ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take great pleasure in thanking my English professor Dr. Alka Singh for her infallible
support all through the course of this project. This endeavour would not have been in its present
shape had she not been there whenever I needed her. She has been a constant source of support
all the while.
Also I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the library staff for always helping me out with
finding excellent books and material almost every time I needed. They too have been a constant
support system in the completion of this project.
Last but surely not the least- I would like to thank my friends for their timely critical analysis of
my work and special feedback, that worked towards the betterment of this work.
INTRODUCTION
The Internet or the Information Highway, as it is unremarkably known, serves as a medium for
an average user to gain access to practically limitless amount of data.
Little do the people, who ride this highway, know about the major roadblocks that come their
way in the form of Internet Censorship
Internet Censorship is the method by which governments or regulators, control or suppress, the
content that can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet.
The extent to which, the information on internet is censored, varies on a country to country basis.
While most democratic counties have moderate internet censorship, other countries go as far as
to limit the access of information such as news and public opinion.
For example- In Russia tens and thousands of dissident sites and all the Word Press blogs were
blocked by the countrys government or In Vietnam, a new law called Decree 72 makes it illegal
to digitally distribute content that opposes the government, or even to share news stories on
social media.

While there exist both, outspoken supporters and opponents of internet censorship, to group them
is not easy as they have different modus operandi.
The outspoken opponents of censorship challenge the policies of the government in court, while
some assume the role of informational paladins to provide people with clandestine ways to
access censored information.
Internet censorship is desirable by a plethora of people around the globe, but, the motivation for
this censorship is different for different people. It ranges from well-intentioned desires to protect
children from unsuitable content, to authoritarian attempts to control a nation's access to
information.
The main question that arises here, is, that is it correct, more importantly legal, to restrict people
from viewing information over a platform that no one owns?
Is it correct to have access to someones private information or intervene in someones private
transactions?
Isnt it a clear violation of a persons right to privacy?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The researcher has relied on Doctrinal methodology. The Research is based on the study of the
sources which include text books, articles, journals, law reviews, data available on online portal,
relevant case laws and other web sources etc. Critical analytical and comparative methods are
used in the research for supporting the arguments.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is internet censorship?
2. What are the legal regulations pertaining to internet censorship?
3. What is the extent of internet censorship in major countries?
4. What is the need for internet censorship?
5. What are the challenges faced?

6. Is there a violation of a legal right involved?

HYPOTHESIS
At the end of this research the researcher would like to make clear the ambit of internet
censorship, why is it necessary, to what extent it is prevalent in different countries and the effects
that it has there, the need for internet censorship and the challenges faced .Also emphasizing on
the legal regulations pertaining to the same.

Table of contents:
1. CHAPTER ONE- Introduction to Internet Censorship

2. CHAPTER TWO- Content suppression method used in internet censorship

3. CHAPTER THREE- Applicability of internet censorship around the world

4. CHAPTER FOUR- Is internet censorship a violation of legal rights

5. CHAPTER FIVE- relevant legal issues and regulations relating to censorship.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The Future of Internet Freedom By-Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen
The authors have explained the growing role of internet and that how in a decade it will attract
billions of people towards it. They have said that the biggest increase will be in the societies
which according to people are severely censored.

They have cited examples of various countries such as Russia where the government blocked
the word press, Iran where trust is a big issue, Vietnam, Ukraine etc.
The authors have pointed out the various challenges in internet censorship like scalability,
usability etc. and explained why these problems exist and probable methods to overcome it.
I completely agree with the authors and I believe that the energies and opportunities are out there
and it is possible to end repressive internet censorship.

INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET CENSORSHIP

It sounds ridiculous and moreover impossible to find a place where people could have access to
any information they needed. It does not exist, is the response that you will get if u ask
someone about the whereabouts of the place. But some might say that this defines The internet.
With good comes bad. This applies to the internet as well.
The biggest advantage of the internet is that it is a source through which unlimited information
can be accessed. but to some extent this availability of unlimited information is a drawback as
there is some content which is inappropriate and that should not be viewed or should not be
accessible by everyone
this concept of hiding or removing such undesirable and inappropriate information from the
internet is known as internet censorship.
Internet censorship is the control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed
on the internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations at the behest of
government, regulators, or on their own initiative. Individuals and organizations may engage
in self-censorship for moral, religious, or business reasons, to conform to societal norms, due to
intimidation, or out of fear of legal or other consequences
The extent to which censorship is applicable varies from country to country basis. Some
countries like India have moderate censorship while there are countries that might go as far as
censoring information like news and suppress discussion amongst the citizens.

