Mapping the Internet Control Stack

Learning Objective

Understand how control over online content and access can be exerted at multiple technical and organizational layers of the Internet. Learn to identify the different chokepoints where censorship and content restriction can occur, beyond simple platform takedowns.

Part 1: Investigating Content Restrictions

Choose Three Websites or Services

Select three websites or platforms that have faced access restrictions or removal efforts. Choose from the list below or select others of interest:

• The Pirate Bay
• Sci-Hub
• Russia Today (RT)
• Parler
• Gab
• TikTok (in India or Montana)
• Wikipedia (e.g., in Turkey)
• Signal (e.g., in Iran)

Research How They Were Restricted

For each site, investigate the nature of the restriction. Use news articles, legal filings, technical reports, or Wikipedia summaries to answer:

• What entity initiated the restriction? (e.g., government, ISP, platform)
• What layer of the Internet stack did the restriction occur at?
  • Examples: DNS, hosting, app store, payment processor, ISP-level blocking
• Was the restriction global or localized to a specific country or region?
• Was the restriction eventually reversed, circumvented, or still in effect?

Record your findings in a short table or bullet points.

Classify the Layer of Control

Use the categories below to map where each act of restriction occurred. You may use more than one category per case.

• Application layer: Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, app stores
• Hosting/CDN layer: Cloud providers, web hosts, CDNs
• DNS layer: Domain name censorship or seizure
• Network layer: ISP-level blocking, throttling, or deep packet inspection
• Payment layer: Financial platforms like Stripe, PayPal, Patreon
• Legal layer: Government takedowns, court orders

Part 2: Reflection

Answer the following questions based on your research:

1. Which layer(s) of the Internet stack appeared most frequently in these cases?
2. Which layers offer the most centralized points of control? Which are harder to censor?
3. How visible or invisible are each of these acts of restriction to an average user?
4. What does this tell us about how modern information control operates across institutions?

Key Takeaway

Control over online speech is not limited to platform policies or state censorship. It operates at many levels—technical, commercial, and legal—each with its own mechanisms and forms of visibility.