Cairn : identifying network locations for large scale censorship by resource-constrained adversaries

Abstract

Censorship of the Internet by government is a hotly contested topic. Some nations lean more toward free speech; others are much more conservative. How feasible is it for a government to censor the Internet? What mechanisms can it use? Where all should it install the censorship infrastructure? What collateral damage can be seen in other countries? In this paper, we attempt to look at these questions in general, and present a case study of India - a country which currently performs limited censorship, but which will likely change its access policies in the near future.