Researchers have created a tool to monitor the accessibility of Web pages around the world that can be installed by adding a single line of code to a web page.
The tool, Encore, runs when a user visits a website where the code is installed and then discreetly collects data from potentially censored sites. The researchers hope the data they collect will allow them to determine the wheres, whens and hows of what’s blocked, as well as identify ways to get around restricted access.
“Web censorship is a growing problem affecting users in an increasing number of countries,” said Sam Burnett, the Georgia Tech Ph.D. candidate who leads the project. “Collecting accurate data about what sites and services are censored will help educate users about its effects and shape future Internet policy discussions surrounding Internet regulation and control.”
The measurement tool that Burnett and his adviser Nick Feamster, professor at the Georgia Tech School of Computer Science, developed — known as Encore — works by collecting information about a users’ Web access and censorship of various sites across other countries.
These measurements happen automatically in the background after a page has loaded and do not affect a site’s performance or a user’s experience. Most users won’t ever notice them or realize they are helping to measure Web accessibility, although the tool provides ways to inform users that their browsers are conducting the measurements.
“Encore doesn’t track users’ browsing behaviors or the content they visit, only whether or not a potentially censored website is reachable from where they are,” Burnett said.
Read more . . .
The Latest on: Censorship
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Censorship” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Censorship
- On COVID origins and outsourced censorship, State Department feels the squeeze from Congress, courton May 8, 2024 at 12:54 pm
Judge who rejected election challenge approves "expedited discovery" in lawsuit by Texas and conservative publishers against Global Engagement Center. COVID subcommittee wants classified cables made ...
- Christmas carolers accuse City of Detroit of censorshipon May 8, 2024 at 9:46 am
The Detroit Ceasefire Choir says it was kicked out of Campus Martius Park for calling for peace in Gaza. Christmas is traditionally a time to wish for “peace on earth, goodwill to men” — but a group ...
- TikTok’s New Election Integrity Plan Is a Trojan Horse for Censorshipon May 8, 2024 at 9:40 am
Congress made the right decision last month when it voted overwhelmingly to require TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app. But there’s more work to be done.
- The Stellar Blade Censorship Controversy Explainedon May 8, 2024 at 6:46 am
First announced in 2019 as Project EVE, Stellar Blade is a post-cyberpunk action-RPG inspired by 90s anime OVAs like Battle Angel Alita, and open-world action-RPGs like Nier Automata and the recent ...
- House Judiciary report finds Brazil censorship orders extended to Rumbleon May 7, 2024 at 3:45 pm
The 86-page report was a follow-up to a report on Brazil's efforts to censor posts on X last month. But the new documents show that the censorship extends to nine orders to Rumble, or Rumble-owned ...
- Unveiling the artistry of JustMikeysArt: Navigating the complexities of desire and censorshipon May 7, 2024 at 4:43 am
In an exclusive interview with PRIDE.COM, Mikey delves into the inspirations that fuel his art, his journey through self-discovery, and the ongoing battle against censorship. Mikey's artistic journey ...
- Tom Brady's Netflix special 'broke the mold on censorship,' ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman sayson May 7, 2024 at 1:00 am
Former NFL star Shawne Merriman told Fox News Digital he thought Netflix went above and beyond to really showcase comedy during Tom Brady's roast.
- Rumble reveals censorship demands from surprising list of countries as CEO to testify on free speech threatson May 6, 2024 at 11:12 am
Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble, is set to testify before Congress on censorship efforts by foreign governments against his company's site, including by a surprising number of U.S. allies.
- Italy's RAI journalists strike over budget streamlining, complain of censorship and media repressionon May 6, 2024 at 6:09 am
Some journalists at Italy’s state-run RAI went on strike Monday to protest budget streamlining and what they said was an increasingly repressive atmosphere in Italy for media under the government of ...
- R.F.K. Jr. Claims Censorship After Facebook and Instagram Briefly Block New Adon May 5, 2024 at 4:27 pm
The ad, a sleek 30-minute production, was blocked for several hours on Friday and Saturday. Meta, which owns both platforms, said the link had been incorrectly flagged as spam.
via Bing News