Internet censorship

Internet censorship is the restriction or suppression of online information and communication by governments or other authorities, through technical controls, legal rules, or pressure on intermediaries.

Internet filtering: The use of technical systems to prevent access to selected internet content or services. Filtering blocks traffic at network, service, or device level before content reaches its intended audience.
Great Firewall: China’s system of internet controls that filters access to foreign and domestic online information. It is a prominent national system combining technical blocking with legal and administrative controls.
Freedom of expression: The right to hold opinions and communicate ideas without unjustified interference. Censorship directly limits expression, while legal protections define constraints on that power.
Net neutrality: The principle that internet service providers should treat lawful data traffic without unjustified discrimination. Censorship selectively restricts access, while net neutrality limits discriminatory network treatment.
DNS blocking: A restriction that interferes with domain name resolution to prevent access to specified websites. Authorities can make a site’s domain fail to resolve without removing the site itself.
Golden Shield Project: A Chinese public-security information system associated with surveillance and internet filtering. It illustrates the institutional infrastructure behind parts of China’s online control system.
Right to privacy: The right to protection from unjustified interference with personal life and communications. Monitoring used to enforce censorship can expose private communications and identities.
Prior restraint: Government action that prevents communication before it occurs or publication before it is released. It is a legal form of suppression that blocks expression in advance rather than punishing it afterward.
IP address blocking: A network control that prevents connections to specified internet protocol addresses. Blocking an address can suppress a site, but may also affect unrelated services sharing it.
Censorship in Iran: State restrictions on media and online communication in Iran, including filtering and platform blocking. Iran combines website restrictions with pressure on platforms and disruptions to connectivity.

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