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[New Report] Uganda internet blocks & nationwide internet outage amid 2021 general election
by Maria Xynou 22 Jan '21

22 Jan '21

Hello, Today, in collaboration with DefendDefenders, Defenders Protection Initiative, and IODA, we co-published a new research report examining the recent internet disruption in Uganda amid its 2021 general election. Our report is available here: https://ooni.org/post/2021-uganda-general-election-blocks-and-outage/ We based our investigation on: * OONI measurements collected from Uganda: https://explorer.ooni.org/search?until=2021-01-23&since=2020-12-23&probe_cc… * OONI experiments using the `miniooni` research client (which we plan to eventually integrate into the OONI Probe apps) * Public data sources monitoring internet outages (IODA data, Google traffic data, Oracle Internet Intelligence data, and CloudFlare Radar data) In the days leading up to Uganda’s 2021 general election, ISPs blocked access to the Google Play Store (hampering people’s ability to download apps), as well as to a number of social media apps (including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram) and websites (such as facebook.com) – regardless of OTT tax payment. Access to certain circumvention tool websites (such as protonvpn.com) was blocked as well, though both Tor and Psiphon worked throughout the election period. Starting from the eve of Uganda’s 2021 general election (in the evening of 13th January 2021), Uganda was disconnected from the internet entirely. The country experienced a 4-day internet outage (which included election day), as shown through several public data sources: Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA), Oracle’s Internet Intelligence Map, Cloudflare Radar, and Google traffic data. In our report, we also share network-level analysis of the internet outage based on IODA data. The internet outage is further corroborated by the absence of OONI measurements from Uganda during this time period (since OONI Probe requires internet connectivity to perform tests), as well as by the drastic drop in Tor users and Psiphon users during this period. Even though internet connectivity in Uganda was restored on 18th January 2021, access to social media and circumvention platforms remained blocked. Notably, Ugandan ISPs only appear to have started blocking access to YouTube on 18th January 2021, even though the platform is not included on the OTT list of taxed platforms. You can continue to monitor ongoing internet censorship in Uganda though OONI data (which is openly published in real-time): https://explorer.ooni.org/search?until=2021-01-23&since=2020-12-23&probe_cc… We thank OONI Probe users in Uganda who contributed measurements, making this study possible. Best, Maria. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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Uganda elections and testing
by Maria Xynou 13 Jan '21

13 Jan '21

Hi folks, Leading up to Uganda's elections tomorrow, a number of social media and VPN platforms appear to have been blocked (even when the OTT is paid). We've shared relevant OONI Probe testing instructions through this Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/OpenObservatory/status/1349064291480166415 If you know people in Uganda, please share this with them. This thread contains information for: * Running all OONI Probe tests (including those that measure WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Psiphon, and Tor) * Testing social media websites, VPN sites, and Ugandan websites (through relevant OONI buttons) * Testing the Google Play Store and App Store * Limiting website testing based on (a) websites of your choice, (b) specific website categories (e.g. news media, circumvention, communication tools, etc.) * Downloading the OONI Probe APK (if you're unable to install OONI Probe from the Play Store) In all cases, please ensure that your VPN is turned off when running OONI Probe (to help ensure more accurate test results). All OONI Probe test results from Uganda (unless the user has opted-out) are openly published here: https://explorer.ooni.org/search?until=2021-01-14&since=2020-12-14&probe_cc… Happy to address any questions. Thanks, Maria. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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Happy 2021!
by Maria Xynou 01 Jan '21

01 Jan '21

Dear Oonitarians, Happy New Year! We wish you and your family good health and happiness, and an amazing 2021! We hope 2021 brings more joy, love, peace, health, and social justice to the world. We feel very grateful for being in this community with you. And with your support, we're excited to keep fighting internet censorship around the world. Thank you for all that you do! Happy holidays! Love, OONI team. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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Year in Review: OONI in 2020
by Maria Xynou 22 Dec '20

22 Dec '20

Hello, We published a post, "Year in Review: OONI in 2020", which shares: * OONI highlights from 2020 * Exciting ways that community members made use of OONI data in 2020 * Upcoming OONI projects in 2021 You can read this post here: https://ooni.org/post/ooni-in-2020/ Warm thanks to our amazing community for making our work possible! We thank every OONI Probe user out there, and we're excited for 2021! Happy holidays! Hope you stay safe and healthy. Warmly, OONI team. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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New OONI Partners page
by Maria Xynou 09 Dec '20

