German prosecutors redouble attack on Net, subversive leftists
[Note www.anonymizer.com doesn't seem to be blocked. --Declan] --- Date: Thu, 5 Sep 1996 01:59:36 +0200 (MET DST) From: Ulf Moeller <um@c2.net> To: fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu Subject: German Internet Censorhip: http://www.xs4all.nl The German Generalbundesanwaltschaft (Chief Federal Prosecutor's office) has "advised" the Internet providers to block access to http://www.xs4all.nl:80 and http://www.serve.com:80 due to supposedly illegal contents at the URLs http://www.serve.com/spg/154/, http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/radikal//154/ and http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/angela1/radilink.htm. The commercial ISPs have blocked the routes to the servers. Their statement (in German) is at http://www.anwalt.de/ictf/p960901d.htm "Radikal" (http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/radikal) is a publication from the radical left that is illegal in Germany, but not in the Netherlands. --- Date: Wed, 4 Sep 1996 22:15:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> To: fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu Subject: Re: German Internet Censorhip: http://www.xs4all.nl I heard about this a few days ago, but I was unable to verify it. Yesterday I bounced mail through a German university to xs4all.nl back to EFF, and it came through just fine. I also tried golden-gate.owl.de and wserver.physnet.uni-hamburg.de, both of which have no problems talking to xs4all.nl. From those tests, I can say there's no complete ban, though I can't confirm or deny any partial ban. However, just in case the German government is successful in this censorship gambit, I've mirrored the three embattled web sites at: http://www.well.com/~declan/mirrors/ This is a quick grab of the files in question; I'll work on a formatted intro page later. (As background for more recent subscribers to fight-censorship, this isn't the first time the German government has tried this. A similar move came early this year when German prosecutors tried to cut connections to webcom.com in California, where some of Ernst Zundel's Nazi "Holocaust Revisionist" propaganda was hosted. I and a few other folks including Rich at Stanford and Blake at Penn held our noses and mirrored it around the country, prompting the Gemans to lift the ban. I had thought the German prosecutors smarter than to try this again. I guess I was wrong.) My global Net-censorship roundup is at: http://www.eff.org/~declan/global/ -Declan
Declan McCullagh wrote:
The German Generalbundesanwaltschaft (Chief Federal Prosecutor's office) has "advised" the Internet providers to block access to http://www.xs4all.nl:80 and http://www.serve.com:80 due to supposedly illegal contents at the URLs http://www.serve.com/spg/154/, http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/radikal//154/ and http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/angela1/radilink.htm.
The commercial ISPs have blocked the routes to the servers. Their statement (in German) is at http://www.anwalt.de/ictf/p960901d.htm
I wonder how they are doing this? We know that the Germans allow full internet access (don't they?), so they can't be using a filtering http proxy. I guess they're blocking on IP number (and perhaps port). It might be a good idea for xs4all to gather up all of their spare IP numbers, and alias the lot on their web site - this would increase the number of blocked addresses needed. It might also be a good idea to run some proxies on unusual ports (eg. smtp, DNS, pop, ftp ports) (although of course this will then need to be a dedicated proxy machine) - again this would increase the size of the blacklist that the Germans must use, and may involve some awkward router programming (for example, a router might be configured to allow all DNS traffic - if a proxy is sitting on the DNS port, then things get a bit difficult to set up). Of course, netscape probably won't allow use of these ports (it certainly doesn't allow the use of port 79). Gary -- pub 1024/C001D00D 1996/01/22 Gary Howland <gary@systemics.com> Key fingerprint = 0C FB 60 61 4D 3B 24 7D 1C 89 1D BE 1F EE 09 06
I wonder how they are doing this? We know that the Germans allow full
There is an advisory around where the ISPs say that they think it's not possible to block urls. And even if they figure a way out to do this, this mailing list proves (mirrors) that it's not possible to stop the flow of information. But the German Government doesn't seem to even understand a bit how the inet works.
this would increase the size of the blacklist that the Germans must use,
The Germans. I don't like this evil German bashing. (which is quite obvios in some mails, although I think not in this one, but I had to say this) Some of us (some may say most, I'm not) are quite normal and there are even some cypherpunks around :) And as there are lots of ISPs in Germany (as in every other country) they won't get everyone to resctrict the access to some pages. -stephan
numbers, and alias the lot on their web site - this would increase the number of blocked addresses needed. It might also be a good idea to run some proxies on unusual ports (eg. smtp, DNS, pop, ftp ports) (although of course this will then need to be a dedicated proxy machine) - again this would increase the size of the blacklist that the Germans must use,
Of course if they're simply denying all traffic to a given network, a different port isn't going to make any difference. :)
and may involve some awkward router programming (for example, a router might be configured to allow all DNS traffic - if a proxy is sitting on the DNS port, then things get a bit difficult to set up). Of course, netscape probably won't allow use of these ports (it certainly doesn't allow the use of port 79).
