Web-based censorship circumvention tools require rapid adaption as authoritarian countries catch on to content distribution, says a new report from the University of Toronto's Monk School of Global Affairs.  

The study examines in particular BBC news distribution through web proxies in China and Iran. The BBC, it says, uses web proxies rather than offering other circumvention tools such as virtual private networks, since it didn't want to imply a level of support for the software. An unscientific study of BBC new consumers in Iran found locals suspicious of VPNs, with respondents stating they suspected VPNs to be government controlled, the report says.

Web proxies, however, have disadvantages, such as often not being able to handle rich media content such as JavaScript and Flash. Single URLs can also be easily blocked--and some authoritarian governments' attempts to shut down censored websites have resulted in them blocking entire servers, resulting in thousands of websites also being made unavailable.

Nonetheless, distribution of new URLs through multiple channels such as social media, emails and within the content of broadcast programs themselves can keep content roughly available, so long as organizations are agile enough to set up new ones as old ones are blocked, the paper says.

For more:
- download the report, "Casting a Wider Net: Lessons Learned in Delivering BBC Content on the Censored Internet" (.pdf)

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