	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
some	O
countries	O
have	O
moderate	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
,	O
other	O
countries	O
go	O
as	O
far	O
as	O
to	O
limit	O
the	O
access	O
of	O
information	O
such	O
as	O
news	O
and	O
suppress	O
and	O
silence	O
discussion	O
among	O
citizens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
also	O
occurs	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
or	O
in	O
anticipation	O
of	O
events	O
such	O
as	O
elections	O
,	O
protests	O
,	O
and	O
riots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
and	O
opposition	O
to	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
also	O
varies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Perception	O
of	O
internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
in	O
the	O
US	O
is	O
largely	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
First	O
Amendment	O
and	O
the	O
right	O
for	O
expansive	O
free	O
speech	O
and	O
access	O
to	O
content	O
without	O
regard	O
to	O
the	O
consequences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
GlobalWebIndex	O
,	O
over	O
400	O
million	O
people	O
use	O
virtual	B-Application
private	I-Application
networks	I-Application
to	O
circumvent	O
censorship	O
or	O
for	O
increased	O
user	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
challenges	O
associated	O
with	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
are	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
for	O
offline	O
censorship	O
of	O
more	O
traditional	O
media	O
such	O
as	O
newspapers	O
,	O
magazines	O
,	O
books	O
,	O
music	O
,	O
radio	O
,	O
television	O
,	O
and	O
film	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
in	O
turn	O
requires	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
technical	O
censorship	O
methods	O
that	O
are	O
unique	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
site	O
blocking	O
and	O
content	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Views	O
about	O
the	O
feasibility	O
and	O
effectiveness	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
have	O
evolved	O
in	O
parallel	O
with	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
and	O
censorship	O
technologies	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
report	O
of	O
research	O
conducted	O
in	O
2007	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
2009	O
by	O
the	O
Berkman	O
Center	O
for	O
Internet	O
&	O
Society	O
at	O
Harvard	O
University	O
stated	O
that	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
are	O
confident	O
that	O
the	O
[	O
censorship	B-Application
circumvention	I-Application
]	O
tool	O
developers	O
will	O
for	O
the	O
most	O
part	O
keep	O
ahead	O
of	O
the	O
governments	O
 '	O
blocking	O
efforts	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
that	O
"	O
we	O
...	O
believe	O
that	O
less	O
than	O
two	O
percent	O
of	O
all	O
filtered	O
Internet	O
users	O
use	O
circumvention	O
tools.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
achieved	O
by	O
returning	O
a	O
fake	O
"	B-Protocol
Not	I-Protocol
Found	I-Protocol
"	I-Protocol
error	O
message	O
when	O
an	O
attempt	O
is	O
made	O
to	O
access	O
a	O
blocked	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unless	O
the	O
censor	O
has	O
total	O
control	O
over	O
all	O
Internet-connected	O
computers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
in	O
North	O
Korea	O
(	O
who	O
employs	O
an	O
intranet	B-General_Concept
that	O
only	O
privileged	O
citizens	O
can	O
access	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
Cuba	O
,	O
total	O
censorship	O
of	O
information	O
is	O
very	O
difficult	O
or	O
impossible	O
to	O
achieve	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
underlying	O
distributed	O
technology	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pseudonymity	O
and	O
data	O
havens	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Freenet	B-Protocol
)	O
protect	O
free	O
speech	O
using	O
technologies	O
that	O
guarantee	O
material	O
cannot	O
be	O
removed	O
and	O
prevents	O
the	O
identification	O
of	O
authors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
splinternet	B-Application
"	O
is	O
sometimes	O
used	O
to	O
describe	O
the	O
effects	O
of	O
national	O
firewalls	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
verb	O
"	O
rivercrab	O
"	O
colloquially	O
refers	O
to	O
censorship	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Internet	I-Application
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
Asia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
by	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
following	O
items	O
:	O
keywords	O
,	O
domain	O
names	O
and	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
per	O
Hoffmann	O
,	O
different	O
methods	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
block	O
certain	O
websites	O
or	O
pages	O
including	O
DNS	O
poisoning	O
,	O
blocking	O
access	O
to	O
IPs	B-Protocol
,	O
analyzing	O
and	O
filtering	O
URLs	O
,	O
inspecting	O
filter	O
packets	B-Protocol
and	O
resetting	O
connections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-General_Concept
backbone	I-General_Concept
,	O
including	O
Internet	B-Protocol
exchange	I-Protocol
points	I-Protocol
(	O
IXP	B-Protocol
)	O
with	O
international	O
networks	O
(	O
Autonomous	B-Architecture
Systems	I-Architecture
)	O
,	O
operators	O
of	O
submarine	O
communications	O
cables	O
,	O
satellite	O
Internet	O
access	O
points	O
,	O
international	O
optical	B-Application
fibre	I-Application
links	I-Application
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certificate	B-Architecture
