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OONI

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Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI)
Formation2012; 12 years ago (2012)
TypeNon-governmental organization
Websiteooni.org

The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) is a project that monitors internet censorship globally.[1] It relies on volunteers to run software that detects blocking and reports the findings to the organization.[2] As of June 2023, OONI has analyzed 1,468.4 million network connections in 241 countries.[3]

Development

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Screenshot of miniooni command line software

OONI was officially launched in 2012 as a free software project under The Tor Project, aiming to study and showcase global internet censorship. In 2017, OONI launched OONI Probe,[4] a mobile app that runs a series of network measurements. These measurements detects blocked websites, apps, and other tools in addition to the presence of middleboxes.[5][6] Results of these tests can be utilized through the OONI Explorer and API.[7]

Till 2018 the project received $1,286,070 of funding from the Open Technology Fund.[8]

Tests

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Screenshot of OONI Probe app dashboard
Screenshot of OONI Probe app stating a website might have been blocked by means of TCP/IP based blocking.

The current tests deployed by OONI are as follows:

Notable cases

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OONI has confirmed data analyzing the 2019 Internet blackout in Iran.[10] On 24 February 2019, Cuban independent news outlet Tremenda Nota confirmed the blocking of its website a few hours before a referendum in Cuba. A new Constitution was voted in the country for the first time in decades. OONI network measurement data confirmed the blocking of the site along with several other independent media websites during the referendum.[11] The network had previously confirmed 41 websites blocked in the country in 2017.[12][13] Cases of internet censorship and network disruptions during elections have also been detected in Benin,[14] Zambia,[15] and Togo.[16] In May 2019, OONI reported that the Chinese Government blocked all language editions of Wikipedia.[17][18] Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, OONI confirmed that most Russian Internet Service Providers started blocking access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, Interfax, Meduza, Dozhd, The New Times and 200rf (a website launched by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to enable Russians to find their family members who were captured or killed during the war).[19]

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References

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  1. ^ "Open Observatory of Network Interference". ooni.org. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  2. ^ Giles, Martin. "Online censorship in Saudi Arabia soared after Jamal Khashoggi's murder". technologyreview.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  3. ^ "OONI Explorer". explorer.ooni.org. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  4. ^ "OONI Probe install page". ooni.org. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  5. ^ Larson, Selena (8 February 2017). "New app helps people track internet censorship". money.cnn.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  6. ^ "About". ooni.org. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  7. ^ "OONI Data".
  8. ^ Open Technology Fund. "Projects we support - OONI: Open Observatory of Network Interference". Open Technology Fund Website. U.S. Agency for Global Media. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  9. ^ "OONI Test".
  10. ^ "Iran's nation-wide Internet blackout: Measurement data and technical observations". 23 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Cuba blocks independent media amid 2019 constitutional referendum". ooni.org. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  12. ^ Matsakis, Louise (30 August 2017). "Here Are the 41 Websites You Can't Access in Cuba". vice.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Measuring Internet Censorship in Cuba's ParkNets". ooni.org. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Benin: Social media blocking and Internet blackout amid 2019 elections". ooni.org. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Zambia: Internet censorship during the 2016 general elections?". ooni.org. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Togo: Instant messaging apps blocked amid 2020 presidential election". 25 February 2020.
  17. ^ LEUNG, HILLARY. "Wikipedia Is Now Banned in China in All Languages". Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  18. ^ "China is now blocking all language editions of Wikipedia". ooni.org. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  19. ^ Xynou, Maria; Filastò 2022-03-07, Arturo (2022-03-07). "New blocks emerge in Russia amid war in Ukraine: An OONI network measurement analysis". ooni.org. Retrieved 2022-04-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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