In a time where more of our lives are on the Internet than ever, the free flow of data across the web is paramount to continued existence in our modern digital world. The rise of authoritarian governments around the world has been threatened by the free sharing of information online, leading those governments to take increasing action to limit their population's access to the wide variety of information found on the Internet today. But this is nothing new - since the dawn of the Internet, governments looking to control their people have attempted to crack down on digital freedom and restrict access to different perspectives have imposed various restrictions on the Internet, only for users to fight back and circumvent those restrictions.
This talk will cover the history of censorship of the Internet, diving into the historical methods used to block content and the tactics used to circumvent them. We'll then cover the current state of nation-state censorship around the world, and the ongoing methods used to circumvent censors - as well as how censors are striking back against these methods. Finally, we'll discuss the future state of the free and open Internet, including bleeding-edge censorship techniques and how the proliferation of consumer technology has made modern censorship models available at every developer's fingertips.
Attending this session will help you:
- Understand the history of censorship evasion and how previous attempts to restrict Internet usage have shaped the way we use the Internet today.
- Discover the world of modern nation-state censorship and the technologies used to circumvent it.
- Learn more about the fundamental challenges faced by both censors and users in maintaining access to the Internet.
- Learn how modern censorship technologies have become widely available for exploration to today's average developers and users.
- Explore the future of the arts of censorship and censorship evasion, as well as the future state of the free and open Internet.