authorities	I-Architecture
may	O
be	O
required	O
to	O
issue	O
counterfeit	O
X.509	O
certificates	O
controlled	O
by	O
the	O
government	O
,	O
allowing	O
man-in-the-middle	O
surveillance	O
of	O
TLS	B-Protocol
encrypted	O
connections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Content	B-Operating_System
Delivery	I-Operating_System
Network	I-Operating_System
providers	O
who	O
tend	O
to	O
aggregate	O
large	O
amounts	O
of	O
content	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	O
Protocol	O
(	O
IP	O
)	O
address	O
blocking	O
:	O
Access	O
to	O
a	O
certain	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
is	O
denied	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
affects	O
IP-based	O
protocols	O
such	O
as	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
,	O
FTP	B-Protocol
and	O
POP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
typical	O
circumvention	O
method	O
is	O
to	O
find	O
proxies	B-Application
that	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
target	O
websites	O
,	O
but	O
proxies	B-Application
may	O
be	O
jammed	O
or	O
blocked	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
Web	O
sites	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Wikipedia	O
(	O
when	O
editing	O
)	O
,	O
also	O
block	O
proxies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
large	O
websites	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
have	O
allocated	O
additional	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
to	O
circumvent	O
the	O
block	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
the	O
block	O
was	O
extended	O
to	O
cover	O
the	O
new	O
addresses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
challenges	O
with	O
geolocation	O
,	O
geo-blocking	O
is	O
normally	O
implemented	O
via	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
blocking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Domain	O
name	O
system	O
(	O
DNS	O
)	O
filtering	O
and	O
redirection	O
:	O
Blocked	O
domain	O
names	O
are	O
not	O
resolved	O
,	O
or	O
an	O
incorrect	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
is	O
returned	O
via	O
DNS	B-Protocol
hijacking	I-Protocol
or	O
other	O
means	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
affects	O
all	O
IP-based	O
protocols	O
such	O
as	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
,	O
FTP	B-Protocol
and	O
POP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
typical	O
circumvention	O
method	O
is	O
to	O
find	O
an	O
alternative	O
DNS	O
resolver	O
that	O
resolves	O
domain	O
names	O
correctly	O
,	O
but	O
domain	O
name	O
servers	O
are	O
subject	O
to	O
blockage	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
especially	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
blocking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
workaround	O
is	O
to	O
bypass	O
DNS	O
if	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
is	O
obtainable	O
from	O
other	O
sources	O
and	O
is	O
not	O
itself	O
blocked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
are	O
modifying	O
the	O
Hosts	B-Protocol
file	I-Protocol
or	O
typing	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
instead	O
of	O
the	O
domain	O
name	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
URL	O
given	O
to	O
a	O
Web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
affects	O
the	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typical	O
circumvention	O
methods	O
are	O
to	O
use	O
escaped	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
URL	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
use	O
encrypted	O
protocols	O
such	O
as	O
VPN	B-Application
and	O
TLS/SSL	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Packet	B-Application
filtering	I-Application
:	O
Terminate	O
TCP	B-Protocol
packet	B-Protocol
transmissions	O
when	O
a	O
certain	O
number	O
of	O
controversial	O
keywords	O
are	O
detected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
affects	O
all	O
TCP-based	O
protocols	O
such	O
as	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
,	O
FTP	B-Protocol
and	O
POP	B-Protocol
,	O
but	O
Search	B-Application
engine	I-Application
results	O
pages	O
are	O
more	O
likely	O
to	O
be	O
censored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typical	O
circumvention	O
methods	O
are	O
to	O
use	O
encrypted	O
connections	O
–	O
such	O
as	O
VPN	B-Application
and	O
TLS/SSL	B-Protocol
–	O
to	O
escape	O
the	O
HTML	O
content	O
,	O
or	O
by	O
reducing	O
the	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
stack	I-Protocol
's	O
MTU/MSS	O
to	O
reduce	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
text	O
contained	O
in	O
a	O
given	O
packet	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Connection	O
reset	O
:	O
If	O
a	O
previous	O
TCP	B-Protocol
connection	O
is	O
blocked	O
by	O
the	O
filter	O
,	O
future	O
connection	O
attempts	O
from	O
both	O
sides	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
blocked	O
for	O
some	O
variable	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
location	O
of	O
the	O
block	O
,	O
other	O
users	O
or	O
websites	O
may	O
also	O
be	O
blocked	O
,	O
if	O
the	O
communication	O
is	O
routed	B-Protocol
through	O
the	O
blocking	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
circumvention	O
method	O
is	O
to	O
ignore	O
the	O
reset	O
packet	B-Protocol
sent	O
by	O
the	O
firewall	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	O
disconnection	O
:	O
A	O
technically	O
simpler	O
method	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
is	O
to	O
completely	O
cut	O
off	O
all	O
routers	O
,	O
either	O
by	O
software	O
or	O
by	O
hardware	O
(	O
turning	O
off	O