The major issues associated with internet censorship are identical to that for offline censorship of
more traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, books, music, radio, television and film.
A loophole in the censorship process is that national borders are permeable online i.e. residents
of a country that restricts certain information can be accessed on websites that are hosted in other
countries.
Internet censorship works to restrict the availability of information even though there is no legal
or physical control over the websites. To censor information a lot of censorship methods such as
blocking and content filtering are used which are unique to the internet.
CONTENT SUPPRESSION METHODS USED IN INTERNET CENSORSHIP

There are basically two approaches involved in content suppression.

Technical and non technical

Technical

For effective internet censorship, governments, regulators, private organizations on their own
initiative or at the behest of government/regulator, may undertake non-technical and technical
internet content suppression methods. The common technical methods for internet content
suppression are as follows
\1. Network disconnection. This method employs a full block and is effective and technically
simpler. All the routers, either by software or hardware, by turning off machines or pulling out
cables, are completely cut off. This method of network disconnection (full blocks) was during
the 2011 Egyptian protests, in Myanmar/Burma in 2007, Libya in 2011, and Syria during the
Syrian civil war.
2. Portal censorship and search result removal. Sometimes major portals and search
engines may exclude a website, which they may generally include. By doing so, the website
which could have been easily available and found by everyone is accessible by only those
who know about it. When this is done, it has a similar effect as censorship.

This exclusion is done to comply with legal requirements and sometimes such exclusion is
on the discretion of the portal.
3. Computer network attacks. Denial-of-service attacks and attacks that deface opposition
websites can produce the same result as other blocking techniques, preventing or limiting access
to certain websites or other online services, although only for a limited period of time. This
technique might be used during the lead up to an election or some other sensitive period. It is
more frequently used by non-state actors seeking to disrupt services.
4. Internet Protocol (IP) addresses blocking. In this method a certain I.p address is targeted
and access to it is denied. HTTP, FTP and POP are a few IP based protocols that are
usually affected. . If it is a shared server on which the targeted website is hosted. Then access is
denied to all the websites on that server. Proxies may also be targeted or jammed.

5. Domain name system (DNS) filtering and redirection. All IP based protocols such as HTTP,
FTP and POP are affected. In this method blocked domain names are not resolved, and via DNS
hijacking or other means incorrect IP addresses are returned.
To find an alternative DNS root that resolves domain names correctly is a typical circumvention
method, but domain name servers are subject to blockage as well, especially IP address blocking.
Bypassing DNS if the IP address is obtainable from other sources is another workaround.

6. Packet filtering. In this method when a certain number of controversial keywords are
detected, all the TCP packet transmissions are terminated. All TCP based protocols such as
HTTP, FTP and POP are affected, but these contents are more likely to be censored by search
engines. Encrypted connections such as VPN and TLS/SSL are used in typical circumvention
methods to escape HTML content or to reduce the amount of text contained in a given packet.

7. Uniform Resource Locator filtering. In this method regardless of the domain name
specified, the URL strings are scanned for target keywords. The HTTP protocol is affected.

encrypted protocols such as VPN and TLS/SSL or the escaped characters in the URL are to be
used in typical circumvention methods.

8. Connection reset. Future connection attempts can be blocked for some variable amount of
time is previous TCP connection is blocked by the filter. Other users or websites may be blocked,
(depending upon the location of the block), if the communication is routed through the blocking
location.
To ignore the reset packet sent by the firewall is a circumvention method.
9. Commercial filtering software. Commercial companies produce filtering software to block
deemed offensive internet content.

NON-TECHNICAL
Content suppression methods of traditional media like newspapers, books, magazines, music,
radio, and TV, are also utilized to suppress content on the Internet. Both technical and nontechnical methods may be used, either singly or jointly, to enforce effective internet censorship
the common non-technical methods are as follows:

1. Content may be blocked either proactively or in response to requests or may be totally

removed if it is prohibited by law or the regulations require it so.
2. Publishers, authors and ISPs
-may accept bribes to include, withdraw, or slant the information they present
-may be subject to civil lawsuits
-may be subject to boycotts
-may be subject to arrest, criminal prosecution, fines , and imprisonment.
3. Publishers and ISPs may be closed or required licenses may be withheld or revoked

