Republican bill would order ISPs, #DNS providers, and VPNs to block #piracy sites

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/republican-bill-would-order-isps-dns-providers-and-vpns-to-block-piracy-sites/

#ISP #VPN #privacy #censorship

Nighthawks Game Removal Shows Why Age Verification Laws Are Bad

Vampire game, Nighthawks, got removed from Steam for being adults only. The problem is that it wasn't adults only.

https://www.freezenet.ca/nighthawks-game-removal-shows-why-age-verification-laws-are-bad/

#Business #Censorship #News #AgeVerification #gaming #Nighthawks #Steam

"The sudden mass suspension of Instagram accounts has led to fears of brigading against demonstrators."

Wired: Meta’s Copyright System Is Being Weaponized Against Albanian Protesters https://www.wired.com/story/metas-copyright-system-is-being-weaponized-against-albanian-protesters/ @WIRED #Meta #democracy #technofascism #censorship

PS. This is happening everywhere even if you don’t hear about the less famous examples.

I was removed from keynoting a conference in the Netherlands this year when the suits in Florida whose event it was saw that I’d called for a moment of silence for Palestinian victims of genocide at my last talk.

(The folks in the Netherlands who were hosting it and had invited me to speak were as horrified as I was and I got my sizeable speaking fee – which goes to our not for profit and supports our work on the Small Web – regardless and they told me they never would have hosted the conference if they had known what the Floridians were like.)

The evil, criminal motherfuckers who are funding, arming, defending, and thus actively complicit in genocide know that the world is starting to see through their lies when confronted with the truth. So their only weapon now is to try and muzzle the truth tellers.

#israel #genocide #Gaza #censorship

#Freenet / #Hyphanet 0.7.5 build 1507 is now available:
https://www.hyphanet.org/freenet-hyphanet-075-build-1507-fix-probe-routing-plugins-and-upkeep.html

Main changes:

- reduced startup time
- improved privacy of probe requests,
- polished italian localization
- updated plugins
- last version to support Java 8.

Many thanks to all the contributors and testers who made this release possible!

#decentralization #p2p #privacy #FreeSoftware #censorship

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Screenshot of the News article.

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A jumping white rabbit with blue background, below it the name Hyphanet.

Alt...

Description from the Website: Reclaim Your Privacy! Hyphanet makes it easy to publish and follow what others publish with strong privacy protections. Plugins built on its decentralized data store make it very easy to host your own website and provide microblogging and forums, media sharing from files to video-on-demand and decentralized version tracking, blogging and spam resistance without central authority. For an easy start you can join the global Opennet. For maximum privacy, connect to your friends and build a friend-to-friend network independent of and invisible to any centralized server. To access the global network, you either need some friends who also connect to opennet, or use the Shoeshop plugin to build a sneakernet that can even bridge separate friend-to-friend networks when your regional internet itself gets severed from the global information network. Lots of additional information about Hyphanet and its history is available on Wikipedia.

If you haven't heard, #NVDA bought #HuggingFace, so the #censorship of open, #uncensored Al will likely accelerate.

So voila: here's #HuggingBay, the #PirateBay for open #LLM's, model weights downloadable with #torrents as backup:

https://huggingbay.xyz/

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A cartoonish pirate emoji wearing an eyepatch and a pirate hat, smiling with open arms, is set against a background featuring a pirate ship and black flags with smiley skull designs. The text reads "The Hugging Bay."

My son was telling me how his school have tightened up their web filters in response to worries about online harms. Apparently you can’t now look U.K. the assassination of JFK because it contain references to guns or Charlie Kirk’s page as it contains references to abortion. #censorship #moralpanic

#TorVPN Beta: What we've learned building our own #VPN for #Android from scratch

https://blog.torproject.org/tor-vpn-beta/

#Android #FOSS #privacy #censorship

Hey, Yankees? How's that "Freedom of speech" workin' out for ya?

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/kimmels-abc-show-wont-air-interview-with-democrat-because-of-trump-fcc-threats/

#LateNightTV #Censorship

Saskatchewan Government Misleads Public in Social Media Survey

If you ever wondered where the so-called "broad support" for age verification comes from, well, we might have gotten the answer.

https://www.freezenet.ca/saskatchewan-government-misleads-public-in-social-media-survey/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Canada #government #Saskatchewan #SocialMedia #survey

Ukraine Censorship

Kiev - the capital of Ukraine - is being attacked by Russia, but civilians are told to not share pictures online of the fires or damage done.

"We also remind you: do not take photos or videos of the consequences of the enemy attack and do not share such materials online."

source:
https://www.facebook.com/volodymyr.vovkotrub

#Ukraine #censorship #Kiev #Kyiv #Russia #news #war

@adisonverlice

Yuppers.

#AgeVerification = equals = #IdentityVerification = equals = #Censorship

The Sneaky Attempt to End Cash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CZspAptXwQ

The End of Cash | Plain Meaning

On August 7th, 2026, a mostly empty Senate chamber passed a bill that
most Americans have never heard of. There was no recorded vote. Just
silence. And in that silence, something significant happened.

The Common Cents Act would end production of the penny permanently.
But buried inside an amendment introduced at 10:53pm by a blockchain
entrepreneur turned senator was something nobody really talked about.
It was a provision that would give the Secretary of the Treasury the
power to eliminate every coin in American circulation. The nickel. The
dime. The quarter. All of it could be gone with nothing but 60 days
notice to Congress.

In this episode of Plain Meaning, I break down exactly what happened
that night, who was behind it, and what they stand to gain. I look at
a senator known as the "crypto queen" and another senator who made his
money selling cars, and how they stand to gain from all this. I also
look at the firms behind them and why eliminating physical cash would
make them extraordinarily powerful.