machines	O
,	O
pulling	O
out	O
cables	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Portal	O
censorship	O
and	O
search	O
result	O
removal	O
:	O
Major	O
portals	O
,	O
including	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
,	O
may	O
exclude	O
web	O
sites	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
ordinarily	O
include	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Google.de	O
and	O
Google.fr	O
remove	O
Neo-Nazi	O
and	O
other	O
listings	O
in	O
compliance	O
with	O
German	O
and	O
French	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
example	O
is	O
blocking	O
an	O
IP-address	B-Protocol
of	O
a	O
server	O
that	O
hosts	B-Protocol
multiple	O
websites	O
,	O
which	O
prevents	O
access	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
websites	O
rather	O
than	O
just	O
those	O
that	O
contain	O
content	O
deemed	O
offensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
in	O
2009	O
Ronald	O
Deibert	O
,	O
professor	O
of	O
political	O
science	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Toronto	O
and	O
co-founder	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
principal	O
investigators	O
of	O
the	O
OpenNet	B-Application
Initiative	I-Application
,	O
and	O
,	O
writing	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
Evgeny	O
Morzov	O
,	O
a	O
visiting	O
scholar	O
at	O
Stanford	O
University	O
and	O
an	O
Op-Ed	O
contributor	O
to	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
,	O
explain	O
that	O
companies	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Finland	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
Britain	O
,	O
Canada	O
,	O
and	O
South	O
Africa	O
are	O
in	O
part	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
increasing	O
sophistication	O
of	O
online	O
content	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
off-the-shelf	O
filtering	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
sold	O
by	O
Internet	O
security	O
companies	O
are	O
primarily	O
marketed	O
to	O
businesses	O
and	O
individuals	O
seeking	O
to	O
protect	O
themselves	O
and	O
their	O
employees	O
and	O
families	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
also	O
used	O
by	O
governments	O
to	O
block	O
what	O
they	O
consider	O
sensitive	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
filtering	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
programs	O
is	O
SmartFilter	O
by	O
Secure	O
Computing	O
in	O
California	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
bought	O
by	O
McAfee	O
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SmartFilter	O
has	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
Tunisia	O
,	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
,	O
Sudan	O
,	O
the	O
UAE	B-Device
,	O
Kuwait	O
,	O
Bahrain	O
,	O
Iran	O
,	O
and	O
Oman	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
the	O
UK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Myanmar	O
and	O
Yemen	O
have	O
used	O
filtering	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
from	O
Websense	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Canadian-made	O
commercial	O
filter	O
Netsweeper	O
is	O
used	O
in	O
Qatar	O
,	O
the	O
UAE	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Yemen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Canadian	O
organization	O
CitizenLab	O
has	O
reported	O
that	O
Sandvine	O
and	O
Procera	B-Protocol
products	O
are	O
used	O
in	O
Turkey	O
and	O
Egypt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
U.S.	O
lawsuit	O
filed	O
in	O
May	O
2011	O
,	O
Cisco	O
Systems	O
is	O
accused	O
of	O
helping	O
the	O
Chinese	O
Government	O
build	O
a	O
firewall	B-Application
,	O
known	O
widely	O
as	O
the	O
Golden	O
Shield	O
,	O
to	O
censor	O
the	O
Internet	O
and	O
keep	O
tabs	O
on	O
dissidents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blocking	O
of	O
Dailymotion	B-General_Concept
in	O
early	O
2007	O
by	O
Tunisian	O
authorities	O
was	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
OpenNet	B-Application
Initiative	I-Application
,	O
due	O
to	O
Secure	O
Computing	O
wrongly	O
categorizing	O
Dailymotion	B-General_Concept
as	O
pornography	O
for	O
its	O
SmartFilter	O
filtering	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
initially	O
thought	O
that	O
Tunisia	O
had	O
blocked	O
Dailymotion	B-General_Concept
due	O
to	O
satirical	O
videos	O
about	O
human	O
rights	O
violations	O
in	O
Tunisia	O
,	O
but	O
after	O
Secure	O
Computing	O
corrected	O
the	O
mistake	O
access	O
to	O
Dailymotion	B-General_Concept
was	O
gradually	O
restored	O
in	O
Tunisia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Organizations	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Global	B-Application
Network	I-Application
Initiative	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
,	O
Amnesty	O
International	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
American	O
Civil	O
Liberties	O
Union	O
have	O
successfully	O
lobbied	O
some	O
vendors	O
such	O
as	O
Websense	O
to	O
make	O
changes	O
to	O
their	O
software	O
,	O
to	O
refrain	O
from	O
doing	O
business	O
with	O
repressive	O
governments	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
educate	O
schools	O
who	O
have	O
inadvertently	O
reconfigured	O
their	O
filtering	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
too	O
strictly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Access	O
to	O
search	B-Application
results	I-Application
may	O
be	O
restricted	O
due	O
to	O
government	O
involvement	O
in	O
the	O
censorship	O
of	O
specific	O
search	O
terms	O
,	O
content	O
may	O
be	O
excluded	O
due	O
to	O
terms	O
set	O
