TC: Large: Collaborative Research: Facilitating Free and Open Access to Information on the Internet

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This project develops methods to provide citizens information about technologies that obstruct, restrict, or tamper with their access to information. Internet users need an objective, independent, third-party service that helps them determine whether their Internet service provider or government is restricting access to content, specific protocols, or otherwise degrading service. Towards this goal, we are (1) monitoring attempts to block or manipulate Internet content and communications; and (2) evaluating various censorship circumvention mechanisms in real-world deployments}. The project develops a large-scale measurement and monitoring service that measures network reachability and performance from a variety of access networks to various Internet services; infers whether ISPs or governments are restricting or otherwise throttling access to various applications and services; and detects attempts to tamper with information presented to users. The project also studyies the policy ramifications of making information about censorship and information tampering available to Internet users. It will provide up-to-date information about both the extent of censorship and information tampering in countries around the world and technologies countries are using to implement censorship and thwart censorship circumvention tools. Discoveries are disseminated through real-time portals and through regular written reports and academic publications.