I also ask the question nobody in Washington is asking--what happens
when the lights go out and your only form of payment is digital? What
happens when your digital wallet gets hacked? And what does it mean
for every American when a handful of technology firms control the
infrastructure every single transaction in your life must go through?

Physical cash is the only form of payment that requires no middleman,
no electricity, no network, and no permission. This episode explains
why that matters--and what you can still do about it.

The bill has not yet become law. The House must still vote on the
Senate version. There is still time. But only if people know what is
happening.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 — Introduction: When the Lights Go Out
3:19 — The Echo Chamber: What Happened on August 7th
6:30 — The Pushers: Who Is Behind This Bill
9:27 — Sneaky Sneaky: How They Passed It Without a Vote
11:38 — The New Middlemen: What a World Without Cash Really Looks Like

SOURCES:
— Common Cents Act (S.1525) — congress.gov
— Senate Amendment SA 6766 — Congressional Record S4586-S4588
— Senator Lummis financial disclosures — senate.gov
— FEC campaign finance records — fec.gov
— Andreessen Horowitz political spending — opensecrets.org
— Canada penny elimination study — Bank of Canada
— GENIUS Act text — congress.gov
— Chainalysis government contracts — justice.gov

#EndOfCash #CommonCentsAct #Penny #CynthiaLummis #BernieMoreno
#Bitcoin #Crypto #DigitalCurrency #CashIsKing #Senate #Congress
#PlainMeaning #CryptoQueen #AndriessenHorowitz #Blockchain
#PhysicalCash #KeepCash #LummisAmendment #DigitalWallet #CBDCWarning
#FinancialFreedom #CashPrivacy #SenateVote #UnanimousConsent
#CryptoIndustry #SaveThePenny #FederalReserve #TreasuryDepartment
#ScottBessent #KeepCash

#PlainMeaning #Documentary #NationalID #CashlessSociety #CBDC #CentralBanks #Surveillance #Censorship

The Secret Push for a National ID

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIwl0bK8I_0

#NationalID #Surveillance #Censorship #Tracking #ID #SecurityState

The Real Reason Behind Online Age Verification Laws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHZTeEN2HT0

What does online age verification laws actually have to do with the ENABLING of collecting data from children, China's surveillance and censorship laws, and the profits of companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google? A lot more than you think.

In this episode of Plain Meaning, I break down the real agenda behind the push for operating system age verification. From California's Digital Age Assurance Act to federal proposals in Congress, they have come from the same source. I trace who benefits, what laws get quietly gutted in the process, and why the timing lines up suspiciously with China's own digital surveillance rollout.

What you'll learn:
— Why Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta all win if these laws pass
— How age verification effectively nullifies existing laws that protect you and your children like COPPA and the Privacy Act of 1974
— What already happened in the UK under the Online Safety Act — and why it matters for America
— The striking parallels between Apple's product rollouts and China's surveillance
— Why this isn't about protecting kids at all but more about removing the remaining barriers SO THEY CAN TRACK THEM

This is Part 1 of the Plain Meaning 12-part Plain Meaning Special Report. Links to all episodes will appear as they're released.

The Real Reason Behind Online Age Verification Laws
The rest are coming soon...

California's law takes effect January 2027. There is still time — but not much.

#AgeVerification #DigitalPrivacy #OnlineSafety #COPPA #BigTech #ChildOnlineSafety #Surveillance #Apple #Google #Meta #Facebook #DigitalID #PlainMeaning #PrivacyRights #ChinaTech #InternetFreedom #DataPrivacy #OperatingSystem #TechPolicy #ParentsRights #China #PrivacyAct

#AgeVerification #DigitalPrivacy #OnlineSafety

#AgeVerification #NationalID #Surveillance #Censorship #PlainMeaning

If the firing isn't #censorship and chilling of #freespeech, I don't know what is.

Roque Planas: Judge refuses to block #Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes journalists. Ruling allows defense department to proceed for now in exerting greater editorial control over military news outlet.

#hegseth #media
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/04/judge-pentagon-stars-and-stripes

YouTube marked this video PRIVATE. So I downloaded the torrent.

It's been awhile since I have downloaded bittorrent, and yet it is a useful protocol that works.

https://archive.org/download/youtube-Y1ByPgdH8h4/youtube-Y1ByPgdH8h4_archive.torrent

#torrent #video #YouTube #censorship #spiritual #music #Elvis #MichaelJackson #KurtCobain #RobinWilliams #nirvana #withcraft

Utah’s VPN Ban Law Goes Into Effect… Again

A court order blocking the ridiculous Utah VPN ban/age verification law has expired, allowing it to go back into force.

https://www.freezenet.ca/utahs-vpn-ban-law-goes-into-effect-again/

#Censorship #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #court #lawsuit #legislation #US #Utah #VPN

One reason I post on #Mastodon but no longer on Twitter/X or their spin-off Bluesky. My complaint a year ago was marked spam, but it is a true testimony!

#censorship

“Meta’s settlement with 52 state attorneys general is a bad deal for all internet users, and especially for teens. That’s what we said the day the settlement was announced.

In this post, we go through the Settlement’s provisions in detail and explain why that is so, including how:

- The Settlement embeds age assurance technology and age-gates into Meta’s social media products and requires all users—minors and adults—to undergo a rights-threatening age estimation process

- The Settlement places severe restrictions on Teens that can largely only be modified by the Teens’ parents and only then in exchange for giving their parents a ton of information about their online community and usage;

- The Settlement seems to empower the attorneys general to enforce Meta’s content restriction on “age inappropriate content,” categories that Meta itself has had trouble administering without excluding information about sexuality, sexual and reproductive healthcare, and abortion medication;

- The Settlement actually requires Meta to collect, analyze, and retain more information about its Teen users—when the pressure should have been on Meta to diminish its surveillance capitalism.