with	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
allowing	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
to	O
operate	O
in	O
new	O
territory	O
they	O
must	O
agree	O
to	O
abide	O
to	O
censorship	O
standards	O
set	O
by	O
the	O
government	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Deplatforming	B-Application
is	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
in	O
which	O
controversial	O
speakers	O
or	O
speech	O
are	O
suspended	O
,	O
banned	O
,	O
or	O
otherwise	O
shut	O
down	O
by	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
and	O
other	O
service	O
providers	O
that	O
generally	O
provide	O
a	O
venue	O
for	O
free	O
speech	O
or	O
expression	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Banking	O
and	O
financial	O
service	O
providers	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
companies	O
,	O
have	O
also	O
denied	O
services	O
to	O
controversial	O
activists	O
or	O
organizations	O
,	O
a	O
practice	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
financial	O
deplatforming	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Law	O
professor	O
Glenn	O
Reynolds	O
dubbed	O
2018	O
the	O
"	O
Year	O
of	O
Deplatforming	B-Application
"	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
August	O
2018	O
article	O
in	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
6	O
August	O
2018	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
several	O
major	O
platforms	O
,	O
including	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
executed	O
a	O
coordinated	O
,	O
permanent	O
ban	O
on	O
all	O
accounts	O
and	O
media	O
associated	O
with	O
conservative	O
talk	O
show	O
host	O
Alex	O
Jones	O
and	O
his	O
media	O
platform	O
InfoWars	O
,	O
citing	O
"	O
hate	O
speech	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
glorifying	O
violence.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
:	O
Among	O
other	O
things	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Facebook	I-Application
Statement	O
of	O
Rights	O
and	O
Responsibilities	O
says	O
:	O
"	O
You	O
will	O
not	O
post	O
content	O
that	O
:	O
is	O
hateful	O
,	O
threatening	O
,	O
or	O
pornographic	O
;	O
incites	O
violence	O
;	O
or	O
contains	O
nudity	O
or	O
graphic	O
or	O
gratuitous	O
violence	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
You	O
will	O
not	O
use	O
Facebook	B-Application
to	O
do	O
anything	O
unlawful	O
,	O
misleading	O
,	O
malicious	O
,	O
or	O
discriminatory	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
can	O
remove	O
any	O
content	O
or	O
information	O
you	O
post	O
on	O
Facebook	B-Application
if	O
we	O
believe	O
that	O
it	O
violates	O
this	O
Statement	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
are	O
located	O
in	O
a	O
country	O
embargoed	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
or	O
are	O
on	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Treasury	O
Department	O
's	O
list	O
of	O
Specially	O
Designated	O
Nationals	O
you	O
will	O
not	O
engage	O
in	O
commercial	O
activities	O
on	O
Facebook	B-Application
(	O
such	O
as	O
advertising	O
or	O
payments	O
)	O
or	O
operate	O
a	O
Platform	O
application	O
or	O
website	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
:	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
general	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
updated	O
on	O
1	O
March	O
2012	O
,	O
state	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
may	O
suspend	O
or	O
stop	O
providing	O
our	O
Services	O
to	O
you	O
if	O
you	O
do	O
not	O
comply	O
with	O
our	O
terms	O
or	O
policies	O
or	O
if	O
we	O
are	O
investigating	O
suspected	O
misconduct	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
may	O
review	O
content	O
to	O
determine	O
whether	O
it	O
is	O
illegal	O
or	O
violates	O
our	O
policies	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
may	O
remove	O
or	O
refuse	O
to	O
display	O
content	O
that	O
we	O
reasonably	O
believe	O
violates	O
our	O
policies	O
or	O
the	O
law	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
We	O
respond	O
to	O
notices	O
of	O
alleged	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
and	O
terminate	O
accounts	O
of	O
repeat	O
infringers	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
process	O
set	O
out	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Digital	O
Millennium	O
Copyright	O
Act	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Search	I-Application
:	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
Webmaster	O
Tools	O
help	O
includes	O
the	O
following	O
statement	O
:	O
"	O
Google	B-Application
may	O
temporarily	O
or	O
permanently	O
remove	O
sites	O
from	O
its	O
index	O
and	O
search	B-Application
results	I-Application
if	O
it	O
believes	O
it	O
is	O
obligated	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
by	O
law	O
,	O
if	O
the	O
sites	O
do	O
not	O
meet	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
quality	O
guidelines	O
,	O
or	O
for	O
other	O
reasons	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
if	O
the	O
sites	O
detract	O
from	O
users	O
 '	O
ability	O
to	O
locate	O
relevant	O
information.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Twitter	B-Application
:	O
The	O
Twitter	B-Application
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
state	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
reserve	O
the	O
right	O
at	O
all	O
times	O
(	O
but	O
will	O
not	O
have	O
an	O
obligation	O
)	O
to	O
remove	O
or	O
refuse	O
to	O
distribute	O
any	O
Content	O
on	O
the	O
Services	O
and	O
to	O
terminate	O
users	O
or	O
reclaim	O
usernames	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
We	O
reserve	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
