OTF Statement on GreatFire.org DDoS Attack

 
Fri, 2015-03-20 16:48

We understand that on March 17, OTF-supported Internet freedom project GreatFire.org was the target of a large-scale distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. OTF recognizes these events as a serious test of the concept of collateral freedom, a circumvention approach rooted in the idea that websites under persistent censorship can leverage online services relied on by large-scale business to stay online, a concept developed from research we supported in 2013 (link).

OTF supports GreatFire.org to create a set of open source tools that leverage collateral freedom (link) and are available to the entire Internet freedom technology community. These tools are intended to make it easier for media outlets big and small worldwide to implement these and future iterations of anti-censorship mechanisms, ultimately improving unfettered access to the Internet where space for free expression is closing.

Tools like GreatFire.org’s collateral freedom rely on those Internet service providers whose networks are currently unblocked to bypass censors in repressive environments like China. In recognizing these providers’ critical role in expanding unfettered global Internet access, we hope for the continuation of these freedoms.

Read the original statement from GreatFire.org here.

Coverage from the New York TimesThe Guardian, and TechCrunch.