WEEK 11: Censorship, Privacy and the Internet

 Online censorship and privacy in Azerbaijan

Well, let's start with a definition of online censorship. Internet censorship is the regulation or suppression of what may be accessed, published, or watched on the Internet by regulators or individuals acting on their own. Internet censorship restricts what information may be posted on the internet and what information cannot.

    Today, I'd want to discuss about censorship in Azerbaijan amid the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. Azerbaijan's government stated that it would block internet access in the nation to prevent "Armenian provocation" when the military forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia clashed in 2020 September. As a result, access to social media platforms, communication applications, and other critical internet resources in Azerbaijan was restricted until November 12th, the day after a ceasefire in the disputed zone was established.

People have reported having a problem accessing social media, and OONI Measurements data show that services including Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, and Skype have been compromised. Some of these services were available through the use of VPNs, but state news organizations and government-affiliated ISPs have actively discouraged people from using VPNs, saying that they can be "harmful," and rumors about potential fines for using VPNs have arisen.