Internet Censorship – Part 2

RapidVPN/ January 18, 2019/ Blog/

As a follow-up to the previous post about what internet censorship is all about, the areas it affects, and how it affects people, this post shall discuss various technologies government uses to ensure the success of the implementation of internet censorship program.

 

The government uses several methods or technologies to enforce internet censorship. Without strict enforcement of the internet censorship, the cyberspace will not be controlled effectively as intended.  Some of the techniques used by the government to make internet censorship happen are discussed below.

 

The Technologies Government Uses To Make Internet Censorship

Here are different technical blocking techniques that could be implemented to limit or suppress content to consumers.

 

  1. IP Address Blocking

The government can make internet censorship happen by blacklisting the IP addresses of websites already prohibited such that when people request access to the site, the request is dropped by the internet service providers.

 

  1. Domain Name System (DNS) Blocking

The authorities can block or deregister a domain that is publishing content that the government considers harmful to the citizenry. This makes the website invisible to the browsers of users; as a result, the domain will not be available.

 

  1. Uniform Resource Locator (URL) Filtering or Keywords Filtering

This technology involves scanning of the URL for specific keywords. As soon as the forbidden keywords are found in the URL, the is URL address will be blocked outright, and the user will not be able to access the website.

 

  1. Packet Filtering

This is an advanced blocking technology that focuses on the content of a website. It scans the content being transferred or transmitted for forbidden keywords. If the content contains a forbidden keyword, communication with the source can be disrupted by dropping the connection.

 

  1. Network Disconnection

The government can make internet censorship happen by completely cutting off the internet service in a way that it seems as if the network has an issue.

 

  1. Search Result Removal and Portal Censorship

The technology involves scanning the search results for specific keywords and completely removing the result from search engines.

 

  1. Computer Network Attacks

This comes in the form of denial of service (DoS) attacks that prevent access to services when the website is considered to be a threat.

 

  1. Taking Ownership of the Internet

The government can make internet censorship happen by directly owning the internet by becoming an internet service provider (ISP), which gives the government the power to do as pleased.