remove	O
Content	O
alleged	O
to	O
be	O
copyright	O
infringing	O
without	O
prior	O
notice	O
and	O
at	O
our	O
sole	O
discretion	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
:	O
The	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
include	O
the	O
statements	O
:	O
"	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
reserves	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
decide	O
whether	O
Content	O
violates	O
these	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
for	O
reasons	O
other	O
than	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
limited	O
to	O
,	O
pornography	O
,	O
obscenity	O
,	O
or	O
excessive	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
may	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
,	O
without	O
prior	O
notice	O
and	O
in	O
its	O
sole	O
discretion	O
,	O
remove	O
such	O
Content	O
and/or	O
terminate	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
account	O
for	O
submitting	O
such	O
material	O
in	O
violation	O
of	O
these	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
will	O
remove	O
all	O
Content	O
if	O
properly	O
notified	O
that	O
such	O
Content	O
infringes	O
on	O
another	O
's	O
intellectual	O
property	O
rights	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
reserves	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
remove	O
Content	O
without	O
prior	O
notice	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
a	O
page	O
can	O
be	O
deleted	O
by	O
any	O
administrator	B-Application
if	O
,	O
after	O
seven	O
days	O
,	O
no	O
one	O
objects	O
to	O
the	O
proposed	O
deletion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
additional	O
means	O
of	O
hiding	O
specific	O
content	O
within	O
Wikipedia	O
articles	O
is	O
revision	O
deletion	O
,	O
or	O
RevDel	O
,	O
by	O
which	O
an	O
administrator	B-Application
can	O
perform	O
sanitization/redaction	O
of	O
specific	O
revisions	O
of	O
an	O
article	O
,	O
thereby	O
hiding	O
certain	O
information	O
from	O
the	O
view	O
of	O
non-administrators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
:	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
'	O
s	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
(	O
TOS	O
)	O
state	O
:	O
"	O
You	O
acknowledge	O
that	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
may	O
or	O
may	O
not	O
pre-screen	O
Content	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
and	O
its	O
designees	O
shall	O
have	O
the	O
right	O
(	O
but	O
not	O
the	O
obligation	O
)	O
in	O
their	O
sole	O
discretion	O
to	O
pre-screen	O
,	O
refuse	O
,	O
or	O
remove	O
any	O
Content	O
that	O
is	O
available	O
via	O
the	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Without	O
limiting	O
the	O
foregoing	O
,	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
circumvention	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
processes	O
used	O
by	O
technologically	O
savvy	O
Internet	O
users	O
to	O
bypass	O
the	O
technical	O
aspects	O
of	O
Internet	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
and	O
gain	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
otherwise	O
censored	O
material	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
circumvention	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
possible	O
by	O
non-tech-savvy	O
users	O
,	O
so	O
blocking	O
and	O
filtering	O
remain	O
effective	O
means	O
of	O
censoring	B-Application
the	I-Application
Internet	I-Application
access	O
of	O
large	O
numbers	O
of	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Different	O
techniques	O
and	O
resources	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
bypass	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
,	O
including	O
proxy	B-Application
websites	I-Application
,	O
virtual	B-Application
private	I-Application
networks	I-Application
,	O
sneakernets	O
,	O
the	O
dark	O
web	O
and	O
circumvention	O
software	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
GlobalWebIndex	O
,	O
over	O
400	O
million	O
people	O
use	O
virtual	B-Application
private	I-Application
networks	I-Application
to	O
circumvent	O
censorship	O
or	O
for	O
an	O
increased	O
level	O
of	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
risks	O
to	O
using	O
circumvention	O
software	O
or	O
other	O
methods	O
to	O
bypass	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
way	O
to	O
circumvent	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
is	O
to	O
physically	O
go	O
to	O
an	O
area	O
where	O
the	O
Internet	O
is	O
not	O
censored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
versus	O
what	O
originally	O
was	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
in	O
web	B-Application
searches	I-Application
created	O
greater	O
accessibility	O
to	O
most	O
sites	O
originally	O
blocked	O
or	O
heavily	O
monitored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
social	O
media	O
sites	O
including	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
have	O
added	O
an	O
automatic	O
redirection	O
to	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
as	O
of	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
added	O
adoption	O
of	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
use	O
,	O
"	O
censors	O
"	O
are	O
left	O
with	O
limited	O
options	O
of	O
either	O
completely	O
blocking	O
all	O
content	O
or	O
none	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
does	O
not	O
inherently	O
prevent	O
the	O
censorship	O
of	O
an	O
entire	O
domain	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
domain	O
name	O
is	O
left	O
unencrypted	O
in	O
the	O
ClientHello	O
of	O
the	O
TLS	B-Protocol
