Internet Limitations By States

[Rexedgar]

Using layman terms, how does a nation control the internet content that their citizens can access?

 

[Crovax]

Using layman terms, how does a nation control the internet content that their citizens can access?

The same way it controls the borders

 

[natsb]

Using layman terms, how does a nation control the internet content that their citizens can access?

There are network devices known as firewalls. There are also network routers with firewall features. One feature of firewalls is called blacklisting. Any address on the blacklist is blocked. When the State controls the blacklist, they control what makes it into their borders.

There are pages and pages of details that fill in the blanks, but that is the general gist of it in layman's talk.

 

[tshade]

Using layman terms, how does a nation control the internet content that their citizens can access?

Like all freedoms-------a compromise in regulations. You can never limit ALL content.

 

[WorldWatcher]

There are network devices known as firewalls. There are also network routers with firewall features. One feature of firewalls is called blacklisting. Any address on the blacklist is blocked. When the State controls the blacklist, they control what makes it into their borders.

There are pages and pages of details that fill in the blanks, but that is the general gist of it in layman's talk.

So all internet traffic to that state/country would have to be routed through the government servers correct?

Or would the state/country just maintain the blacklist and ISP's would have to ping against the list to allow access?

Then there is the VPN question.

WW

 

[natsb]

So all internet traffic to that state/country would have to be routed through the government servers correct?

Or would the state/country just maintain the blacklist and ISP's would have to ping against the list to allow access?

Then there is the VPN question.

WW

Traffic blocked at the firewall never makes it to any server; Government or private sector.

As far as allowed content, there are two ways to handle it.
1) Allow all traffic to pass and block what is on the blacklist.
2) Block all traffic and only allow what is on the whitelist to pass.

Most private networks, including all of my clients, follow method 2 as it is the most secure. It would also be the most effective method for a State to follow. So yes, under method 2, an ISP would have to make a request in order to allow an address to pass.

 

[Fishking]

Using layman terms, how does a nation control the internet content that their citizens can access?

The country can straight up block access to certain sites through their ISPs. Further, sometimes governments request certain things from an internet business to comply with and threaten that they will be blocked if they don't comply. Businesses often comply because they want money.

Here is an example for Google.

Google Plans to Launch Censored Search Engine in China, Leaked Documents Reveal

Android search app that will "blacklist sensitive queries" could be launched in six to nine months, according to documents and sources.

theintercept.com

GOOGLE IS PLANNING to launch a censored version of its search engine in China that will blacklist websites and search terms about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest, The Intercept can reveal.

The project – code-named Dragonfly – has been underway since spring of last year, and accelerated following a December 2017 meeting between Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and a top Chinese government official, according to internal Google documents and people familiar with the plans.

Teams of programmers and engineers at Google have created a custom Android app, different versions of which have been named “Maotai” and “Longfei.” The app has already been demonstrated to the Chinese government; the finalized version could be launched in the next six to nine months, pending approval from Chinese officials.

The planned move represents a dramatic shift in Google’s policy on China and will mark the first time in almost a decade that the internet giant has operated its search engine in the country.

 

[Rexedgar]

How hard is it for savvy people to find and view forbidden content?

 

[PeteEU]

Using layman terms, how does a nation control the internet content that their citizens can access?

Well there is domestically and internationally. Slightly different. Internationally, you can basically "pull the plug" because most countries either own, control or have access to their main international internet connections. This is especially poorer countries that dont have multiple cables going to them.

In the "old days" (20 years ago), if you did a traceroute on most internet stuff, you always passed through Virginia. Now that was because the main (and one of the only) undersea cables entered the US around there (from what I understand)... or if you are a bit paranoid, because the NSA/CIA are housed there.

https://geotraceroute.com/ is a fun tool to visually see where stuff goes and you can simulate from different places in the world.

It is harder to control access to the internet by governments these days, especially in the west, as much of the internet infrastructure is spread out all over the place with multiple fibreoptic undersea cables going into the US and Europe. Probably easier to target the power grid than the Internet.... internet needs power..

But saying that, for private ISP companies it can be pretty easy to do... especially if they are monopolies and have no regulation around them.

In Europe courts and governments have forced private ISPs to clamp down on certain websites. So The Piratebay is banned in many countries, but because the courts and governments are run by old white men with no Internet skills, most ISPs just do the bare minimum with these requests. So for example, Spanish courts have banned the Piratebay. Most ISPs block www.thepiratebay.org, which is the official site... but they dont block proxies, because the court order does not cover them. In Denmark the government and courts have also banned the Piratebay and are actively hitting down on proxies, but that is a wackamole that they will not win. Just get a VPN and wupti bypassed. It is idiotic and out of date, since the Piratebay was popular because we could not get access easily to movies, TV series and music.... like back in the 1990s and 2000s. Now days with streaming services coming with your internet contract.. please..

Point is, IF private ISPs want to control what you are doing.. they can easily do it and in many countries (including the US), they have done so. Netflix was slowed down on many US ISPs until that was found out. Comcast actively blocked Youtube for some customers because they consumed too much (according to Comcast).. the list goes on and on. Usually the real reason for such acts, is that the ISPs have run out of capacity and dont want to increase it as that takes profit away from shareholders.... yea greed.

So I would not be too worried about government control of the internet, and far far more worried about big corporations controlling what you can and can not view on the Internet. In Europe it is illegal to do so and we have so much competition that if one starts, then they will just lose all their customers. Now in the US... that is another matter, especially in some states and rural areas. Lets put it this way.. if someone did a Sinclair Broadcasting on your Internet as Sinclair Broadcasting has done to local news in the US..... then oh boy what a "fun" internet you would have.

 

[natsb]

How hard is it for savvy people to find and view forbidden content?

It is not easy. Anything on the wired network will be blocked. If one was near the border of a free State, they could pick up a wireless signal for a while. Picking up a wireless signal is easy to detect and finding the person doing it is equally easy. Therefore, the person using wireless would need to be very mobile and need to use burner radios.