The Internet

Court sanction of AT&T-Time Warner merger strengthens corporate grip on news and entertainment

By Barry Grey, 13 June 2018

Coming just one day after the termination of net neutrality, the federal court ruling sets the stage for the further consolidation of monopoly control and suppression of oppositional points of view.

University of Michigan Center for Social Media Responsibility provides cover for Internet censorship campaign

By Sam Wayne and Genevieve Leigh, 13 June 2018

The new program has been established to provide the theoretical backing and material resources needed to further the ongoing efforts to censor the Internet.

German Green Party leader Joschka Fischer promotes militarism and war

By Johannes Stern, 24 May 2018

Fischer is leading the campaign for a massive increase in the German defence budget and an aggressive imperialist foreign policy.

Ecuador hints it may hand over Julian Assange to Britain and the US

By James Cogan, 12 May 2018

There is almost universal and reprehensible silence on the part of organisations and individuals that once claimed to defend Assange and WikiLeaks.

Google, Amazon assist in blocking encrypted communications

By Will Morrow, 10 May 2018

Google and Amazon are assisting authoritarian governments in the Middle East aligned with Washington to censor the Internet and prevent the use of encrypted communications by their populations.

Facebook intensifies censorship ahead of congressional testimony by Zuckerberg

By Andre Damon, 9 April 2018

Zuckerberg announced Friday that his company will “require people who manage large pages to be verified,” i.e., they must provide the company, and by extension the US government, with their real names and locations.

Capitalism and the artificial intelligence revolution

By Andre Damon, 6 April 2018

Google’s collaboration in the US government’s drone murder program expresses how the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology—with its vast potential for the enrichment of humanity—is being corrupted under capitalism.

Claims by Cambridge Analytica whistleblower used for new electoral investigation into Brexit

By Julie Hyland, 3 April 2018

The Electoral Commission’s latest investigation testifies to the deep tensions within the British bourgeoisie over Brexit.

Cambridge Analytica used harvested data from 50 million Facebook profiles

By Kevin Reed, 21 March 2018

The revelations of the data harvesting operation has exposed the use of social media information for manipulative aims by political campaign organizations in the United States.

West Virginia, the class struggle and the fight against Internet censorship

By Jerry White, 12 March 2018

The widespread use of social media by the West Virginia teachers and the growth of the class struggle internationally make clear why the US government and Silicon Valley tech giants want to censor the Internet.

US Federal Communications Commission sets end date for net neutrality

By Will Morrow, 24 February 2018

Beginning on April 23, multibillion-dollar corporations such as Comcast and AT&T; will be able to restrict access to or completely censor web sites.

From Facebook to Policebook

By Andre Damon, 2 February 2018

Facebook is being transformed into an instrument of censorship and surveillance, monitoring the actions and thoughts of its users.

In letter to Congress, social media companies outline plans for mass censorship

By Will Morrow, 31 January 2018

The technology giants are hiring thousands more human reviewers and developing artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor and censor political speech on the internet.

Full transcript: “Organizing Resistance to Internet Censorship”

By the World Socialist Web Site, 25 January 2018

The following is an edited transcript of the January 16 webinar “Organizing Resistance to Internet Censorship,” featuring journalist Chris Hedges and WSWS Chairperson David North.

“Fake news” hysteria set to take center stage in Brazil’s October elections

By Miguel Andrade, 24 January 2018

In joining the global crusade against “fake news,” the Brazilian authorities are preparing to rely on a dictatorship-era National Security Law to censor oppositional news and opinion.

Facebook details plans to censor news feeds and manipulate public opinion

By Andre Damon, 24 January 2018

In the guise of combating “social polarization,” Facebook is creating a framework for censorship, the dissemination of government propaganda, and the mass manipulation of public opinion.

For an international coalition to fight Internet censorship

An open letter from the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site to socialist, anti-war, left-wing and progressive websites, organizations and activists

23 January 2018

An open letter from the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site to socialist, antiwar, left-wing and progressive websites, organizations and activists

Facebook and Google outline unprecedented mass censorship at US Senate hearing

By Andre Damon, 18 January 2018

Facebook is planning to double its army of censors to nearly 20,000 people by the end of this year, a company official told lawmakers Thursday.

Statement to the World Socialist Web Site webinar

Julian Assange calls effort of corporations to control Internet discourse “an existential threat to humanity”

18 January 2018

This statement was sent by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the January 16 webinar, “Organizing Resistance to Internet Censorship.”