09 Dec '20

Hello friends, We just published a new OONI Partners page on the OONI website: https://ooni.org/partners Since 2016, we have had the opportunity to collaborate with many great digital rights organizations from around the world on censorship measurement research. The new OONI Partners page features these organizations, highlighting their important work, and sharing the research projects we have collaborated on. If you're interested in the OONI Partnership Program, learn more here: https://ooni.org/get-involved/partnership-program/ I would like to grab this opportunity to share my warmest thanks to all of our partners for their commitment to fighting internet censorship and for providing us the opportunity to work with them! <3 As always, please feel encouraged to share your ideas and feedback on how we can strengthen collaborations going forward. Warmly, Maria (on behalf of the OONI team). -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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Feminist site blocked in Nigeria?
by Maria Xynou 30 Nov '20

30 Nov '20

Hi friends, We're hearing from Nigerians that a feminist site (https://feministcoalition2020.com/) is inaccessible from several networks, and recent OONI measurements seem to suggest potential blocking: https://explorer.ooni.org/search?until=2020-12-01&since=2020-10-31&domain=f… If you're in Nigeria, you can test this site further via the following steps: 1. Install the OONI Probe mobile app: https://ooni.org/install/mobile 2. Open this link with your OONI Probe mobile app: https://run.ooni.io/nettest?tn=web_connectivity&ta=%7B%22urls%22%3A%5B%22ht… 3. Tap "Run" Please ensure that your VPN is turned off when running OONI Probe tests. Thank you, Maria. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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Funding opportunity - Creating Localized Internet Shutdown Resources for Sub-Saharan Africa
by Maria Xynou 24 Nov '20

24 Nov '20

Hi friends, Interested in creating localized internet shutdown resources for use in Sub-Saharan Africa? Apply now to Internews for funding: https://internews.org/updates/small-grants-produce-localized-internet-shutd… The deadline to apply is 21st December 2020. Through their small grants program (which offers between $1,000 and $5,000 USD per project), Internews aim to support projects such as the following: * Case study research to provide best practices and recommendations on how to respond to a shutdown * Resources to improve advocacy approaches and outreach to relevant stakeholders such as government bodies, ISPs, and other important actors * Guides on using circumvention tools during shutdowns, fighting shutdowns in courts, or measuring and documenting shutdowns * Translations of existing resources and guides for specific contexts, audiences, or languages * Training curricula relevant to predicting, preventing, or responding to an internet shutdown Resources produced as part of these projects need to be openly available so that they can be used by others in the internet freedom community. Please share this opportunity with your networks! Thanks, Maria. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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OONI Community Meeting tomorrow, 24th November 2020
by Maria Xynou 23 Nov '20

23 Nov '20

Hello, The OONI team warmly welcomes you to join us tomorrow for our monthly community meeting. => Where? OONI Slack channel: https://slack.ooni.org/ (bridged with IRC: ircs://irc.oftc.net:6697/#ooni) => When? Tuesday, 24th November 2020 at 14:00 UTC (for 1 hour) Please add topics that you'd like to discuss during the meeting in this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/ooni-community-meeting-keep The monthly OONI community meetings aim to: * Collect community feedback on OONI tools & methodologies * Address questions in relation to the use of OONI tools and OONI data * Foster discussions on internet censorship issues * Receive updates from the community We'd love to hear from you, and we hope you can join us! All the best, ~ OONI team -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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OONI Probe Mobile 2.7.1 release
by Maria Xynou 23 Nov '20

23 Nov '20

Hi friends, We have released OONI Probe Mobile 2.7.1 (https://ooni.org/install/mobile) which includes the following noteworthy changes: * We have removed the "Include Network Info" setting (which enabled you to opt-out of ASN collection): Now ASN information (https://ooni.org/support/glossary/#asn) is collected by default. We decided to do this because measurements that don't include ASN information are non-actionable. * We have removed the setting which enabled you to share your IP address (on an opt-in basis): We decided to remove this setting because we think the potential risk associated with sharing IP addresses is greater than the benefit (over the last years, when users chose to share their IP addresses, we did not find them particularly useful). Through these changes (in OONI Probe Mobile 2.7.1), we aim to make OONI Probe measurements both more secure and more actionable. :) As you will see in the mobile app, we no longer have the "Sharing" setting (since the above options have been removed), and we have moved the "Publish Results" setting (which is enabled by default) under the Privacy tab of the app. Happy to address any questions. Thanks, Maria. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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New OONI Probe Desktop Release for Windows & macOS
by Maria Xynou 20 Nov '20

20 Nov '20

Hi friends, We just released a new version of the OONI Probe desktop app for Windows and macOS! Update now: https://ooni.org/install/desktop With the latest version (3.1.0) you can: * Choose the categories of websites that you want to test (by enabling/disabling website categories in the settings) * Change the language of your OONI Probe desktop app (thanks to support from the Localization Lab community!) The latest version also features a new settings screen layout. Please share with your networks! Thanks, ~ OONI team. -- Maria Xynou Research & Partnerships Director Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) https://ooni.org/ PGP Key Fingerprint: 2DC8 AFB6 CA11 B552 1081 FBDE 2131 B3BE 70CA 417E

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