I think the restriction on port 79 (the finger daemon port) was because there still are a lot of fingerd's with buffer overrun holes and it was just too easy to use netscape to exploit them. Jeff or another of the people from NS probably can give the full explanation. --- Fletch __`'/| fletch@ain.bls.com "Lisa, in this house we obey the \ o.O' ______ 404 713-0414(w) Laws of Thermodynamics!" H. Simpson =(___)= -| Ack. | 404 315-7264(h) PGP Print: 8D8736A8FC59B2E6 8E675B341E378E43 U ------
I wonder how they are doing this? We know that the Germans allow full internet access (don't they?), so they can't be using a filtering http proxy. I guess they're blocking on IP number (and perhaps port).
One ISP uses a filtering proxy which still can access xs4all, while blocking the HTTP port to www.xs4all.nl for their users. Others simply block the IP number. Of course, everyone still can use the mirror sites, the anonymizer, open proxies, free Lynx accounts and www-by-mail services. The prosecutors don't seem to understand that yet.
might be a good idea for xs4all to gather up all of their spare IP numbers, and alias the lot on their web site - this would increase the number of blocked addresses needed.
They are already rotating IP numbers. :)
On Wed, 4 Sep 1996, Declan McCullagh wrote:
The German Generalbundesanwaltschaft (Chief Federal Prosecutor's office) has "advised" the Internet providers to block access to
"Radikal" (http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/radikal) is a publication from the radical left that is illegal in Germany, but not in the Netherlands.
This is amazing. Without defending the German stand on the Revisionist crap, that part is at least understandable in a historical context (their sense of guilt for the unfortunate developments in the 30's and 40's etc). But a quick overview of the contents of Radikal gives the impression of an ordinary leftist zine, defining the outlawing of it as pure political censorship in a Western 'democracy'. I'm truly surprised. Asgaard
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On Wed, 4 Sep 1996, Declan McCullagh wrote:
The German Generalbundesanwaltschaft (Chief Federal Prosecutor's office) has "advised" the Internet providers to block access to
"Radikal" (http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/radikal) is a publication from the radical left that is illegal in Germany, but not in the Netherlands.
This is amazing. Without defending the German stand on the Revisionist crap, that part is at least understandable in a historical context (their sense of guilt for the unfortunate developments in the 30's and 40's etc). But a quick overview of the contents of Radikal gives the impression of an ordinary leftist zine, defining the outlawing of it as pure political censorship in a Western 'democracy'. I'm truly surprised.
Asgaard
Is there an URL with a English version? I am always curious to see what governments think they should "protect" their citizens from. Thanks, - -- - ----------------------------------------------------------- William H. Geiger III http://www.amaranth.com/~whgiii Geiger Consulting WebExplorer & Java Enhanced!!! Merlin Beta Test Site - WarpServer SMP Test Site Author of PGPMR2 - PGP Front End for MR/2 Ice Look for MR/2 Tips & Rexx Scripts Get Work Place Shell for Windows!! PGP & MR/2 the only way for secure e-mail. Finger whgiii@amaranth.com for PGP Key and other info - ----------------------------------------------------------- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBMi8ubY9Co1n+aLhhAQEA2AP+N9svCUkXskUhLE3AQ/O1EyaqAPQS5CKm jAqKfnPjfTwFYxdZyE/XPrL+K877JTL1R6aDSN+cHb+YsmOQES4Zxj9AyshZbM1h 5P9Yw7448JUNp/ve4kdBkVJ1e+/+PuojKqnqmET1+a4uCywi3tG4D5XIN1jOFNsX 4ReMh+U5XkU= =Gr7I -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
participants (7)
-
Asgaard -
Declan McCullagh -
Gary Howland -
Mike Fletcher -
Stephan Schmidt -
um＠c2.net -
William H. Geiger III