World Socialist Web Site calls for international coalition of socialist and anti-war websites to counter Internet censorship

By Niles Niemuth, 18 January 2018

The WSWS hosted a livestreamed discussion between David North and Chris Hedges that reviewed the political context of the efforts to censor the Internet and the necessary steps for an effective fight-back.

Trump administration escalates attack on data encryption

By Will Morrow, 17 January 2018

In a sign that the White House is moving to criminalize encryption, deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein argued that “warrant-proof” files are unconstitutional.

Statement by Julian Assange opposing Internet censorship will be read at WSWS “Organizing Resistance” Webinar

16 January 2018

The webinar featuring David North and Chris Hedges will be broadcast live on January 16 at 7:00 pm EST.

Facebook blocks sharing of WSWS anti-censorship video

By Eric London, 15 January 2018

The social media giant has blocked users from sharing a video promoting the January 16 online meeting “Organizing resistance to Internet censorship.”

Research teams confirm “Meltdown” and “Spectre” attacks

Computer systems worldwide exposed to data theft due to CPU design flaws

By Mike Ingram, 12 January 2018

Major design flaws in computer processors allow access to the entire physical memory of computers containing sensitive information such as passwords.

Freedom for Julian Assange!

By Bill Van Auken, 11 January 2018

The “untenable” conditions under which the WikiLeaks founder remains confined are the product of an unrelenting drive by the US and British governments to punish him for exposing the crimes of imperialism.

“The matter is urgent; voices must be raised!”

Documentarian John Pilger issues statement of support for January 16 webinar, “Organizing resistance to Internet censorship”

11 January 2018

This statement was sent by the award-winning journalist and documentarian in support of the online discussion featuring Chris Hedges and David North.

Facebook deleted accounts at the behest of US, Israeli and German governments

By Niles Niemuth, 4 January 2018

The social media company has deleted the accounts of Palestinian activists. journalists and the former leader of Chechnya in a campaign of international political censorship.

Germany’s “Network Enforcement Law” goes into effect: A move to censor the Internet

By Johannes Stern, 4 January 2018

The new law is part of an international offensive to attack free speech online, aimed at suppressing left-wing and socialist views.

Polls shows mass opposition to net neutrality repeal

By Kevin Reed, 21 December 2017

In the week since the FCC vote to end net neutrality, the nature of the attack on the public and the democratic right to a free and open internet is becoming clearer.

The end of net neutrality and the fight to defend the free internet

By Andre Damon, 15 December 2017

Thursday’s move by the US government to end net neutrality seeks to usher in an age when corporations and the government decide what people can and cannot access online.

Google hiring 10,000 reviewers to censor YouTube content

By Zaida Green, 8 December 2017

The video-sharing platform has already removed over 150,000 videos, with 50 percent of videos removed within two hours of upload.

Behind the FCC plan to abolish net neutrality

Broadband monopolies to censor Internet content

By Kevin Reed, 5 December 2017

The FCC plan to repeal previous net neutrality standards enables the ISP monopolies to further their business interests while enabling censorship at a fundamental level of Internet infrastructure.

FCC plan to repeal “net neutrality” gives telecom giants control of public access to Internet

By Kevin Reed, 23 November 2017

The anti-democratic plan to deregulate the US Internet infrastructure will enable privately-owned US broadband providers to control public access to online content.

Google’s Eric Schmidt admits political censorship of search results

By Niles Niemuth, 22 November 2017

Remarks by the executive chairman of Google’s parent company about efforts to “de-rank” news sites critical of the US government expose the corporate-government conspiracy to block oppositional voices on the Internet.

The Democrats’ McCarthyite witch hunt

By Andre Damon, 3 November 2017

This week’s congressional hearings on “extremist content” mark a new stage in the campaign by congressional Democrats, working with the intelligence agencies and leading media outlets, to legitimize censorship and criminalize dissent.

US Congressional hearing:

Former FBI agent says tech companies must “silence” sources of “rebellion”

By Andre Damon, 1 November 2017

Advocating stepped-up censorship of the Internet, Clint Watts, a former US Army officer and FBI agent, declared, “Civil wars don’t start with gunshots, they start with words.”

US congressional hearings on “extremist content” prepare assault on free speech

By Andre Damon, 31 October 2017

This week, US tech companies will report to Congress on their moves to limit “extremist content” on the Internet as part of the anti-Russian witch hunt, which is increasingly targeting the First Amendment.

Google escalates blacklisting of left-wing web sites and journalists

By Andre Damon, 20 October 2017

In a sweeping expansion of its moves to censor the Internet, Google has blacklisted leading left-wing websites and journalists from its news aggregation platform.