handshake	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Encrypted	O
Client	O
Hello	O
TLS	B-Protocol
extension	O
expands	O
on	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
and	O
encrypts	O
the	O
entire	O
ClientHello	O
but	O
this	O
depends	O
on	O
both	O
client	O
and	O
server	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
several	O
motives	O
or	O
rationales	O
for	O
Internet	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
:	O
politics	O
and	O
power	O
,	O
social	O
norms	O
and	O
morals	O
,	O
and	O
security	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Protecting	O
existing	O
economic	O
interests	O
is	O
an	O
additional	O
emergent	O
motive	O
for	O
Internet	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
related	O
to	O
threats	O
to	O
national	O
security	O
that	O
targets	O
the	O
Web	O
sites	O
of	O
insurgents	O
,	O
extremists	O
,	O
and	O
terrorists	O
often	O
enjoys	O
wide	O
public	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
protection	O
of	O
existing	O
economic	O
interests	O
is	O
sometimes	O
the	O
motivation	O
for	O
blocking	O
new	O
Internet	B-Protocol
services	I-Protocol
such	O
as	O
low-cost	O
telephone	O
services	O
that	O
use	O
Voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
Internet	I-Application
Protocol	I-Application
(	O
VoIP	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
Court	O
of	O
Justice	O
ruled	O
against	O
Google	B-Application
in	O
Costeja	O
,	O
a	O
case	O
brought	O
by	O
a	O
Spanish	O
man	O
who	O
requested	O
the	O
removal	O
of	O
a	O
link	O
to	O
a	O
digitized	O
1998	O
article	O
in	O
La	O
Vanguardia	O
newspaper	O
about	O
an	O
auction	O
for	O
his	O
foreclosed	O
home	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
debt	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
subsequently	O
paid	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
initially	O
attempted	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
article	O
removed	O
by	O
complaining	O
to	O
Spain	O
's	O
data	O
protection	O
agency	O
—	O
Agencia	O
Española	O
de	O
Protección	O
de	O
Datos	O
—	O
which	O
rejected	O
the	O
claim	O
on	O
the	O
grounds	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
lawful	O
and	O
accurate	O
,	O
but	O
accepted	O
a	O
complaint	O
against	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
asked	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
remove	O
the	O
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
sued	O
in	O
Spain	O
and	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
was	O
transferred	O
to	O
the	O
European	O
Court	O
of	O
Justice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
court	O
ruled	O
in	O
Costeja	O
that	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
are	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
content	O
they	O
point	O
to	O
and	O
thus	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
required	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
EU	O
data	O
privacy	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
began	O
compliance	O
on	O
30	O
May	O
2014	O
during	O
which	O
it	O
received	O
12,000	O
requests	O
to	O
have	O
personal	O
details	O
removed	O
from	O
its	O
search	B-Application
engine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Index	O
on	O
Censorship	O
claimed	O
that	O
"	O
Costeja	O
ruling	O
...	O
allows	O
individuals	O
to	O
complain	O
to	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
about	O
information	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
like	O
with	O
no	O
legal	O
oversight	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
ruling	O
is	O
intended	O
for	O
private	O
individuals	O
it	O
opens	O
the	O
door	O
to	O
anyone	O
who	O
wants	O
to	O
whitewash	O
their	O
personal	O
history	O
....	O
The	O
Court	O
's	O
decision	O
is	O
a	O
retrograde	O
move	O
that	O
misunderstands	O
the	O
role	O
and	O
responsibility	O
of	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
and	O
the	O
wider	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Entertainment	O
content	O
is	O
more	O
resilient	O
to	O
online	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
than	O
political	O
content	O
,	O
and	O
users	O
with	O
more	O
education	O
,	O
technology	O
access	O
,	O
and	O
wider	O
,	O
more	O
diverse	O
social	O
networks	O
are	O
more	O
resilient	O
to	O
censorship	O
attempts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
more	O
people	O
in	O
more	O
places	O
begin	O
using	O
the	O
Internet	O
for	O
important	O
activities	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
an	O
increase	O
in	O
online	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
,	O
using	O
increasingly	O
sophisticated	O
techniques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
motives	O
,	O
scope	O
,	O
and	O
effectiveness	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
vary	O
widely	O
from	O
country	O
to	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
state-mandated	O
Internet	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
occurs	O
on	O
some	O
computers	O
in	O
libraries	O
and	O
K-12	O
schools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
fact	O
,	O
many	O
countries	O
throughout	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
including	O
some	O
democracies	O
with	O
long	O
traditions	O
of	O
strong	O
support	O
for	O
freedom	O
of	O
expression	O
and	O
freedom	O
of	O
the	O
press	O
,	O
are	O
engaged	O
in	O
some	O
amount	O
of	O
online	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
,	O
often	O
with	O
substantial	O
public	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
in	O
China	O
is	O
among	O
the	O
most	O
