Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Tor Researchers' Tool Aims To Map Out Internet Censorship

Posted by Unknown on from the developers-mysteriously-disappear-during-senate-csipa-vote dept.

Sparrowvsrevolution writes "Tor developers Arturo Filasto and Jacob Appelbaum have released OONI-probe, an open-source software tool designed to be installed on any PC and run to collect data about local meddling with the computer's network connections, whether it be website blocking, surveillance or selective bandwidth slowdowns. Unlike other censorship tracking projects like HerdictWeb or the Open Net Initiative, OONI will allow anyone to run the testing application and share their results publicly. The tool has already been used to expose censorship by T-Mobile of its prepaid phones' browser and also by the Palestinian Authority, which was found to be blocking opposition websites. The minister responsible for the Palestinian censorship was forced to resign last week."

5 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Risk? by ohnocitizen · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What are the risks for anyone found running OONI-probe in a surveillance heavy country?

    1. Re:Risk? by filthpickle · · Score: 5, Insightful

      up to and including death.

    2. Re:Risk? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Such a coddled, uncreative human being you must be, to think that 'death' is the ultimate punishment.

    3. Re:Risk? by LordLucless · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you're in such a country, you don't need OONI - you know you're already censored.

      This looks to be more a tool against those regimes that claim to be open and against censorship, by pulling aside the curtain and revealing the reality - as, according to TFA, has already happened in Palestine.

      --
      Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
  2. I'd love to run it.... by BLKMGK · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I cannot find anything on the site that appears to make it available to me in a form I can run, a GIT repo for devs and some press releases is all. I suppose I could hit the "secure" .onion site but I see nothing to indicate there's code there. the summary appears to make it sound like they want participation and I'd love to help but see no way to do so.

    Am I the only one that finds this clear as mud?

    --
    Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org