The conspiracy to censor the Internet

By Andre Damon and Joseph Kishore, 18 October 2017

US intelligence agencies, media outlets and Democratic Party operatives are turning the witch-hunt against Russia into the justification for a far-reaching attack on free speech.

The New York Times and the criminalization of dissent

By Joseph Kishore, 11 October 2017

The unsubstantiated charges of Russian interference in the US elections have developed into an increasingly frenzied campaign to ascribe all opposition within the United States to the actions of a “foreign enemy.”

British government prepares further draconian legislation to censor Internet

By Steve James, 10 October 2017

Rudd’s initial focus is on clamping down on opposition to British imperialism’s predatory wars in the Middle East, but this will inevitably be extended to cover all anti-war sentiment and commentary.

Germany’s Network Enforcement Act: Legal framework for censorship of the Internet

By Katerina Selin, 5 October 2017

The assumption behind the law, which took effect October 1, is that companies will delete controversial posts rather than risk severe financial penalties.

The New York Times reports World Socialist Web Site charge of Google censorship and blacklisting

By Andre Damon, 2 October 2017

The Times’ article is the first detailed report in the US mainstream media of Google’s manipulation of searches to bar access to left-wing sites.

US Justice Department demands Facebook turn over information on anti-administration activists

By Trévon Austin, 30 September 2017

Private account information on thousands of Facebook users could be handed over to the government as a result of the warrants.

US Department of Homeland Security to track all immigrants’ social media accounts

By Jake Dean, 29 September 2017

The DHS’s invasive surveillance and data gathering operation will cover all immigrants, including green card holders and naturalized citizens.

Facebook turns over information on Russia-linked accounts to Special Counsel Mueller

By Patrick Martin, 19 September 2017

The investigation into alleged Russian interference in the US election and Trump campaign collusion is being used to justify a crackdown on the Internet.

Google intensifies censorship of left-wing websites

By Andre Damon, 19 September 2017

New statistics expose the growing impact of Google’s attack on free speech.

Anger mounts over consumer credit data hack

What is Equifax and why does it have personal information on half the American population?

By Kevin Reed, 15 September 2017

Credit ratings agencies serve a critical function for the financial elite, collecting information on every individual to determine a “credit score,” used to extract as much money as possible from the working class.

New York Times stokes anti-Russia campaign to promote Facebook, Twitter censorship

By Bill Van Auken, 12 September 2017

Invoking an alleged Russian menace to American democracy, the New York Times is spearheading a campaign for a crackdown on political expression on social media.

Personal data of 143 million US consumers compromised in massive Equifax server hack

By Kevin Reed, 11 September 2017

The $18 billion corporation had its servers hacked, covered up the breach for two-and-a-half months, and still claims to not know what happened.

Forbes writer says Google censored report on manipulation of search traffic

By Andre Damon, 8 September 2017

Journalist Kashmir Hill faced a backlash from the tech giant after she reported that Google threatened to demote search results for sites that did not link to its ill-fated social media network.

Antimonopoly researchers say Google CEO pressured leading think tank to fire them

By Andre Damon, 2 September 2017

The researchers, who had criticized Google, said in a statement that the tech giant is “trying to censor journalists and researchers who fight dangerous monopolies.”

DreamHost ordered to hand over data on anti-Trump website: The criminalization of political dissent

By Joseph Kishore, 26 August 2017

The court decision that DreamHost must turn over information on the individuals associated with disruptj20.org is a chilling assault on free speech.

German government raids and shuts down left-wing Indymedia site

By Johannes Stern, 26 August 2017

The shutdown of linksunten.indymedia.org is the latest step in a crackdown on left-wing politics in Germany ahead of the upcoming federal election.

Internet censorship goes beyond Google

Facebook, Youtube, other tech giants launch joint, state-backed censorship programs

By Zac Corrigan, 24 August 2017

Google's fake search results are the spearhead of a much wider campaign by an entire fraternity of state-aligned tech giants to censor political speech on the Internet.

More than two thousand sign petition to stop Google censorship

By Zac Corrigan, 22 August 2017

The number of signatures jumped over the weekend, after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tweeted a link to the WSWS’s exposure of Google’s actions.

Trump administration demands Internet records on 1.3 million political opponents

By Don Barrett and Niles Niemuth, 17 August 2017

The Justice Department has filed a warrant demanding emails, visitor logs, contact information and photographs relating to the website that coordinated protests at the January 20 presidential inauguration.

Facebook establishes new censorship centre in Germany

By Christoph Vandreier, 11 August 2017

In the autumn, Internet company Facebook will open a new censorship centre employing 500 people in Essen, Germany.

