Internet Censorship Capabilities in Cyprus: An Investigation of Online Gambling Blocklisting

Website blocking in the European Union: Network interference from the perspective of Open Internet

“…Relevant research from previous academic studies has shown that censorship exists in many countries such as China (Chen et al, 2013; Clayton et al, 2006; Dunna et al, 2018; Ensafi et al, 2015; Holowczak & Houmansadr, 2015; Hounsel et al, 2018; King et al, 2013, 2014; Knockel et al, 2015, 2017, 2018; Lowe et al, 2007; Marczak et al, 2015; Ng et al, 2018; Park & Crandall, 2010; Robinson et al, 2013; Winter & Lindskog, 2012; Wright, 2012; Xu et al, 2011), Thailand (Gebhart et al, 2017), Bangladesh (Morshed et al, 2017), Pakistan (Aceto et al, 2016; Nabi, 2013), India (Gosain et al, 2017; Yadav et al, 2018), Iran (Anderson, 2012, 2013; Aryan et al, 2013), Syria (Al‐Saqaf, 2016; Chaabane et al, 2014), Turkey (Tanash et al, 2015, 2017), Russia (Ramesh et al, 2020), and Mexico (Iszaevich, 2019). A few studies have looked at network interference and Internet blocking in the EU context (Busch et al, 2018; Savola, 2015; Schmidt‐Kessen et al, 2019; Ververis et al, 2015, 2017, 2021). To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no previous research analyzing network interference in all EU countries, specifically related to website blocking.…”

“…The National Betting Authority of the Republic of Cyprus is responsible for publishing and releasing the gambling blocklist in text file format (Cyprus National Betting Authority, Blocklist, 2021). It was established as an independent authority in 2012 and although the law was issued in 2012, the first public release of the blocklist was issued in February 2013 (Ververis et al, 2017). In the annual report published by the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation in Cyprus there is no mention of any Internet blocking taking place (Cyprus Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation, 2021).…”

“…We define Internet censorship as the practice of using any kind of hardware or software to prevent users from accessing websites or services through network interference or information control. In recent years, further studies have been conducted, which have drawn attention to online network interference and Internet blocking in individual countries of the EU (Aceto et al, 2016; Busch et al, 2018; Savola, 2015; Schmidt‐Kessen et al, 2019; Ververis et al, 2015, 2017, 2021). For instance, the “Open Net Initiative” report mentions nearly 50 countries that practice Internet censorship (Aceto et al, 2016).…”

Understanding Internet Censorship in Europe: The Case of Spain

“…Surveillance and network interference infrastructures are increasingly deployed in EU member states to contain content and services that do not comply with EU legislation [7], e.g., online gambling, copyrighted material, incitement to the commission of crimes, depictions of cruel violence against humans, human death or mortal suffering, child or animal exploitation material [49]. However, despite the presumably tacit assumption that illiberal practices in the digital realm are rather likely to affect only authoritarian states, EU member states also gain attention with respect to incidence and modalities of Internet censorship [14,45,46,55,56]. Moreover, instances of "everyday acts of authoritarianism" online could be observed also in the democratic West, often with industry-state collaboration and no democratic oversight [25].…”