stringent	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
government	O
requires	O
Internet	B-Application
search	I-Application
firms	O
and	O
state	O
media	O
to	O
censor	O
issues	O
deemed	O
officially	O
"	O
sensitive	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
blocks	O
access	O
to	O
foreign	O
websites	O
including	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
.	I-General_Concept
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
international	O
bodies	O
that	O
oppose	O
internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
,	O
for	O
example	O
"	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
is	O
open	O
to	O
challenge	O
at	O
the	O
World	O
Trade	O
Organization	O
(	O
WTO	O
)	O
as	O
it	O
can	O
restrict	O
trade	O
in	O
online	O
services	O
,	O
a	O
forthcoming	O
study	O
argues	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
concerns	O
that	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
vast	O
differences	O
in	O
freedom	O
of	O
speech	O
between	O
countries	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
one	O
country	O
to	O
affect	O
speech	O
across	O
the	O
global	O
Internet	O
could	O
have	O
chilling	B-Application
effects	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
had	O
won	O
a	O
case	O
at	O
the	O
European	O
Court	O
of	O
Justice	O
in	O
September	O
2019	O
that	O
ruled	O
that	O
the	O
EU	O
's	O
right	O
to	O
be	O
forgotten	O
only	O
applied	O
to	O
services	O
within	O
the	O
EU	O
,	O
and	O
not	O
globally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
in	O
a	O
contrary	O
decision	O
in	O
October	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
court	O
ruled	O
that	O
Facebook	B-Application
was	O
required	O
to	O
globally	O
comply	O
with	O
a	O
takedown	O
request	O
made	O
in	O
relationship	O
to	O
defamatory	O
material	O
that	O
was	O
posted	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
by	O
an	O
Austrian	O
that	O
was	O
libelous	O
of	O
another	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
determined	O
to	O
be	O
illegal	O
under	O
Austrian	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
About	O
3500	O
Border	B-Protocol
Gateway	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
BGP	B-Protocol
)	O
routes	O
to	O
Egyptian	O
networks	O
were	O
shut	O
down	O
from	O
about	O
22:10	O
to	O
22:35	O
UTC	O
27	O
January	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
full	O
block	O
was	O
implemented	O
without	O
cutting	O
off	O
major	O
intercontinental	O
fibre-optic	B-Architecture
links	O
,	O
with	O
Renesys	O
stating	O
on	O
27	O
January	O
,	O
"	O
Critical	O
European-Asian	O
fiber-optic	B-Architecture
routes	O
through	O
Egypt	O
appear	O
to	O
be	O
unaffected	O
for	O
now.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Local	O
shutdowns	O
are	O
frequently	O
ordered	O
in	O
India	B-Application
during	O
times	O
of	O
unrest	O
and	O
security	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
countries	O
have	O
used	O
localized	O
Internet	O
shutdowns	O
to	O
combat	O
cheating	O
during	O
exams	O
,	O
including	O
Iraq	O
,	O
Ethiopia	O
,	O
India	B-Application
,	O
Algeria	O
,	O
and	O
Uzbekistan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Doug	O
Madory	O
,	O
the	O
director	O
of	O
Internet	O
analysis	O
at	O
Oracle	B-Application
,	O
has	O
described	O
the	O
operation	O
as	O
"	O
unusual	O
in	O
its	O
scale	O
"	O
and	O
way	O
more	O
advanced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Detailed	O
country	O
by	O
country	O
information	O
on	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
is	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
OpenNet	B-Application
Initiative	I-Application
,	O
Reporters	O
Without	O
Borders	O
,	O
Freedom	O
House	O
,	O
V-Dem	O
Institute	O
,	O
Access	O
Now	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
State	O
Department	O
Bureau	O
of	O
Democracy	O
,	O
Human	O
Rights	O
,	O
and	O
Labor	O
's	O
Human	O
Rights	O
Reports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ratings	O
produced	O
by	O
several	O
of	O
these	O
organizations	O
are	O
summarized	O
in	O
the	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
by	O
country	O
and	O
the	O
Censorship	O
by	O
country	O
articles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
2010	O
the	O
OpenNet	B-Application
Initiative	I-Application
had	O
documented	O
Internet	B-Protocol
filtering	I-Protocol
by	O
governments	O
in	O
over	O
forty	O
countries	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
the	O
41	O
separate	O
countries	O
classified	O
,	O
seven	O
were	O
found	O
to	O
show	O
no	O
evidence	O
of	O
filtering	O
in	O
all	O
three	O
areas	O
(	O
Egypt	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
India	B-Application
,	O
Ukraine	O
,	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
and	O
United	O
States	O
)	O
,	O
while	O
one	O
was	O
found	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
pervasive	O
filtering	O
in	O
all	O
three	O
areas	O
(	O
China	O
)	O
,	O
13	O
were	O
found	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
pervasive	O
filtering	O
in	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
areas	O
,	O
and	O
34	O
were	O
found	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
some	O
level	O
of	O
filtering	O
in	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Freedom	O
on	O
the	O
Net	O
reports	O
from	O
Freedom	O
House	O
provide	O
analytical	O
reports	O
and	O
numerical	O
ratings	O
regarding	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
freedom	I-Application
for	O
countries	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2014	O
report	O
assessed	O
65	O
countries	O
and	O
reported	O
that	O
36	O
