Understanding & Combating Global
Censorship with WordPress
John P. Gamboa
https://jpgamboa.com
@jgamboa
WordCamp Dallas 2015
@jgamboa
• Enterprise Support Team, WP Engine
• Four plus years of Web experience
abroad
• Founding Member - Shanghai Beer
Week
What you’ll learn from me
• Why and how WordPress
and non-WordPress sites
get blocked
• Which plugins are blocked
and how they affect
performance
• What to do when your site
is blocked
• How to work around the
censored Web
Censorship
Government Religious
MoralSelf-Censorship
What is Web Censorship
• Domain and IP-level
timeout, connection
resets, removed
content
• Man-in-the-middle
attacks, State
sponsored DDOS
• ISP directives
• Trolls and hackers for
hire
• Judicial retaliation
What is Web Censorship
• Domain and IP-level
timeout, connection
resets, removed
content
• Man-in-the-middle
attacks, State
sponsored DDOS
• ISP directives
• Trolls and hackers for
hire
• Judicial retaliation
How is WordPress Affected?
• WordPress is now quarter of the entire Internet
• More non-English Downloads than English Downloads
• “Internet Sovereignty”, Segmentation and the Wuzhen
Declaration
• Democratization of the web
Web & WordPress Censorship
Russia
• 2012 Government Decree
• Trolls for hire - New York
Times “The Agency”
• SORM - Surveillance &
Monitoring
• RUBlacklist.net - list of
blocked sites
Turkey
• WordPress.com Blocked
Because of a Single
Blogpost
• 77,000 Known Blocked
domains (Ataturk, Armenian
Genocide, Erdogan)
India
• Fluctuating censorship
protocols
• Public discourse &
discussion of the web
• Targeted WordPress sites
Vietnam
• Communist state
• Targeted blogs
• Social media sites
• Savviest users
Middle East
• SmartFilter by Secure
Computing of San Jose,
CA, USA
• Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
Oman, UAE
• Lots of individual blogs
• Facebook, Twitter, etc.
China
• Most pervasive form of
Internet censorship
• Great Firewall of China
promotes harmony
• Causes the most trouble
with WordPress
China, cont.
• 96% all traffic within
Mainland
• The Three “T’s”
• River Crabs, 50 Centers
& Big Mamas
河蟹,五毛 & 大妈
Blocked Plugins & Functionality
• API/External WordPress calls
• Politically-sensitive
discussions
• Blocked IPs and domains on
shared hosts
• Jetpack, WordPress.com,
Gravatar
• Google (Plus, Fonts, Photos)
• Be Mindful: BBPress, Yoast
SEO, Social Media
Developing Around Censorship
• Know your blocked plugins
• Limiting reliance on outside
sources
• Reconsider SSL
• Government hosting
“registration”
• Avoid sensitive discussion
• You are responsible for your
users
• Hong Kong hosting
If you get blocked
• Relax
• Confirm
(BlockedinIran.com,
Greatfire.org)
• Ask you host for help
• Check for Noisy Neighbors
• Consider changing
domains/moving servers
What Can The Community Do?
• Continue to Support Non-English WordPress
• Follow and Understand OpenNet Initiative
• Polyglots: Contribute to Core and Plugin Translations
• Talk About it
• Publish, Publish, Publish
What Did We Learn?
• Why and How of
Censorship:
Government directive
ISPs, DNS, Social Media
• Blocked Sites & Plugins:
Jetpack, Social Sign On &
Discussion
Free discourse, large
databases
• If you’re blocked:
Greafire.org, Blocked in Iran,
RUBlacklist
Talk to your host, change
domain/IP
• Working with Censorship
Know the limitations
Know your audience
Q & A
John P. Gamboa
@jgamboa
jpgamboa.com
Slides: jpgamboa.com/slides

