Information Policy

Internet tool fights censorship by making banned data look 'normal'

It's getting harder to evade censorship in countries like China and Iran, which have increasingly taken to blocking VPNs, the Tor network and any other service that might let you see the unflattering truth. A clever new tool should help you leap over those hurdles, however. Marionette, developed by researchers at RedJack and Portland State University, masks your visits to banned sites and services by making your data transmissions seem innocuous. It doesn't just disguise the traffic type -- you can program it to mimic the variances you'd expect from a given form of traffic (say, a voice chat) and respond in a convincing way when the censors' blocking software comes calling.

South Africa: Cabinet passes Internet censorship bill

Reports reveal that South Africa’s Cabinet has approved the submission of the films and publications amendment bill despite public outcry that the document is guided by policy seeking to curb internet freedom. The cabinet said the bill seeks to amend the films and publications act of 1996 by adapting it to the technological advances of todays’ world.

Wikipedia Banned in Russia: Internet Censorship Continues

By Anneliese Mahoney

Popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia has found itself a new enemy: the Russian government. Russian internet service providers were just ordered to block the site, another interesting move by a regime that is increasingly veering into the field of internet censorship.

Key sectors to spend $237bn on ICT in 2019

The manufacturing, energy and utilities sectors will spend a combined total of €206.51 billion ($237.26 billion) on information and communication technology (ICT) in 2019, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan.

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting firm, has released its latest analysis called the ‘Connected Industry Insight Series: ICT Opportunities in the Global Smart Plants Market’.

How do Eastern Partnership countries rate on media freedom?

One of the aims of the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) programme is to promote media freedom in the six EaP states. Based on the 2015 Freedom of the Press report produced by Freedom House, Jennifer Dunham and Elen Aghekyan assess each country’s progress. They note that while states like Georgia have made substantial improvements in recent years, others such as Belarus and Azerbaijan have some of the worst ratings for media freedom in the world. They argue that the EU will require a proactive and highly customised approach if it is to be successful in improving the media environment within each state.