The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has published a report describing various tactics used for online oppression worldwide, both physical and technological.  The publication points out governments alleged to employ those tactics and links to CPJ articles providing further reporting on the respective tactics in key countries.

The report breaks down tactics based on type, key country, examples and descriptions, and links to CPJ articles describing the "Tactics in practice."  It is noted that the array of techniques include both sophisticated, highly technical methods as well as more traditional approaches, such as violence or imprisonment.  The tools themselves and country-specific examples (some tools used under former governments), as reported by CPJ, to suppress the spread of information are:

• Web Blocking - Iran
• Precision Censorship - Belarus
• Denial of Access - Cuba
• Infrastructure Control - Ethiopia
• Attacks on Exile-Run Sites - Burma
• Malware Attacks - China
• State Cybercrime - Tunisia
• Internet Kill Switches - Egypt
• Detention of Bloggers - Syria
• Violence Against Online Journalists - Russia

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