4. Publishers, authors and their families

-may be threatened with or actually lose their jobs
-may be subject to threats, attacks, beatings, and even murder.
5. Individuals may be paid to write articles and comments in support of particular positions
or attacking opposition positions, usually without acknowledging the payments to readers
and viewers. Provision of information in this fashion is in keeping with principles of
freedom of expression, as long as it is done transparently and does not overwhelm
alternative sources of information
6. Censors may create their own online publications and Web sites to guide online opinion
7. Access to the internet may be denied,deliberate or not.1
APPICABILITY OF INTERNET CENSORSHIP IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
The internet is the place to find any information or almost anything that you need.
But unfortunately this privilege is not bestowed upon the people residing in other parts of the
world.
With increasing freedom being viewed as a perceived threat to established order in numerous
parts of the world, government in these areas regulates the contents over the internet, both
viewed and created through censorship.
Large or small, these efforts represent a concerted quashing of dissenting opinion and content
deemed unsavory to viewers. From the United Kingdom and their web filters to the Great
Firewall of China, countries around the world are leveraging technology against technology in
an effort to curtail public dissent and shape perceptions.
Let us see the applicability and prevalence of internet censorship in various countries.

1. UNITED KINGDOM

1 Clean internet charity,cleaninternetcharity.com,

http://cleaninternetcharity.com/2013/07/07/internet-content-suppression-methodsnon-technical/

A more conservative use of filtering technology with not entirely unwelcomed aim ,
This defines UKs censorship efforts. To maintain laws that criminalize publication of
libel, copyright, incitement of terrorism, and child pornography, the countries
government blocks access to sites that may contain such content. The troubling aspect of
this censorship lies in its increasing prevalence.

Efforts to curtail harmful behavior have elicited the argument that such measures limit
freedom of expression, freedom of information, and protection of privacy. Internet
service providers in The country use filtering technology that blocks content tagged as
pornography, violent, extremist, terrorist, eating disorder, suicide, alcohol,
smoking, web form, esoteric material, and web-blocking circumvention. Citizens
have the opportunity to opt out of this filter, but its default application is viewed
negatively by civil liberties advocates.

The method used for internet censorship- Default filtering technology used by the four
major Internet Service Providers

2. CHINA

On the opposite end of the spectrum, China maintains a wide body of regulations
and laws that censor Internet access.
In addition, the country cracks down on dissenting opinions to a severe extent.
According to Amnesty International, China has the largest recorded number of
imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world.
Their crimes include communicating with foreign groups abroad, signing online
petitions, and calling for reform and end of corruption in government.

In addition to regulatory mandates, the country employs some of the most

sophisticated Internet controls in the world. Officials can block web domains on

demand and monitor Internet access of individuals in detail. The most potent tool
at the governments disposal, however, is a perception that Internet activity is
being monitored at all times. For this reason, businesses and individuals willing
self-censor, achieving regulatory aims through a culture of fear

Political dissent, discussion boards and social media are the contents which are
blocked and restricted in China.

IP blocking, DNS filtering and redirection, URL filtering, Packet filtering, TCP
connection reset are the methods used internet censorship.

3. IRAN
Number of motives comes into play when constructing Internet censorship rules. In Iran,
that motivation lies in the involvement of puritanical religious laws that place strict
boundaries on socially acceptable behavior. Between these guidelines and government
control of communications channels, the country finds itself on the more extreme end of
Internet censorship.

The centralized authority of communications is what drives censorship efforts. Each

Internet service provider that operates within Irans borders must receive approval from
both the Telecommunication Company of Iran and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic
Guidance.
Pornography, gay and lesbian porn, political dissent, news media and Kurdish Wikipedia
are the restricted or blocked content.

 Methods like Ubiquitous routing of traffic through the state-run telecommunications

authority, internet speed restriction, deep packet inspection and communication
monitoring are used for censorship in Iran.

4. NORTH KOREA.
Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea has been shrouded in secrecy for quite some
time, even to its residents. With a high degree of censorship and no de facto freedom of
press, the North Korean government exercises severe restriction of communications
channels in order to perpetuate propaganda and craft public perception. All media outlets
are owned and controlled by the government and Internet access is illegal. Only a small
collective of government officials have Internet access through a secret Korean-Chinese
network. The remaining citizens are limited to the countrys private Internet, called the
Kwangmyong.

All forms of content are restricted or blocked.

Methods such as strict surveillance and maintenance of a private internet network,

criminalization of internet access are used for internet censorship
In BURMA Authorities filter e-mails and block access to sites of groups that expose human
rights violations or disagree with the government.
In CUBA Internet available only at government controlled "access points." Activity online is
monitored through IP blocking, keyword filtering and browsing history checking. Only progovernment users may upload content.
In SAUDI ARABIA around 400,000 sites have been blocked, including any that discuss
political, social or religious topics incompatible with the Islamic beliefs of the monarchy.

