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On February 9th, 2017, Tor Project’s Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) project released a new free and open source mobile app for Android and iOS called OONIprobe. The new app lets mobile users run tests to determine if their government or ISP is blocking websites or internet services, detects the presence of censorship and surveillance systems, and tests the speed and performance of the network. Tor’s OONI project has been monitoring and reporting on internet censorship and surveillance around the globe since 2012, and the new app will allow mobile users to help contribute to the project. “Mobile is where the next billion will come online, so this app fulfills a pressing need to put censorship detection in the hands of the people,” Deji Olukotun, senior Global Advocacy Manager with Access Now, told The Atlantic.

The OONIprobe mobile app allows users to conduct three different types of tests, which are the Web Connectivity Test, the HTTP Invalid Request Line Test, and the Network Diagnostic Test. The app’s Web Connectivity Test checks for the blocking of websites and internet services through DNS tampering, TCP/IP blocking, and blocking via transparent HTTP proxy. Identifying how a website is blocked enables users to take appropriate measures to regain access to the blocked sites. Censorship, surveillance, and traffic manipulation systems within the network can be identified through the app’s HTTP Invalid Request Line Test. The Network Diagnostic Test allows users to measure the speed and performance of the network by connecting to nearby M-Lab servers and collecting low level TCP/IP information.

OONI has collaborated with a research group from the University of Toronto, called CitizenLab, to develop the list of sites the app checks for censorship. Sites on that list fall into one of four categories, which include political and religious sites, vice related sites, sites related to armed conflicts, and sites which offer internet software. OONIprobe’s test results are sent back to OONI through a Tor hidden service, and are published on the OONI Explorer. The publishing of test results enables third parties to conduct independent studies and verify the app’s findings. From late 2012 until early last year, OONI has collected over 10 million test results from 96 countries around the world. OONI’s testing has revealed no cases of censorship in the Western hemisphere, but many cases of censorship in Asia and the Middle East. Internet censorship in European countries was exposed by OONI, including a dozen betting and gambling sites blocked in Greece, as well as several bit torrent sites that are blocked in Italy, Sweden, and Denmark. The tests also exposed that Belgium has a long blacklist of gambling and bit torrent sites. France has been found to have only blocked a couple of websites, both of which are run by Islamic terrorist organizations. While networks in many African countries have not yet been tested, OONI has identified and confirmed that a handful of adult websites that are blocked in Sudan.

OONI’s site contains a warning about the potential risks users of their software may face in certain countries. The project recommends that potential users may want to consult with an attorney if they are unsure if their country prohibits network measurement software, anonymity software, censorship detection software, or censorship circumvention software, or if their country prohibits accessing certain websites. The project plans to expand the testing capabilities of the OONIprobe app in the coming months, including tests to detect censorship and surveillance of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The OONIprobe mobile app was developed through funding from the Open Technology Fund, and the network measurement library the app uses was developed through a sponsorship from M-Lab.

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