Understanding & Combating Global Censorship with WordPress

  • 1.
    Understanding & CombatingGlobal Censorship with WordPress John P. Gamboa https://jpgamboa.com @jgamboa WordCamp Dallas 2015
  • 2.
    @jgamboa • Enterprise SupportTeam, WP Engine • Four plus years of Web experience abroad • Founding Member - Shanghai Beer Week
  • 3.
    What you’ll learnfrom me • Why and how WordPress and non-WordPress sites get blocked • Which plugins are blocked and how they affect performance • What to do when your site is blocked • How to work around the censored Web
  • 4.
  • 5.
    What is WebCensorship • Domain and IP-level timeout, connection resets, removed content • Man-in-the-middle attacks, State sponsored DDOS • ISP directives • Trolls and hackers for hire • Judicial retaliation
  • 6.
    What is WebCensorship • Domain and IP-level timeout, connection resets, removed content • Man-in-the-middle attacks, State sponsored DDOS • ISP directives • Trolls and hackers for hire • Judicial retaliation
  • 7.
    How is WordPressAffected? • WordPress is now quarter of the entire Internet • More non-English Downloads than English Downloads • “Internet Sovereignty”, Segmentation and the Wuzhen Declaration • Democratization of the web
  • 8.
    Web & WordPressCensorship
  • 9.
    Russia • 2012 GovernmentDecree • Trolls for hire - New York Times “The Agency” • SORM - Surveillance & Monitoring • RUBlacklist.net - list of blocked sites
  • 10.
    Turkey • WordPress.com Blocked Becauseof a Single Blogpost • 77,000 Known Blocked domains (Ataturk, Armenian Genocide, Erdogan)
  • 11.
    India • Fluctuating censorship protocols •Public discourse & discussion of the web • Targeted WordPress sites Vietnam • Communist state • Targeted blogs • Social media sites • Savviest users
  • 12.
    Middle East • SmartFilterby Secure Computing of San Jose, CA, USA • Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, UAE • Lots of individual blogs • Facebook, Twitter, etc.
  • 15.
    China • Most pervasiveform of Internet censorship • Great Firewall of China promotes harmony • Causes the most trouble with WordPress
  • 16.
    China, cont. • 96%all traffic within Mainland • The Three “T’s” • River Crabs, 50 Centers & Big Mamas 河蟹,五毛 & 大妈
  • 18.
    Blocked Plugins &Functionality • API/External WordPress calls • Politically-sensitive discussions • Blocked IPs and domains on shared hosts • Jetpack, WordPress.com, Gravatar • Google (Plus, Fonts, Photos) • Be Mindful: BBPress, Yoast SEO, Social Media
  • 19.
    Developing Around Censorship •Know your blocked plugins • Limiting reliance on outside sources • Reconsider SSL • Government hosting “registration” • Avoid sensitive discussion • You are responsible for your users • Hong Kong hosting
  • 20.
    If you getblocked • Relax • Confirm (BlockedinIran.com, Greatfire.org) • Ask you host for help • Check for Noisy Neighbors • Consider changing domains/moving servers
  • 21.
    What Can TheCommunity Do? • Continue to Support Non-English WordPress • Follow and Understand OpenNet Initiative • Polyglots: Contribute to Core and Plugin Translations • Talk About it • Publish, Publish, Publish
  • 22.
    What Did WeLearn? • Why and How of Censorship: Government directive ISPs, DNS, Social Media • Blocked Sites & Plugins: Jetpack, Social Sign On & Discussion Free discourse, large databases • If you’re blocked: Greafire.org, Blocked in Iran, RUBlacklist Talk to your host, change domain/IP • Working with Censorship Know the limitations Know your audience
  • 23.
    Q & A JohnP. Gamboa @jgamboa jpgamboa.com Slides: jpgamboa.com/slides

Editor's Notes

  • #3 Hey Everyone. I’m John P. Gamboa. I’m a Enterprise Support Specialist at WP Engine’s HQ in Austin, TX, USA Prior to being in TX I spent four years living and working overseas. One year in S. Korea and nearly three years in Shanghai, China I got my start in WordPress doing a few small beer-oriented websites for Shanghai’s burgeoning craft beer scene. And yes, there’s craft beer in China.
  • #5 Government: Most obvious and well-known type of censorship. This is information that a government doesn’t want you to know or so. Or information they can’t control. Religious censorship is a form of censorship where freedom of expression is controlled or limited using religious authority or on the basis of the teachings of the religion. This has been seen in all corners of the world. Moral censorship is the suppression of materials that the public considers obscene or offensive. Think snuff films and child pornography. This is most culturally-accepted type of censorship. Chief Justice Potter of the US Supreme Court once famously said about obscenity, IE, moral censorship “I know it when I see it.” This is the most dubious form of censorship, that has the most risks for free expression Self-censorship: This is the most commonly seen in our web 2.0 era. This is one of the most damaging for the posterity of the web, and its been seen in many different places. For example, buzzfeed deleting thousands of posts online.
  • #9 There are lots of countries, including my own native United States, that make numerous organization’s lists of enemies of the Web. However, for the sake of our discussion, we’re going to talk mostly about emerging or growing markets and how their censorship affect WordPress and its viability of a growing Web