- And the Settlement in no way limits the attorneys general from seeking the user information for their own law enforcement purposes.”

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/09/metas-17-billion-settlement-bad-deal-teens-and-all-social-media-users

#SocialMedia #Meta #AgeVerification #Censorship #USA #Surveillance

Sometimes mysterious things happen to YouTube videos.

#YouTube #censorship #spiritual #BobDylan

A quotation from Hugo Black

In the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell.

Hugo Black (1886–1971) American politician and jurist, US Supreme Court Justice (1937–71)
New York Times Co. v. United States 403 U.S. 713, 717 (1971) (concurring)

More about this quote: wist.info/black-hugo/36400/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #hugoblack #scotus #censorship #firstamendment #fourthestate #freepress #freedomofthepress #government #journalism #media #meme #priorrestraint #SCOTUS #tyranny #watchdog

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The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. - Hugo Black

New Zealand Pushing for Failed Age Verification Law

New Zealand lawmakers have announced that they are stupid enough to table age verification legislation.

https://www.freezenet.ca/new-zealand-pushing-for-failed-age-verification-law/

#Censorship #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #fail #legislation #NewZealand

@light Thank you, friend, for sharing that. Now I also was able to watch it.

She was cautious in her wording, careful to not actually say out loud the infamous "911", and still YouTube found it and restricted it. Do we really need YouTube/Google/Alphabet protecting children from this content, by age-restricting it?

As for me, I believe her testimony.

Many were fooled once. But will they be fooled again? (The fiery kickoff event will also fool many.)

#censorship #YouTube

Most Challenged Books

Every year, the American Library Association compiles a list of the books most frequently targeted by censors based on reports from the field and media coverage.

https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

Banned books at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/422

#censorship #BannedBooks #books

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Stacks of books bound by string that are haphazardly thrown into a large pile

"Age verification (laws and regulations requiring platforms and websites to assure or estimate that a user seeking to use an online service is of a certain age) is everywhere. At the time of writing, about half the states in the US have some internet age verification law in place, and dangerous proposals, from the KIDS Act to the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), have been advancing at the federal level. European Union member states are moving toward having age verification in a centralized app by the end of this year. Australia famously now has one extremely broad restriction in place.

Most age verification laws tend to fail at their primary goal of barring kids from being online or from entering only specially designated zones, not to mention they pose a significant threat to everyone’s privacy. Some proponents of these age-based internet restrictions think they've found the silver bullet: Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs). We wrote about ZKP’s when they were first rolled out in the age verification context last year. However, more recent examples show our concerns weren’t just conjecture; ZKP-focused AV schemes are gameable, hackable, and not the cure-all some may claim."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/zkps-arent-age-verification-silver-bullets

#AgeVerification #USA #Privacy #Surveillance #ZKP #EU #SocialMedia #PoliceState #Censorship

❗️Starting in mid-February 2026, at least 6 ISPs in #Italy started blocking access to the Women on Web (WoW) and Women Help Women (WHW) reproductive health websites through DNS tampering.

OONI data shows multiple forms of DNS interference, including bogon IP responses, NXDOMAIN errors, and DNS responses directing users to block pages.

Learn more: https://ooni.org/post/2026-italy-blocks-wow-and-whw/ 🐙

#ooni #censorship #opendata #reproductivehealth

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OONI data on the blocking of Women on Web on EOLO

According to the World Health Organization, access to accurate health information is a key component of enabling individuals to understand their healthcare options, make informed decisions, and safely navigate reproductive healthcare. 🙏

Restricting access to such information may therefore undermine people's ability to obtain timely and safe care and, ultimately, to effectively exercise their reproductive rights.
https://ooni.org/post/2026-italy-blocks-wow-and-whw/

#italy #ooni #censorship #opendata #reproductivehealth

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Cover image for report on the blocking of reproductive health websites in Italy

‼️ Saudi Arabia just blocked Tinder
https://explorer.ooni.org/findings/305408501600

Today, OONI data shows that Tinder started being blocked on Mobily (AS35819) by means of TLS interference.

We were alerted of this block through our new Censorship Alert System, an internal prototype we're testing ahead of a planned public release over the next year. 🙏🐙

#ooni #censorship #opendata #saudiarabia

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OONI data on the blocking of Tinder in Saudi Arabia

‼️ Over the last few days, #Guinea started blocking access to social media… again.

OONI data shows the blocking of Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube on Orange Guinée (AS37461) by means of TLS interference. This follows previous social media blocks in May 2023 and November 2023.

Learn more: https://explorer.ooni.org/findings/106140107100 🐙

#ooni #censorship #opendata

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OONI data on the blocking of Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube in Guinea.

#YouTube locked me out of my account, but they require me to be logged in to see this video. For me, that amounts to #censorship.

"Sign in to confirm your age
This video may be inappropriate for some users."

I wonder what this video is about and why they restrict it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO1qA-WYa2o

Imprison opposition, “win” elections.