The hacking of HBO and the “Russian meddling” campaign

By Barry Grey, 10 August 2017

The massive hack of HBO is but the latest case demonstrating the proliferation of hacker groups all over the world that employ advanced technology to successfully attack giant corporations.

Apple, Amazon help Chinese government censor the Internet

By Josh Varlin, 5 August 2017

The Chinese government has launched a crackdown on virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow Internet users to circumvent state censorship.

Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

By Andre Damon, 4 August 2017

Google has blacklisted the World Socialist Web Site from the 45 most popular search terms that previously brought people to it, according to a new review of data.

RT interviews Andre Damon: Google becoming “censorship engine”

1 August 2017

World Socialist Web Site reporter Andre Damon spoke to RT America about Google’s censorship of left-wing, progressive, and anti-war web sites.

Google’s chief search engineer legitimizes new censorship algorithm

By Andre Damon, 31 July 2017

Using the fraudulent pretext of blocking access to “fake news,” Google has implemented a vastly expanded program of Internet censorship.

Does the WSWS write about Leon Trotsky? Not according to Google

By Joseph Kishore, 29 July 2017

Searching Google for “Who is Leon Trotsky” will not lead web users to articles published by the most widely read Trotskyist site on the internet.

Google rigs searches to block access to World Socialist Web Site

By the WSWS Editorial Board, 28 July 2017

Statistical analysis proves that Google is excluding WSWS content from search requests.

New Google algorithm restricts access to left-wing, progressive web sites

By Andre Damon and Niles Niemuth, 27 July 2017

In the three months since Internet monopoly Google announced plans to keep users from accessing “fake news,” the traffic rankings of a broad range of left-wing, progressive, anti-war and democratic rights organizations have fallen significantly.

Petya ransomware attack shuts down computers in 65 countries

By Kevin Reed, 29 June 2017

In the second massive cyberattack in 44 days, both originating from malicious software developed by the NSA, personal computers in at least 65 countries were shut down Tuesday.

The global ransomware attack and the crimes of the US spy agencies

By Andre Damon, 16 May 2017

The cyberweapons created by the NSA are aimed not only against the geopolitical targets of US imperialism, but the populations of the United States and the entire world.

Trump’s FCC chairman issues plan to overturn 2015 “net neutrality” rules

By Kevin Reed, 29 April 2017

Net neutrality is the principle that the transmission of data over the Internet must be treated equally, without regard to content, purpose or originating source.

Germany activates new cyber warfare unit

By Johannes Stern, 8 April 2017

Germany is seeking to take the lead internationally in the field of cyber warfare and thereby position itself “for the warfare of the future.”

US House votes to repeal internet protections

Trump expected to sign anti-privacy measure into law

By Kevin Reed, 1 April 2017

Congress has decided that internet providers own the information that consumers provide when they use the internet to shop, browse or message.

Senate votes to repeal FCC internet privacy regulations

By Bryan Dyne, 27 March 2017

If signed into law, the new legislation would give the American intelligence agencies access to even greater means for spying on the population.

Facebook’s “fake news” measures: A move toward censorship

By George Gallanis, 17 December 2016

Facebook will begin validating articles posted on the social media platform through third party agencies, dominated by the establishment media and institutions affiliated with the state.

Massive cyberattack shuts down large sections of the Internet

By Kevin Reed, 22 October 2016

The assault was very large in scale and sophisticated in coordination.

Samsung abruptly drops Galaxy Note 7 smartphone due to dangerous overheating

By Kevin Reed, 14 October 2016

After scores of reports in the US alone, including a forced evacuation of an airliner, the company finally responded.

Werner Herzog’s Lo and Behold: Reveries of The Connected World

Exploring the origins and impact of the Internet

By Kevin Reed, 8 October 2016

The movie examines the origins and implications of the Internet and related technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things and space travel.

Yahoo reports 500 million user accounts were hacked in 2014

By Kevin Reed, 24 September 2016

Although Yahoo’s assertion that the breach was the work of a state-sponsored hacker has been repeated widely in news reports, no facts have been presented to substantiate the claim.

Sexual assault accusations used to oust leader at Tor Project

By Adam Mclean, 19 August 2016

The Tor Project, a network and tool for anonymizing one’s internet traffic, has been a repeated target of attacks from US intelligence agencies.

Twenty five years of the World Wide Web

By Bryan Dyne, 8 January 2016

The first successful connection between two computers over the Internet using the World Wide Web was created by Tim Berners-Lee twenty five years ago.