In SYRIA Bloggers who "jeopardize national unity" are arrested. Cybercafs must ask all
customers for identification, record time of use and report the information to authorities.
In TUNASIA Internet service providers must report to the government the IP addresses and
personal information of all bloggers. All traffic goes through a central network. The government
filters all content uploaded and monitors e-mails.
In VIETNAM the Communist Party requires Yahoo, Google and Microsoft to divulge data on all
bloggers who use their platforms. It blocks websites critical of the government, as well as those
that advocate for democracy, human rights and religious freedom.
In TURKMENISTAN the only Internet service provider is the government. It blocks access to
many sites and monitors all e-mail accounts in Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail.

INTERNET CENSORSHIP VIOLATION OF LEGAL RIGHTS

There are reports that bloggers in china have been exempted from disclosing their real personal
information. It is not just china who has been employing repressive tactics against the freedom of
expression over the internet.
The trend of state led censorship is on the rise and has been prevalent for political, social and
security reasons.
"By comparing their findings to earlier reports, the authors conclude that ltering is currently
increasing worldwide. They also believe that governments are extending restrictions beyond just
information websites to other online services, such as Internet telephony network Skype."2

2 Internet censorship: Violation of right to information?By Arun Radhakrishnan in IT News

Digest, May 24, 2007, 4:06 AM PST

The media association has said that denying the right to access information is a clear violation of
basic human rights but at the same time it is an offense that can never possibly work as it is
always technically possible to overcome such bans.
The Media Associations Internet committee completed a report in July on Internet censorship in
Turkey that called for amending Law No. 5651, which regulates the Internet, in a manner that
would support freedom of thought and expression and in accordance with the Council of
Europes Convention on Cybercrime.
The report said that although access bans never work and YouTube remains the 10th most visited
website in Turkey despite being banned by court order, the practice of forbidding websites
blemishes the image of Turkey as a democratic nation.
The report noted that the Internet, which has no central administration, cannot be controlled by
any individual, institution or government, although there have been attempts in almost every
country in the world to classify Internet content according to their own priorities.

Law No 5651, enacted in 2007, was initially devised to protect children from harmful content
and to prevent the encouragement of suicide, prostitution and drug use, the report said. However,
over time it has left Turkey with a ban on YouTube and paved the way for the restriction of
Turkish societys right to information, as courts can now block access to any content that they
deem not to be in line with Turkish law. The report noted that blocking access was generally
done through banning the domain name and Internet Protocol (IP) number of a particular site.3

RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND ACTS

3 http://www.todayszaman.com/news-217492-100-internet-censorship-is-violationof-human-rights-says-media-association.html

SOPA (STOP ONLINE PIRACY ACT)

Introduced by U.S. Representative Lamar Smith, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a United
States bill intended to extend the U.S. law enforcement to "fight online trafficking in copyrighted
intellectual property and counterfeit goods." The law would expand existing laws to include
unauthorized streaming of copyright material and impose a maximum penalty of five years in
prison.
Under SOPA, law enforcement could request court orders to bar advertising networks and
payment facilities from conducting business with infringing websites, bar search engines from
linking to the sites, requires Internet service to block access to the websites.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a controversial bill as proponents claim the bill would
protect the intellectual property market, and that it has become necessary to increase enforcement
of copyright laws. Opponents claim SOPA threatens free speech and enables law enforcement to
block access to entire Internet domains due to infringing material posted on a single webpage or
blog.

CONCLUSION

When the statistics prove that the need of the hour is to make the Internet more accessible
globally, the rise in censorship is indeed sad news. Moreover, this seems to be a trend that large
technology corporations are unable to stop and are in fact abetting to protect their pecuniary
concerns.
We have established the scope of internet and its applicability around the world and we know
that internet is not all that good and that there have to be some restrictions even to the finest and
most useful things. The difficulties of regulating the new technologies, mean that traditional
forms of censorship no longer work. For example, the Internet censorship legislation was always
going to be either ineffectual, or unreasonably draconian. The new technologies, however, give
us an opportunity to re-evaluate the role of government in controlling individual access to

communications content. More than that, they should force new ways of thinking about freedom
of speech and censorship that match the new threats and challenges posed by the technologies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY::
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-217492-100-internet-censorship-is-violation-of-human-rights-saysmedia-association.html
Internet censorship: Violation of right to information?
By Arun Radhakrishnan in IT News Digest, May 24, 2007, 4:06 AM PST

Clean internet charity,cleaninternetcharity.com, http://cleaninternetcharity.com/2013/07/07/internet-contentsuppression-methods-non-technical/

The Future of Internet Freedom By-Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen