Signal, one of the world’s leading encrypted messaging apps created by Open Whisper Systems, and a favorite of Edward Snowden, has now been blocked in Egypt. The company’s twitter account reported that “everything is functioning normally on our end, so something might be up on the local networks in Egypt.” Open Whisper Systems investigated the […]
Two-thirds of the planet currently lives under intense government internet censorship according to a report from Freedom House. That means that more than 2 billion people have limited internet access. And the worst part is, the number of restricted users keeps going up as more and more countries are tightening their hold on how the […]
If you’re in the UK, you should be starting to get very worried about the Investigatory Powers Bill, also known as the “Snoopers Charter.” A final reading of the bill took place on October 31st–Halloween, and after a few potential amendments, the bill will be granted Royal Assent soon–shortly becoming law in the UK. In […]
Surprising no one, China is passing yet another internet censorship bill that will prohibit criticism of the government. Of course, any attempt to discuss what could be wrong with the government is a “terrorist attack” that disrupts economic, social, and political order. Unfortunately, the bill has already been approved by the National People’s Congress Standing […]
Turkey has been host to a ton of outrageous internet blockages this year. Governmental restrictions have blocked social media platforms from its citizens in various circumstances. A vast majority of these blockages are political in nature, designed to quell controversial discussion of sensitive governmental topics. And now, it’s happening again. Starting Friday, Turkey once again […]
In Middle Eastern countries we are seeing an increasingly worrying trend towards internet censorship and restricted the internet. Just recently on 10/30/2016, Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation agreed to censor the internet countrywide by signing a bill close to becoming law–joining countries like China, Iran, Turkey and other non-democratic countries in an attempt to take […]
In another instance of overreaching internet censorship, Turkey has shut down mobile and landline internet access across 11 cities in the southeast area of the country. This decision was a result of the local protest over Diyarbakır’s co-mayors, Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı, being detained on “terrorism” charges. The internet blockage started around 10 am […]
On August 30th, Iran announced that it officially completed the first of three stages to launch their own national internet. Supporters and authorities of the new national Internet–named the National Information Network, claim that it is faster, less costly, and more secure than the World Wide Web. Critics are noting that despite these claims, the […]
Right now Turkey is in a state of chaos. Social media has been shut down, and Turkish TV stations have been seized in the face of a military coup. Specific elements of the Turkey military are attempting to take power as low flying airplane and gunshots are heard all over Ankara. Turkish Prime Minister Binali […]
If you’re in Russia, things aren’t looking good for internet freedom. Around the world, the Internet is becoming censored with giant projects like China’s “Golden Shield Project” which use techniques like deep packet inspection to block websites and monitor user traffic on a massive scale. We covered our thoughts on Russia’s intent to build their […]
Since 2014, Europe has been pushing to censor Google search results within Europe. These laws fall under the regulation “The Right to be Forgotten” which comes in the form of user appeals. If a user wants their data removed from Google search results, they can send in an appeal–even if it’s factual. The Right to […]