countries	O
experienced	O
a	O
negative	O
trajectory	O
in	O
Internet	B-Application
freedom	I-Application
since	O
the	O
previous	O
year	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
most	O
significant	O
declines	O
in	O
Russia	O
,	O
Turkey	O
and	O
Ukraine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
report	O
,	O
few	O
countries	O
demonstrated	O
any	O
gains	O
in	O
Internet	B-Application
freedom	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
improvements	O
that	O
were	O
recorded	O
reflected	O
less	O
vigorous	O
application	O
of	O
existing	O
controls	O
rather	O
than	O
new	O
steps	O
taken	O
by	O
governments	O
to	O
actively	O
increase	O
Internet	B-Application
freedom	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
year	O
's	O
largest	O
improvement	O
was	O
recorded	O
in	O
India	B-Application
,	O
where	O
restrictions	O
to	O
content	O
and	O
access	O
were	O
relaxed	O
from	O
what	O
had	O
been	O
imposed	O
in	O
2013	O
to	O
stifle	O
rioting	O
in	O
the	O
northeastern	O
states	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
V-Dem	O
Digital	O
Societies	O
Project	O
measures	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
questions	O
related	O
to	O
internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
,	O
misinformation	O
online	O
,	O
and	O
internet	O
shutdowns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Somewhat	O
surprisingly	O
users	O
in	O
Germany	O
and	O
France	O
agreed	O
the	O
least	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
users	O
in	O
a	O
highly	O
filtered	O
country	O
such	O
as	O
China	O
,	O
while	O
users	O
in	O
Egypt	O
,	O
India	B-Application
and	O
Kenya	O
agreed	O
more	O
strongly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
results	O
relevant	O
to	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
are	O
summarized	O
below	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
10,789	O
27%	O
all	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
36%	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
29%	O
sometimes	O
,	O
9%	O
never	O
Do	O
you	O
use	O
"	O
anonymization	O
"	O
services	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
anonymize	O
"	O
feature	O
in	O
your	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
specialized	O
software	O
like	O
Tor	O
,	O
third	O
-	O
party	O
redirection	O
services	O
like	O
duckduckgo.com	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
Arab	O
Emirates	O
(	O
UAE	B-Device
)	O
are	O
among	O
the	O
few	O
states	O
that	O
publish	O
detailed	O
information	O
about	O
their	O
filtering	O
practices	O
and	O
display	O
a	O
notification	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
when	O
attempting	O
to	O
access	O
a	O
blocked	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
China	O
blocks	O
requests	O
by	O
users	O
for	O
a	O
banned	O
website	O
at	O
the	O
router	B-Architecture
level	I-Architecture
and	O
a	O
connection	O
error	O
is	O
returned	O
,	O
effectively	O
preventing	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
from	O
making	O
further	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
requests	I-Protocol
for	O
a	O
varying	O
time	O
,	O
which	O
appears	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
as	O
"	O
time-out	O
"	O
error	O
with	O
no	O
explanation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tunisia	O
has	O
altered	O
the	O
block	O
page	O
functionality	O
of	O
SmartFilter	O
,	O
the	O
commercial	O
filtering	B-Protocol
software	I-Protocol
it	O
uses	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
users	O
attempting	O
to	O
access	O
blocked	O
websites	O
receive	O
a	O
fake	O
"	O
File	O
not	B-Protocol
found	I-Protocol
"	O
error	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	O
and	O
mobile	O
technologies	O
,	O
particularly	O
social	O
networks	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
played	O
and	O
are	O
playing	O
important	O
new	O
and	O
unique	O
roles	O
in	O
organizing	O
and	O
spreading	O
the	O
protests	O
and	O
making	O
them	O
visible	O
to	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
activist	O
in	O
Egypt	O
tweeted	O
,	O
"	O
we	O
use	O
Facebook	B-Application
to	O
schedule	O
the	O
protests	O
,	O
Twitter	B-Application
to	O
coordinate	O
,	O
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
to	O
tell	O
the	O
world	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
warnings	O
that	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
might	O
increase	O
in	O
other	O
countries	O
following	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
Arab	O
Spring	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
even	O
blocked	O
the	O
family-filtered	O
videos	O
of	O
ordinary	O
websites	O
like	O
Dailymotion	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
Russo-Ukrainian	O
War	O
in	O
2022	O
,	O
Russia	O
was	O
reported	O
to	O
have	O
blocked	O
the	O
internet	O
websites	O
Twitter	B-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
was	O
noted	O
as	O
being	O
suspended	O
due	O
to	O
an	O
objection	O
to	O
its	O
policy	O
of	O
reviewing	O
news	O
stories	O
for	O
authenticity	O
where	O
they	O
were	O
produced	O
by	O
Russian	O
state-backed	O
media	O
before	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
published	O
on	O
its	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
subject	O
to	O
a	O
total	O
ban	O
whereas	O
Twitter	B-Application
was	O
suspended	O
regionally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reports	O
have	O
identified	O
that	O
VPN	B-Application
use	O
has	O
enabled	O
people	O
to	O
circumvent	O
the	O
restrictions	O
by	O
installing	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