“Lev Shlosberg…senior member of Russia's liberal opposition party Yabloko, was pronounced guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting…use of the Armed Forces…Russian Federation" & sentenced to 11 years & 1 month in a penal colony…”

“‘A single person is imprisoned, yet fear seeps into the hearts of millions,’ said Shlosberg in his closing remarks.”

https://www.dw.com/en/russia-prison-for-opposition-leader-over-war-criticism/a-78403203

#russia #dictatorship #censorship #UnfreeSpeech #despotism #Ukraine #war

Canada’s Age Verification Bill Was Always an Unconstitutional Mess

On the heels of the French court ruling, some are wondering is Canada's version is going to share the same fate. Yes.

https://www.freezenet.ca/canadas-age-verification-bill-was-always-an-unconstitutional-mess/

#Censorship #LawAndTechnology #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #BillC34 #Canada #CanadianCharterOfRightsAndFreedoms #court #France

French Court Rules Social Media Age Verification Infringes Privacy, Freedom of Expression

In a rare bit of good news, Frances top court ruled against age verification for it's obvious constitutional violations.

https://www.freezenet.ca/french-court-rules-social-media-age-verification-infringes-privacy-freedom-of-expression/

#Censorship #LawAndTechnology #News #AgeVerification #court #France #ruling #SocialMedia

XBox Rolling Out Age Verification for Australian Gamers

Age verification continues to spread. This time, Australians are going to see it for their XBox gaming.

https://www.freezenet.ca/xbox-rolling-out-age-verification-for-australian-gamers/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #console #gaming #store #surveillance #XBox

A quotation from Voltaire

Had there been a literary censorship in Rome, we should have had to-day neither Horace, Juvenal, nor the philosophical works of Cicero. If Milton, Dryden, Pope, and Locke had not been free, England would have had neither poets nor philosophers; there is something positively Turkish in proscribing printing; and hampering it is proscription.
 
[S’il y avait eu une inquisition littéraire à Rome, nous n’aurions aujourd’hui ni Horace, ni Juvénal, ni les œuvres philosophiques de Cicéron. Si Milton, Dryden, Pope, et Locke, n’avaient pas été libres l’Angleterre n’aurait eu ni des poètes, ni des philosophes: il y a je ne sais quoi de turc à proscrire l’imprimerie, et c’est la proscrire que la trop gêner.]

Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Letter (1733-06-20) to a First Commissioner [Lettre á un premier commis] [tr. Tallentyre (1919)]

More about this quote: wist.info/voltaire/85406/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #voltaire #authors #censorship #classics #freepress #freedomofthepress #history #literature #perspective

A quotation from Bertrand Russell

All the governments of the world adopt elaborate methods of concealing truths which they consider undesirable, and inflict various forms of penalty upon those who spread knowledge which is thought bad for the population This applies especially to knowledge of the kind which is considered seditious, and the kind which is considered obscene. I shall not give instances, since, if I did, I should myself fall under the ban of the law.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Education and the Social Order [Education and the Modern World], ch. 1 “The Individual versus the Citizen” (1932)

More about this quote: wist.info/russell-bertrand/853…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bertrandrussell #censorship #control #freepress #freespeech #government #knowledge #obscenity #pornography #publicgood #sedition #suppression #treason #truth

Today in Labor History August 12, 1952: The Soviet authorities murdered 13 prominent Jewish intellectuals and writers in the Night of the Murdered Poets. All were members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, which fought for the USSR against Nazi Germany. They were falsely accused of espionage and treason, and then imprisoned, tortured, and isolated for three years before being formally charged.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #communism #soviet #ussr #massacre #antisemitism #jewish #poet #poetry #writer #books #censorship #freespeech #torture #prison #nazis #antifascism @bookstadon

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Order to arrest Lozovsky, one of the 13 victims of the Soviet terror known as the Night of the Murdered Poets. By Unknown author - http://booknik.ru/context/all/tragediya-stavshaya-neizbejnoyi/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27343141

How Museums Can Resist Censorship.
While federal efforts to censor the Smithsonian are currently dominating the news, the truth is that museums of all types and sizes can experience the pressure to censor their programs.
https://www.aam-us.org/2026/08/03/how-museums-can-resist-censorship/?utm_source=globalmuseum #museums #censorship

A quotation from Voltaire

As you have it in your power, sir, to do some service to letters, I implore you not to clip the wings of our writers so closely, nor to turn into barn-door fowls those who, allowed a start, might become eagles; reasonable liberty permits the mind to soar — slavery makes it creep.
 
[Puisque vous êtes, monsieur, à portée de rendre service aux belles-lettres, ne rognez pas de si près les ailes à nos écrivains, et ne faites pas des volailles de basse-cour de ceux qui, en prenant l’essor, pourraient devenir des aigles: une liberté honnête élève l’esprit, et l’esclavage le fait ramper.]

Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Letter (1733-06-20) to a First Commissioner [Lettre á un premier commis] [tr. Tallentyre (1919)]

More about this quote: wist.info/voltaire/85298/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #voltaire #censorship #control #enslavement #freepress #freedomofthepress #liberty #regulation #restrictions #writers

US Senators Pushing Failed Age Verification Law, the SCREEN Act

The US is looking to be the next country to jump off the age verification cliff through failed age verification laws.

https://www.freezenet.ca/us-senators-pushing-failed-age-verification-law-the-screen-act/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #SCREENAct #SocialMedia #US #VPN

#SnowflakeVolunteer, an #Android app to help people bypass #censorship

https://blog.torproject.org/snowflake-volunteer-standalone-app-to-help-people-bypass-censorship/

#Snowflake #Tor #privacy #anonymity

Australia’s Age Verification Law Still a Failure, Study Finds

An Australian government study has found that little has changed in the governments failed age verification laws.

https://www.freezenet.ca/australias-age-verification-law-still-a-failure-study-finds/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #fail #research #SocialMedia #study

Ironic

A website details the blocked websites in #Ukraine.... is itself blocked by #Cloudflare.

