Internet Splintering

Research on censorship has long focused on ISPs or governments; but few know that online content providers and services also treat users differently based on the features of their network connections, such as location or means of connection. This leads to users in different countries experiencing a vastly different splintered Internet.

Our prior research in 2018 suggests that server-side blocking, a phenomenon where server operators intentionally deny access to users from particular countries or regions, is at rise. Our research in 177 countries shows that many shopping websites deny access to users from certain regions, and finance and banking sites geoblock users from sanctioned regions.

Our recent work studied geodifferences in 5,684 popular mobile apps in the Google Play Store in 26 countries. We find a wide disparity in mobile app availability, with 3,672 apps unavailable from at least one of the countries under study, either due to developor blocking or due to government-requested takedowns. We also find significant geodifferences in the security and privacy offerings for the same apps in different countries.

In this project, we aim to go beyond these previous work and develop a comprehensive picture of Internet splintering

Many online content providers and services discrimate against users in countries that are under embargo sanctions. The scope of this differentiation is wide: from software development infrastructure to social platforms to educational services. Especially in the past two years where a majority of services, work, and education has gone digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic, residents of sanctioned countries have had to deal with the concern and frustration of being differentiated by services they may even rely on and ones they need.

With our research, we aim to shed light on the current state and widespread nature of embargo-based differentiation, identify ill-founded restrictions, and advocate for service providers to exercise caution and accountability when applying restrictions under the reason of embargo.

By getting involved, you will be able to learn about the prevalence of server-side differentiation, as well as share your experience with us. We want to hear what services and apps are unavailable for you due to server-side differentiation, the impact of server-side differentiation from your perspective and eventually, discuss with service providers to debate how the negative impacts of server-side differentiation can be reduced.