Project Description:
Internet censorship is a prevalent strategy employed by authoritarian regimes to control and restrict the flow of information accessible to their citizens. This suppression of digital content covers a broad spectrum of online platforms and services. In addition to social media and streaming sites, the censorship often includes foreign news outlets, political blogs, activist websites, and forums that facilitate public discourse and dissent. While governments may believe that their imposed restrictions effectively render certain content inaccessible, citizens frequently find ways to circumvent these barriers using various technological tools. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), proxies, and other digital mechanisms are commonly used to bypass internet censorship. This project investigates how internet users actively seek ways to bypass censorship. It also assesses the effectiveness of these methods and identifies when certain approaches are favored. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, using both surveys and data analytics for quantitative data collection. We will conduct surveys across various demographics and employ web scraping to track website blocking, keyword filtering, and IP address restrictions. Furthermore, we will utilize API access to social networks to analyze trends in content removal and account suspensions. The aim is to uncover correlations between censorship methods and user responses, testing the hypothesis that internet censorship fails to achieve its intended results.
Prerequisites
Students must have taken at least the core 2xx level computer science courses.
Special Comments
Project Information
Estimated Start Date: 6/1/2024
Estimated End Date: 8/9/2024
Maximum number of students sought: 1
Contact Information: Prof. Taha Khan (tkhan@wlu.edu)