An archived copy of the page shows that the government of Ukraine has blocked 48,698 websites, and that number could be greater now.

Should a government be afraid of its people thinking for themselves?

Blocked: https://uablocklist.com/

Archived: https://archive.is/g0J9Y

#censorship #InternetFreedom #freedom

Discarded trash from #SpaceX will slam into the #moon, possibly on Wednesday.

I found this story on a banned website. #Ukraine has blocked many, but it can be viewed in the USA.

https://life.ru/p/1906519

More about the #censorship:

http://john1126.com/779

#freedom #InternetFreedom

#Censorship

Ukraine's government actively blocks this website: https://www.ozon.ru

#Ozon is an online marketplace in Russia, similar to #Amazon, also selling American brands, including Lays, Gillette, and Microsoft's Xbox.

After banning the site, Ukraine's military also attacked Ozon's logistics hubs with airstrikes and drones.

Is this a war among corporations? What is the real government? Who has the most power: elected officials, or the corporations we give our money?

#Ukraine

YouTube's Information Control for #Ukraine

"YouTube does not disclose the details of its algorithm"

But #YouTube does admit to blocking content to Ukrainians. Can a man not be trusted to form his own opinions?

Harvard studied the impact of YouTube's #censorship: "Comment activity on banned channels dropped sharply to near zero immediately after the ban, indicating that the ban was, in fact, successful in preventing exposure to these channels."

source: https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/information-control-on-youtube-during-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/

#freedom

Of course, #Ukraine blocks the #WildBerries websites. (They destroyed numerous warehouses belonging to that company.)

WildBerries appears to specialize in consumer goods, like #Amazon here in the United States.

https://www.wildberries.by/

https://www.wildberries.ru/

I see they sell earrings resembling the cross of #Jesus Christ. That is more evidence that there are Christians in #Russia, as there are worldwide, so we should all treat each others as brothers, and make peace.

#censorship

#Ukraine civilians are blocked from seeing this website:

https://www.ntv.ru/novosti/2997578/

#censorship

https://parimatch.ua

#censorship

Website blocked by #Ukraine government, by order of Zelensky.

https://www.piter.com/

It appears to be a website that sells books. Do they not trust their own citizens to be able to read and think for themselves?

#censorship

When searching the internet for real people in #Ukraine (not media corporations or propaganda) posting their views of life and war in their country, I have come up with almost nothing. Then I learned that #Ukraine is under martial law, and the regime actively shuts down websites without court order.

During #war, #censorship is worse than in times of peace.

Archived list of some websites banned in Ukraine:

https://archive.is/unsuz

https://github.com/uablacklist/uablacklist.net

@kurator88
Interesting point: Ukraine, at war, has a more favorable rating than the United States. However, both countries are reported to have the same number of detained reporters: zero.

The same website says Russia currently has 48 detained: 34 journalists and 14 media workers. Does that sound true to you?

https://rsf.org/en/index

#censorship

How #YouTube uses the claim of "hate speech" to impose #censorship.

#NYC

India orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat

“The application enables anonymous communication without mandatory user registration, phone number verification, or centralised logging of communications. The technical architecture of the application significantly impedes lawful interception, attribution and investigation by law enforcement agencies,”

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/government-orders-github-to-remove-bluetooth-based-chat-app-bitchat-over-security-concerns-jack-dorsey/article71262049.ece

#github #censorship

@mmeier
You can lower the speed of crawling down to as low as 10 pages per minute if you like.

What I like about #Yacy is it produces uncensored search results.

#censorship

If you have been wondering about the effectiveness of the social media ban of under 15 year olds, this study got you :)

Spoiler: 92%+ of kids age 14-15 in #Australia still use it 🥳

Meanwhile IMO forced verification of users had a much better success rate 😉

Source:
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w35162/w35162.pdf

#Privacy #ageverification #IDverification #Study #Data #Science #Survey #Tech #SocialMedia #Technology #Internet #Censorship #Authoritarianism #MassSurveillance #Surveillance

Alt...

Screenshot of graphic from this study of Australia's social media ban: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w35162/w35162.pdf Percent of banned 14-15-year olds (b) Compliance rate, April versus June 2026 Usage rate: 64% April, 92% June Implied compliance: 27% April, 6% June Notes: Figure 5 reports self-reported past-7-day use of any banned platform.

France Jumps Off Cliff, Passes Age Verification Laws

France has passed the failed age verification laws and set the restriction to 15 years of age and younger.

https://www.freezenet.ca/france-jumps-off-cliff-passes-age-verification-laws/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #facepalm #France #legislation #SocialMedia

After getting over 2 million views, I wonder why YouTube (or even the BBC) would want to block this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNsdvhh8_X0

"Princess Diana BBC Announce her death"

#YouTube #censorship

Australia Considers Targeting VPNs Following Age Verification Failure

With the failure of age verification in Australia, the eSafety regulator is eyeing VPNs as a new target.

https://www.freezenet.ca/australia-considers-targeting-vpns-following-age-verification-failure/

#Censorship #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #Australia #eSafety #VPN

It's strange that a CBS news video is age-restricted. I saw the thumbnail image for only a moment, which YouTube promptly replaced with a sign-in requirement. But I do not have a YouTube account, because they locked me out. So, for me, this news video is effectively being censored. I guess the video shows the US military in an unfavorable light.

I live in the US, but do not agree with the constant wars they engage in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itt2XYfxQs4

#YouTube #censorship #news #Iraq

Firefox is acting strange, as if it is censoring a website. Why would they do that?

