Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
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Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#2For the past 8 months we've been working on building a series of probes;
- Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.org.blocked...
- Python https://github.com/openrightsgroup/OrgProbe
- Raspberry PI images https://github.com/openrightsgroup/lepidopter)
And an open API to power them: https://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Censorship_Monitoring_...
This is helping to build a picture of what the UK Governments Internet Blocking/Filtering/Censorship actually looks like.
You can submit URLs to be tested by visiting https://www.Blocked.org.uk by installing the Android app or by tweeting a URL with the hashtag #IsBlocked
Once we receive a URL it is dispatched to all probes over a period of time where it is checked against a know list of blocking methods.
The results are returned back to the API for public evaluation.
For example: https://www.blocked.org.uk/results?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.yc...
Please help us build a picture of UK Internet Censorship by adding URLs to be tested, by helping develop new probes (browser extensions, an iPhone client etc etc) or just by spreading the word that https://Blocked.org.uk is available.
Please also see https://www.blocked.org.uk/faq which will explain the level of filtering enabled on some of the probes which will explain why some sites may appear blocked even if you, being on the same ISP, can reach said URL.
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#3Ah I knew something was in the works as Andrews & Arnold were writing about obtaining connections from ISPs to test what was blocked. Great to know what is being censored (if you are not on A&A).
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#4I've been checking various websites I go on that are completely fine for kids. It's amazing what's getting blocked. One example according to that website is, TalkTalk blocks "http://www.writingexcuses.com/" It's a podcast that teaches story writing.
Blocking that is insane!
And the blocked website itself is blocked on two ISPs https://www.blocked.org.uk/results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblocked....
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#5I've been checking various websites I go on that are completely fine for kids. It's amazing what's getting blocked. One example according to that website is, TalkTalk blocks " http://www.writingexcuses.com/" It's a podcast that teaches story writing. Blocking that is insane! And the blocked website itself is blocked on two ISPs https://www.blocked.org.uk/results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblocked....
I think TalkTalk is either using a whitelist or an oversensitive keyword filter.
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#6I've been checking various websites I go on that are completely fine for kids. It's amazing what's getting blocked. One example according to that website is, TalkTalk blocks " http://www.writingexcuses.com/" It's a podcast that teaches story writing. Blocking that is insane! And the blocked website itself is blocked on two ISPs https://www.blocked.org.uk/results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblocked....
If you test www.blocked.org.uk it doesn't show as blocked so either it changed between scans or there is an issue here. Maybe someone can test.
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#7I've been checking various websites I go on that are completely fine for kids. It's amazing what's getting blocked. One example according to that website is, TalkTalk blocks " http://www.writingexcuses.com/" It's a podcast that teaches story writing. Blocking that is insane! And the blocked website itself is blocked on two ISPs https://www.blocked.org.uk/results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblocked....
I think TalkTalk is either using a whitelist or an oversensitive keyword filter.
The TalkTalk filter is the default "KidSafe" level
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#8For the past 8 months we've been working on building a series of probes; - Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.org.blocked... - Python https://github.com/openrightsgroup/OrgProbe - Raspberry PI images https://github.com/openrightsgroup/lepidopter ) And an open API to power them: https://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Censorship_Monitoring_... This is helping to build a picture of what the UK Gover…
It would seem like some classification of the blocked URLs plus a suitable extension to use willing proxies would be quite useful as an exercise in making the blocklist completely pointless.
I'd imagine a lot of people that have issues with e.g. running a Tor node would be perfectly happy to offer up proxies offering up various subsets of the blocked sites whitelisted by category.
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#9I've been checking various websites I go on that are completely fine for kids. It's amazing what's getting blocked. One example according to that website is, TalkTalk blocks " http://www.writingexcuses.com/" It's a podcast that teaches story writing. Blocking that is insane! And the blocked website itself is blocked on two ISPs https://www.blocked.org.uk/results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblocked....
I think TalkTalk is either using a whitelist or an oversensitive keyword filter.
My personal website is blocked by Talk Talk apparently. I guess compiler writing must be harmful for children.
Re: Open Rights Group has launched a UK Censorship Monitoring API and Botnet
#10I've been checking various websites I go on that are completely fine for kids. It's amazing what's getting blocked. One example according to that website is, TalkTalk blocks " http://www.writingexcuses.com/" It's a podcast that teaches story writing. Blocking that is insane! And the blocked website itself is blocked on two ISPs https://www.blocked.org.uk/results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblocked....
This is with the new government mandated opt-out censorship enabled (except AAISP, who don't offer it) - if that is disabled, most blocked sites would be accessible, except that sites with 'adult content' are still blocked by default on mobile networks (EE, O2, Three), which is an account setting with age verification to enable.