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Hellos!<br>
<br>
Today the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) is
thrilled to announce the release of <b>ooniprobe mobile app</b> on
<b>Google Play</b> and <b>iOS</b> app stores!<br>
<br>
<b>Google Play:</b>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.openobservatory.ooniprobe">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.openobservatory.ooniprobe</a><br>
<br>
<b>iOS:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id1199566366">https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id1199566366</a><br>
<br>
OONI's new mobile app is easy to use and allows you to monitor:<br>
<br>
<b>- </b><b>Blocking of websites;</b><b><br>
</b><b>- Presence of systems ("middle boxes") that could be
responsible for censorship and/or surveillance;</b><b><br>
</b><b>- Speed and performance of your network.</b><br>
<br>
Since OONI started monitoring global censorship events five years
ago, we have seen that many cases of internet censorship around the
world are politically motivated, aimed at stifling communications
and access to information during protests, elections, and other
political events. While we may all be familiar with such events,
what we often lacked was <b>evidence </b>required to hold those
responsible to account. What we also lacked was real-time
understanding of how internet censorship was implemented, and
therefore how it could be circumvented. <br>
<br>
Now anyone who owns an Android or iOS smartphone can play an active
role in uncovering information controls around the world. <br>
<br>
OONI's new mobile app not only allows you to see which websites are
blocked, how, where, when, and by whom, but it also provides tips on
how to circumvent the detected censorship. It also allows you to
measure the speed and performance of your network, which can be
useful in uncovering more covert forms of censorship, such as
throttling (a censorship technique we have increasingly seen in
Turkey and elsewhere around the world).<br>
<br>
All network measurement data collected through OONI's mobile app is
<b>published on OONI Explorer </b>(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://explorer.ooni.torproject.org/world/">https://explorer.ooni.torproject.org/world/</a>)
and on <b>OONI's measurement interface</b> (<a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://measurements.ooni.torproject.org/"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://measurements.ooni.torproject.org/">https://measurements.ooni.torproject.org/</a></a>)
-- unless you opt out. Open data allows third parties to conduct
independent studies, to verify OONI findings, and to answer other
research questions. It also allows us all to have a more accurate
understanding of information controls around the world. With each
test you run via OONI's mobile app, you are playing an active role
in increasing transparency of internet censorship. <br>
<br>
ooniprobe is an investigatory tool and may therefore pose some risks
(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://ooni.torproject.org/about/risks/">https://ooni.torproject.org/about/risks/</a>).
When you first install the app, we require you to answer a quiz
correctly, demonstrating your understanding of potential risks. <br>
<br>
We believe that access to information is a fundamental human right
and therefore everyone should have the right and ability to examine
their digital world and the restrictions that may be imposed on it.
Moses Karanja, a Kenyan researcher on the politics of information
controls at Strathmore University's CIPIT said in a statement:<br>
<br>
<i>"What Signal did for end-to-end encryption, OONI did for
unmasking censorship. Most Africans rely on mobile phones as their
primary means of accessing the internet and OONI's mobile app
allows for decentralized efforts in unmasking the nature of
censorship and internet performance. The possibilities are
exciting for researchers, business and the human rights community
around the world. We look forward to interesting days ahead."</i><br>
<br>
Learn more about OONI's mobile app here: <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://ooni.torproject.org/post/ooni-mobile-app/"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://ooni.torproject.org/post/ooni-mobile-app/">https://ooni.torproject.org/post/ooni-mobile-app/</a></a><br>
<br>
Please contact the OONI team with any questions you may have at <b><a
class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:contact@openobservatory.org"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:contact@openobservatory.org">contact@openobservatory.org</a></a></b>.<br>
<br>
All the best,<br>
<br>
The OONI Team.
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Maria Xynou
Research and Partnerships Coordinator
Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI)
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://ooni.torproject.org/">https://ooni.torproject.org/</a>
PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E</pre>
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