Original link:

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/07/15/772286/Impact-footage-captures-Iranian-strikes-on-US-assets-in-Persian-Gulf-

It has been archived, but without the video:

https://archive.is/0nAzX

And the video on that web page is also archived:

http://filsofia.com/share/20260718-Iran-attack-on-Jordan.mp4

#Firefox #censorship #news #Iran

Time: Australia’s Age Verification a Success Because Vibes

By all metrics, Australia's age verification law was a failure. So, Time said it's a success because it has good vibes.

https://www.freezenet.ca/time-australias-age-verification-a-success-because-vibes/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #journalism #Time

"As I’ve argued before, I think Haidt’s book has done exactly what Gray was afraid it might do – namely, it has played into and exacerbated a moral panic over smartphones and social media and their alleged impact on the emotional and psychological wellbeing of teenagers. The architect of the Australian social-media age-gating law, South Australian premier Peter Malinouskas, described in an interview how his wife had recommended Haidt’s Anxious Generation to him, and how after reading it he had resolved to take action. His wife “put the book down on her lap and turned to me and said you’ve really got to do something about this,” he said. “And then I stopped and thought about it and thought maybe we actually can.” So he introduced state-level legislation hoping it could win federal support. It did, and since then the UK has passed a new law it says was modeled on the Australian one (modeled so closely that it too offered virtually no evidence that such a law was necessary), and Canada is also considering one.

As a journalist who once worked for the Columbia Journalism Review, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that one of the biggest proponents of Jonathan Haidt’s views about cellphones and social media and their impact on the wellbeing of teenagers has been the media."

https://mathewingram.com/work/2026/07/16/kids-need-to-explore-the-world-and-that-includes-social-media/

#SocialMedia #PlayTime #MentalHealth #MoralPanic #Censorship #Fascism

Google admits they block emails from getting into your inbox, even those from friends and family that are in your address book.

In my opinion, if the email sender is known and saved in the #Gmail user's address book, their emails should never be blocked, but #Google does not agree. And their technical requirements for an email to get through are past the average user's understanding or ability.

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126

#censorship #SelfHosting

Shit. This is on the calendar, and yes, it is the national book banning bill. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7661/text #Censorship #Books #Book #Bookstodon

Gmail blocks emails, even from friends and family, if they use another email host without the technical settings they demand. This means people who self-host their email can be blocked from communicating with #Gmail users.

One solution: Gmail users could move to an email host that does not block from known contacts in your own address book!

I suspect many Gmail users are unaware of this change beginning in 2024.

https://m-chrzan.xyz/blog/sending-mail-to-gmail.html

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126

#censorship #SelfHosting

UK Pushes for Baffling Social Media Curfew for Teens

The UK, like others, is experiencing disaster with age verification, so it's now doubling down with a curfew on social media.

https://www.freezenet.ca/uk-pushes-for-baffling-social-media-curfew-for-teens/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #SocialMedia #teens #UK

A quotation from Salman Rushdie

At its most effective, the censor’s lie actually succeeds in replacing the artist’s truth. That which is censored is thought to have deserved censorship. Boat-rocking is deplored.

Salman Rushdie (b. 1947) Indian novelist
Speech (2012-05-06), Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture, PEN World Voices Festival, New York City

More about this quote: wist.info/rushdie-salman/85000…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #salmanrushdie #censor #censorship #justdeserts #label #makingtrouble #outrage #rockingtheboat #troublemaker

Shufflecake talk at CAW 2026 last May - video now available online!

https://clip.place/w/d7Anz5jbsMCZo1HBg8JkES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21LjKFBIwwY

#shufflecake #caw #eurocrypt #eurocrypt2026 #cryptography #crypto #truecrypt #veracrypt #security #Privacy #infosec #hacktivism #censorship

EU Chief: We “Need” to Embarrass Ourselves Further With Age Verification

Ursula von der Leyen continues to double down on failed age verification laws, vaguely pointing to "predatory algorithms".

https://www.freezenet.ca/eu-chief-we-need-to-embarrass-ourselves-further-with-age-verification/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #EU #Europe #SocialMedia

When We Create a Hostile Offline Environment for Teens, They Take Refuge Online

One of the things people talk about with age verification is that teens are sucked in and need to get off. That's not what's happening.

https://www.freezenet.ca/when-we-create-a-hostile-offline-environment-for-teens-they-take-refuge-online/

#Censorship #Editorial #News #ChatRoom #Internet #kids #social #SocialMedia #teens

A quotation from Salman Rushdie

When censorship intrudes on art, it becomes the subject; the art becomes “censored art,” and that is how the world sees and understands it. The censor labels the work immoral, or blasphemous, or pornographic, or controversial, and those words are forever hung like albatrosses around the necks of those cursed mariners, the censored works. The attack on the work does more than define the work; in a sense, for the general public, it becomes the work.

Salman Rushdie (b. 1947) Indian novelist
Speech (2012-05-06), Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture, PEN World Voices Festival, New York City

More about this quote: wist.info/rushdie-salman/84903…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #salmanrushdie #art #censorship #defamation #filter #framing #label #literature

Australia’s Age Verification Laws Notches First 100% Failure Rate

The studies are piling up and they all keep pointing to the same conclusion. Australia's age verification laws have failed.

https://www.freezenet.ca/australias-age-verification-laws-notches-first-100-failure-rate/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #study

@Murga
Your test was helpful. It appears we found a case of #censorship.

https://www.experte.com/internet-censorship/russia?url=http:%2F%2F141.98.154.239:8090%2FBlogComments.html%3Fpage%3D770

#VPN #Прокси #РКН #Цензура #Блокировки #ЗапрещенныеСайты

Two More Studies Show that Australia’s Age Verification Laws Have Failed

Research in one analysis show that 7 in 10 teens still have accounts on Facebook. Another shows 60% are still on social media.

https://www.freezenet.ca/two-more-studies-show-that-australias-age-verification-laws-have-failed/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #fail #research #SocialMedia #study

A quotation from E. B. White

When liberty’s position is challenged, artists and writers are the ones who first take up the sword. They do so without persuasion, for the battle is peculiarly their own. In the nature of things, a person engaged in the flimsy business of expressing himself on paper is dependent on the large general privilege of being heard. Any intimation that this privilege may be revoked throws a writer into a panic. His is a double allegiance to freedom — an intellectual one springing from the conviction that pure thought has a right to function unimpeded, and a selfish one springing from his need, as a breadwinner, to be allowed to speak his piece.

