Initially conceived as a way for scientists to share data and software openly, the Internet has nourished visions of a world linked by information flowing freely. But as many as 30 national governments filter Internet content and block their citizens’ access to certain kinds of information. Many of them do so using common, commercially available filtering technology.

The Open Net Initiative (ONI) of The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School studies the filtering and surveillance practices of national governments and corporate entities. Led by Professors Jonathan Zittrain and John Palfrey, and using software created at the Berkman Center, ONI researchers can assess what information is filtered in a country, how it is blocked, and how often.

For example, an ONI study demonstrated how Saudi Arabia uses commercially available filtering technology to block access to certain kinds of websites — generally those dealing with pornography, gambling, drug-use, and religious conversion. The government relies on local staff to scan the Internet for these sensitive issues and recommend sites for censorship. But the research also revealed that Saudi citizens actively participate in the system, pointing the government toward over- or under-blocked sites.

In comparison, a recent investigation found China’s filtering regime to be “the most sophisticated effort of its kind in the world.” Comprised of several state agencies and thousands of staff, the Chinese government exercises strong control over email, blogs, electronic bulletin boards, and web pages. ONI found that access to information about politically sensitive topics — Taiwan, the Dalai Lama, Falun Gong, political opposition parties — is strictly censored. Although websites like CNN.com are accessible from China, specific stories can still be blocked from Chinese users.

With MacArthur support, ONI will publish an annual report on the state of filtering worldwide. Having comprehensive data of this kind will help make blocking practices more transparent and more visible. Exposing these activities can help the citizens of closed societies question government censorship — and bring international pressure to end it.

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