Obama declares “national emergency” based on alleged cyber threats from Russia, China

By Thomas Gaist, 3 April 2015

In an online statement, Obama made clear that the new powers granted in his latest executive order will be used to target America’s main geopolitical rivals.

FCC ruling sides with tech companies on “net neutrality”

By Mike Ingram, 6 March 2015

The decision of the FCC to reclassify broadband providers as a “telecommunications service” favors one set of corporate giants over another.

Obama administration pushes cybersecurity law to expand corporate-government collaboration

By Ed Hightower, 15 January 2015

The intelligence sharing legislation would give legal immunity to corporations that grant the US government direct access to their data.

Sony hacking allegations used to push antidemocratic “cybersecurity” laws

By Tom Carter, 10 January 2015

Efforts are underway within the US government to exploit hacking allegations against North Korea in order to ram through legislation that will further expand domestic surveillance.

US escalates campaign against North Korea

By Patrick Martin, 20 December 2014

An FBI declaration and a White House press conference ratcheted up the pressure on the isolated Stalinist dictatorship, which now faces unspecified US retaliation for an alleged hacking attack on Sony Pictures.

US stokes conflict with North Korea over Sony hacking

By Patrick Martin, 19 December 2014

Obama administration officials described the hacking as a “serious national security matter” that warranted a “proportionate response” by the US government.

Cameron announces plans to remove British passports from suspected terrorists

By Julie Hyland, 18 November 2014

The home secretary will have the power to cancel passports and impose a “temporary exclusion” order for two years.

AT&T; and Verizon use “supercookies” to track users’ online activities

By Thomas Gaist, 7 November 2014

The leading mobile phone companies use so-called “supercookies” to secretly record day-to-day Internet usage by at least 100 million customers

The Internet’s Own Boy: Documentary about “hacktivist” Aaron Swartz

By Nick Barrickman, 1 July 2014

The film documents the life of Aaron Swartz, the open Internet activist and web technology prodigy who committed suicide after being hounded by the US government.

Decision by US federal agency opens way to two-tier Internet

By Mike Ingram, 19 May 2014

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to accept proposals that will allow broadband companies to charge content providers for access to their networks, in a move that opens the way for a two-tier Internet.

New proposed Internet rules would strengthen corporate control, end “net neutrality”

By Gabriel Black, 25 April 2014

The US Federal Communications Commission has proposed a new set of rules allowing companies to pay money in order for their content to be quickly delivered to users.

NSA exploited Heartbleed bug

By Joseph Santolan, 14 April 2014

Both the White House National Security Council (NSC) and the NSA issued categorical denials that they had any awareness of the existence of the Heartbleed bug prior to its public disclosure on April 7.

Heartbleed security bug compromises vast portion of Internet traffic

By Joseph Santolan, 11 April 2014

Whether Heartbleed originated as a mistake or was deliberately planted by the National Security Agency, it is a near certainty that the NSA has been using it for the past two years.

Netflix to pay Comcast to prioritize content

By Gabriel Black, 28 February 2014

In a deal announced last Sunday, Netflix will pay Comcast to ensure that its content gets sent to customers faster than that from other services.

Reddit forum blacklists WSWS

By the WSWS Editorial Board, 11 February 2014

In a blatant act of political censorship, the moderators of the r/socialism forum on the popular link aggregating site Reddit have decided to “blacklist” the World Socialist Web Site for a period of one month.

Tech company “transparency reports” reveal massive NSA spying

By Thomas Gaist, 5 February 2014

The data, which cover only a small portion of surveillance operations, show the NSA requested content from tens of thousands of accounts during the first half of 2013.

US appeals court strikes down “net neutrality” rules

By Thomas Gaist, 16 January 2014

The Open Internet regulations prohibited the selective blocking of slowing of legal Internet content by Internet providers.

UK government moves to clamp down on Internet, citing child pornography

By Julie Hyland, 25 November 2013

Google is planning to target 100,000 search terms, with restrictions applying first in English-speaking countries and then expanded to all other languages over the next six months.

Facebook releases report on requests from governments for information on users

By Don Knowland, 30 August 2013

Facebook has issued a report showing tens of thousands of requests from governments around the world for information on Facebook users

British government introduces Internet censorship filters

By Mark Blackwood, 7 August 2013

Under the fraudulent pretext of protecting children, the British government is introducing censorship of the Internet.

Partner of deceased Internet activist Aaron Swartz denounces US attorney general

By Kevin Reed, 15 March 2013

The tragic death of Aaron Swartz, a gifted and courageous technology pioneer and critic of the profit system, was a product of the Obama administration’s assault on democratic rights.