E. B. White (1899-1985) American author, critic, humorist [Elwyn Brooks White]
Essay (1939-01), “One Man’s Meat,” Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 178

More about this quote: wist.info/white-eb/84790/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #ebwhite #artist #censorship #control #freethought #freedomofexpression #freedomofthought #liberty #tyranny #writer

A quotation from Salman Rushdie

The creative act requires not only freedom but also this assumption of freedom. If the creative artist worries if he will still be free tomorrow, then he will not be free today. If he is afraid of the consequences of his choice of subject or of his manner of treatment of it, then his choices will not be determined by his talent, but by fear. If we are not confident of our freedom, then we are not free.

Salman Rushdie (b. 1947) Indian novelist
Speech (2012-05-06), Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture, PEN World Voices Festival, New York City

More about this quote: wist.info/rushdie-salman/84768…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #salmanrushdie #pen #art #artist #censorship #creation #creativity #fear #freedom #selfcensorship #subjectmatter #worry #writer #writing

Alt...

Salman Rushdie quotation

Faced With Age Verification Failure, Australia Doubles Fines for Social Media

Age verification was always an impossible to comply with law, but Australia is doubling fines on social media for failing to do the impossible.

https://www.freezenet.ca/faced-with-age-verification-failure-australia-doubles-fines-for-social-media/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #fine #legislation #SocialMedia

Interior Department memo revealed, advising national parks to not confirm injuries and deaths that occur in the system. About 350 people die in national parks every year and there are thousands of injuries.
#departmentofinterior
#nationalparkservice
#censorship

https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/26/national-parks-staff-should-not-confirm-deaths-memo-says/

Mainstream Media Tries Blaming Social Media for Exposing Youth to Violence

As the mainstream media scrambles to justify age verification laws, one outlet is arguing that young people are exposed to violence.

https://www.freezenet.ca/mainstream-media-tries-blaming-social-media-for-exposing-youth-to-violence/

#Censorship #News #broadcasting #CTV #journalism #research #SocialMedia #study

Woah

Take a look at this freaking library

😲😍

'The #ManifestoLibrary will be located in #LivrariaLello’s new cultural auditorium, designed by #PritzkerPrize-winning architect #ÁlvaroSiza. The #library has also been conceived “as a living cultural space for reading, debate and public reflection,” per a press release.'

#Books #Portugal #DuaLipa #censorship #Porto

Alt...

A gorgeous set of stairs in a library, organic in shape and deep red

Study Confirms that Australia’s Age Verification Law Was a Failure

More than 85% of Australian teens that are supposedly "banned" from social media are still using it according to the BMJ.

https://www.freezenet.ca/study-confirms-that-australias-age-verification-law-was-a-failure/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #BritishMedicalJournal #science #SocialMedia #study

Please come back...

There are two stellar accounts that hurt a lot when they departed Mastodon for Bluesky in 2023, @Popehat and @emptywheel.

Both left due to frustration with what we now call HOA behavior, and in particular people demanding CWs for politics related posts.

Now, apparently Popehat has been banned on Bluesky. Don't know the details, but even if the ban is lifted, the key take away is that the ban hammer is being used on #Bluesky to censor users free expression.

1/

#censorship

A quotation from Ray Bradbury

There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches. Every minority, be it Baptist / Unitarian, Irish / Italian / Octogenarian / Zen Buddhist, Zionist / Seventh-day Adventist, Women’s Lib / Republican, Mattachine / Four Square Gospel feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse. Every dimwit editor who sees himself as the source of all dreary blanc-mange plain-porridge unleavened literature licks his guillotine and eyes the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme.

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) American writer, futurist, fabulist
Fahrenheit 451, “Coda” Afterword (1979 ed.)

More about this quote: wist.info/bradbury-ray/46602/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #raybradbury #fahrenheit451 #bookburning #bowdlerize #censorship #editing #editor #offense #pabulum

#ABC viewers across the country are getting a message from the network—If you like your #local stations, or #TheView, help us get the #government off our backs.

ABC on Monday launched an on-air campaign asking viewers to send comments to the #FCC’s website pushing back on the agency & its chairman, #BrendanCarr.


#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #censorship #propaganda #trumpaganda

Since February, the #FCC has been investigating whether ABC’s #TheView violated the commission’s equal-time rule, which guarantees equal airtime to all candidates running for the same public office. #ABC has maintained that “The View” qualifies as what the commission calls a “bona fide” news program & is exempt from the rule, accusing the FCC of violating the #FirstAmendment in a legal filing.

#law #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #dictatorship #fascism #censorship

In April, the #FCC also ordered an early review of ABC’s 8 #local stations over its diversity, equity & inclusion [ #DEI ] practices. The review was announced just days after #Trump & #Melania Trump intensely criticized ABC late-night host #JimmyKimmel, though the FCC maintained that the timing was *purely coincidental* 😉.

