Internet Censorship Course
Information dissemination and online discourse on the Internet are subject to the algorithms and filters that operate on Internet infrastructure, from network firewalls to search engines. This course will explore the technologies that are used to control access to online speech and information, and cutting-edge technologies that can empower citizens in the face of these information controls. Students will learn about and experiment with technologies to control online discourse, ranging from firewalls that perform network traffic filtering to algorithms for content personalization and content moderation. We will also explore underlying technical trends, such as the increasing consolidation of Internet infrastructure and protocols, and the implications of consolidation for control over online discourse. Each course meeting will include a technical overview, reading discussion, and a hands-on laboratory activity.
More details are in the course syllabus.
Class meetings follow one of two agenda templates depending on the term:
| Class | Topic | Reading | Discussion | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Censorship to Information Control | ||||
| 1 | Information Control: What, Why, and How | 1 | Full Stack | Stack |
| Technical Controls | ||||
| 2 | DNS Manipulation | 2.2.1 | DNS | DNS |
| 3 | Transport Layer Manipulation | 2.2.2 | Transport | Secure DNS |
| 4 | BGP and Web Manipulation | 2.2.3-2.2.4 | BGP | BGP |
| 5 | Throttling and Rate Limiting | 2.3.1 | Throttling | Throttling |
| 6 | Denial of Service | 2.3.2 | DDoS | Galileo |
| Platform Controls | ||||
| 7 | Flooding and Propaganda | 3.1-3.3.6 | Propaganda | Sentiment Analysis |
| 8 | Disinformation | 3.3.7 | Disinformation | Disinformation |
| 9 | Content Moderation | 3.4 | Moderation | Moderation Policies |
| 10 | Personalization | 3.5 | Personalization | Bubbles |
| Legal and Economic Controls | ||||
| 11 | Copyright | 4.2 | Copyright | Copyright |
| 12 | Net Neutrality | 4.3 | Net Neutrality | Prioritization |
| 13 | Zero Rating and Demonetization | 4.4-4.5 | Zero Rating | Zero Rating |
| Measuring Information Controls | ||||
| 14 | Technical Controls | 5.2 | Measurement | Measurement |
| 15 | Platform Controls | 5.3 | Transparency | Transparency |
| 16 | Legal and Economic Controls | 5.4 | Legal/Economic | Legal/Economic |
| Taking Back Control | ||||
| 17 | VPNs | 6.1 | VPN | VPN |
| 18 | Anonymous Communication | 6.2 | Tor | Tor |