#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #censorship #propaganda #trumpaganda

Nice

A new #ABC campaign urges viewers to push back against #FCC pressure

The #federal regulator is “investigating” the #Disney-owned television company on two fronts, with “#TheView” & ABC’s #local stations targeted [Ostensibly for airing #JimmyKimmel].

#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #censorship #propaganda #trumpaganda
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/06/22/new-abc-campaign-urges-viewers-push-back-against-fcc-pressure/

New blogpost:

"Pondering routing more of my traffic via nodes outside the UK because of the direction of UK online safety policy"

No decisions yet, just some thinking.

(As always, this blogpost - warts and all - is all mine, with no "AI" involved.)

https://neilzone.co.uk/2026/06/pondering-routing-more-of-my-traffic-via-nodes-outside-the-uk-because-of-the-direction-of-uk-online-safety-policy/

#blog #OnlineSafetyAct #censorship

The doctor was pregnant. (Sara Beltrán Ponce)

14 weeks into pregnancy - took COVID shot - told others to do the same
https://archive.is/vPBCQ

A few days later - baby died - a miscarriage
https://archive.is/KyXCw

Today, the doctor's X/Twitter account is not available for public viewing. Same for her instagram account. They work so hard to cover the truth!

https://medicalkidnap.com/2021/02/10/wisconsin-resident-doctor-has-miscarriage-3-days-after-being-injected-with-experimental-covid-mrna-shot/

#COVID #pregnancy #conspiracy #censorship #SaraBelPonMD

First time I have seen the Wayback Machine say they excluded a URL....

I guess that means they know of the web page, but for some reason blocked it, deleted it, or silenced it.

#archive #censorship #COVID

UK’s Failed Age Verification Law is Becoming A Political Scandal

The UK's failed age verification law is becoming the latest sign of political failure with the UK prime minister.

https://www.freezenet.ca/uks-failed-age-verification-law-is-becoming-a-political-scandal/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #KierStarmer #politics #UK #VPN

"This week, politicians in the UK pushed forward with plans to eviscerate privacy and free speech on the internet by announcing a ban on social media for users under 16 that is set to take effect in Spring 2027.

The UK government continues to falsely characterize this policy as a necessary response to growing concerns about online harms for young people. In reality, much like the Online Safety Act, it will cause more harm than it will prevent.

Users of all ages are burdened with proving their age before accessing content, with social media platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X included in the ban. There remains no reliable, privacy-preserving method of verifying the age of every internet user and methods vary from one platform to the next.

Young people will not simply be protected from being contacted by adults or endlessly scrolling—they’ll also lose access to educational videos on YouTube, local events on Facebook, and potentially cut off from distant friends and family.

Public policy must be effective, proportionate and respectful of fundamental rights. Young people deserve better than a policy built on panic, and all internet users deserve a safe and free internet. A social media ban generates headlines, but it will not solve the problem."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/uks-new-under-16-social-media-ban-will-cause-more-harm-it-prevents

#UK #SocialMedia #DigitalRights #AgeVerification #Privacy #Censorship

Don't vote for #AndyBurnham

> In late 2008, Burnham announced government plans to tighten controls on internet content in order to "even up" what he described as an imbalance with TV regulations.[26][27][28] The announcement was followed by a speech to the music industry's lobbying group, UK Music, in which he announced "a time that calls for partnership between Government and the music business as a whole: one with rewards for both of us; one with rewards for society as a whole. (...) My job – Government's job – is to preserve the value in the system."[29]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Burnham

#UKpol #censorship

Still can't quite believe that @taylan got banned from @bsky.app but "@fascipedia.org" is still happily up, albeit not posting anymore.

#Bluesky #censorship #doublestandard

Why the Inquisition Built the Surveillance State

https://clairesalerno.substack.com/p/why-the-inquisition-built-the-surveillance

The real motive behind web 2.0, web 3.0, the cloud, AI, and panopticon nonsense is to identify and isolate heretics.

"They began with the network. If you can find one suspected heretic and interrogate them about their associations, who they speak to, who they share meals with, whose homes they visit and which neighbours are sympathetic, you can build a list of names."

"Then, you visit each of those people on the list and ask them the same questions. From this you can build a map of the entire community, identifying relationships and flagging suspects."

"They used the social fabric of communities and rewarded those who denounced others. They reduced penalties for cooperation, and built the assumption that staying silent is itself suspicious."

"They made it so the rational choice for any individual in the community is to inform on neighbours before neighbours inform on them. This creates a self-policing community. The community does the work, with the institution as the receiving authority."

"Think about that for a moment, because it describes the current digital surveillance apparatus exactly."

#Inquisition #Surveillance #Panopticon #Privacy #Cathars #Censorship

I offer some linguistic clarification on the misogyny implied in the image.

https://substack.com/profile/43480121-bry-willis/note/c-277455068?r=pvxh5&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=masto

Spoiler alert: there is none. Whether this is language-splaining or mansplaining is up to you.

NB: Evidently, LinkedIn already censored this image, but in a new context, we'll see what happens.

#philosophy #language #linguistics #pangolins #musk #misogyny #substack #response #note #censorship #speech #blog

The government has ignored calls to regulate age verification companies to ensure our sensitive data is protected.

Instead it has expanded ID checks to multiply the risks.

But the actual cause of harms is off the hook – how platforms use our data to monetise our attention.

Sign the petition ⬇️

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/break-big-tech

#stopKillingInternet #StopKillingTheInternet #socialmediaban #socialmedia #ageverification #onlinesafety #privacy #censorship #ukpolitics #ukpol #dataprotection