Why have my proxies (Privoxy and GAppProxy) suddenly quit working? I'm using an up-to-date Vista installation. [more inside]
posted by msbrauer on Sep 23, 2009 - 3 answers

I think the UK television gameshow Countdown just beep-edited out the word 'breasts' from their broadcast. Is this mandated by law or some broadcasting code? [more inside]
posted by knapah on Aug 25, 2009 - 9 answers

Iranian firewallfilter: How to make SSH traffic not resemble SSH traffic, when examined by a deep packet inspection device (Ellacoya, Narus, etc)? Other advice on specific types of VPN from within Iran also welcome. [more inside]
posted by thewalrus on Jun 22, 2009 - 18 answers

Have any movies ever filmed scenes during regular production that were meant specifically for the purpose of being used in a TV airing? [more inside]
posted by joshrholloway on Jun 19, 2009 - 31 answers

Why aren't most google services working for me and why do the error pages look identical in firefox, chrome, and IE8? [more inside]
posted by msbrauer on May 24, 2009 - 8 answers

Apropos of the recent MeFi front-page post concerning Grass-Mud Horses: could the Mandarin-speakers in the audience help me locate a place on the Web to buy a t-shirt featuring said animal? [more inside]
posted by killdevil on Mar 14, 2009 - 2 answers

Is the movie Fear of A Black Hat normally censored? [more inside]
posted by shmegegge on Jan 12, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm re-locating to Turkey in the upcoming months (due to unrelated circumstances), and whilst there, I intend on starting, and keeping, a regular blog about current events, human rights issues, the EU bid, and such. Photojournalism, where appropriate - and available - will also be included. So, I suppose I have a few questions. (long post, my apologies!) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 1, 2009 - 9 answers

I'm reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls", for the first time, that I got from the library. Every obscenity is printed as "unprintable", "un-nameable", or "obscenity". Obviously Hemingway didn't write that, and it's annoying. Would a modern printing still have these edits? [more inside]
posted by hwyengr on Nov 12, 2008 - 4 answers

Adult magazines and pay cable channels can now show more. Did the laws change, did society change, or both? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 31, 2008 - 12 answers

What are the legal repercussions for censoring user-generated content (for example, product reviews)? For some reason I thought that by taking the time to examine some user content, organizations have implicitly agreed to examine all user content. But I'll be damned if I can find anything to support that view (or, alternately, point out why it's wrong, wrong, wrong...) Any thought? Links to scholarly-type articles appreciated.
posted by DoubtingThomas on Jul 18, 2008 - 10 answers

I'm looking for pointers on whether TV programs which are subject to censoring of obscene language have to also look out for obscenity in foreign languages. [more inside]
posted by ubernostrum on Jul 7, 2008 - 8 answers

Using Youtube without using the front page, or any other methods of getting around Chinese censorship. [more inside]
posted by afu on Apr 6, 2008 - 7 answers

Relaying potentially 'subversive' information to a friend in China via email. How can I best go about it? Would IM be better? [more inside]
posted by dawson on Mar 18, 2008 - 12 answers

i can has cheezburger has stopped displaying images when I view it at work - help! [more inside]
posted by paduasoy on Feb 22, 2008 - 9 answers

I'm considering registering a .ae (United Arab Emirates) domain name for my business. I've got a couple concerns. [more inside]
posted by me3dia on Feb 12, 2008 - 7 answers

Can anyone prove that Blockbuster edits out content they deem obscene or immoral? [more inside]
posted by tzikeh on Nov 28, 2007 - 32 answers

I’m trying to help my students understand the reasons behind censorship in China. They ask very simple and yet very profound questions: Why keep information and knowledge from your people? In the long run, how can a free-thinking populace be anything but good? [more inside]
posted by jackypaper on Nov 21, 2007 - 36 answers

Why do/did certain old novels censor names of towns/shires/boroughs? [more inside]
posted by haveanicesummer on Sep 28, 2007 - 17 answers

Is it ever OK to change peoples posts on a web forum? Say theoretically a government department ran a consultation via web forum, with invited, non anonymous participants, and wasn't happy with what some of their own staff said. Would it be ok for them to order the staff to edit the posts? Are there any useful examples of the consequences?
posted by anonymous on Aug 7, 2007 - 10 answers

bookfilter: main character is a government collector of "deactivated" artists / works of art [more inside]
posted by cps on Apr 8, 2007 - 6 answers

What do you feel is the biggest case, or group of cases, concerning online censorship and a breach of first ammendment rights to happen in the past five years? [more inside]
posted by fvox13 on Feb 26, 2007 - 11 answers

"Yippie Kai Yay Mr. Falcon!" In a censored version of Die Hard II, a dubbed over Bruce Willis exclaims these words as a final FU to the bad guys. Anyone know where I can download this tidbit?
posted by jeff_w_welch on Dec 22, 2006 - 6 answers

Did President Bush swear today during his speech? [more inside]
posted by pwally on Nov 8, 2006 - 17 answers

Is there any way I can figure out how a Web site is classified by different Web filtering services and systems? If they classify it incorrectly, is it difficult to make my case and get the classification changed? [more inside]
posted by elmwood on Sep 25, 2006 - 7 answers

I'm living in a Chinese university dorm. I was running Web traffic through an SSH tunnel, and about 10 minutes into reading about China's Internet censorship (which naturally includes lots of blocked terms as examples, like "falun gong" and "Tibet"), the service staff in this building knocked on my door. [more inside]
posted by jbb7 on Aug 10, 2006 - 17 answers

Conspiracy filter: Has anyone ever experienced this strange, suspicious phenomenon on TV before? [more inside]
posted by wsg on Jul 6, 2006 - 19 answers

For my work, I've been asked to prevent a client's son from browsing porn on the family computer without spending money on NetNanny style products. I confess to encountering some difficulty. I have set Win XP to use the MVPS hosts file and tried a couple of free porn filters but have come up against a brick wall. Help me! [more inside]
posted by dance on May 28, 2006 - 37 answers

Calling all Librarians! My library system is currently proposing a "children's card" - where a parent could effectively block their child's access to "innapropriate" materials. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 26, 2006 - 16 answers

I'm looking for quotes from famous nasty-folk saying, roughly, that the people can't be trusted with information 'cuz they'll misinterpret it. [more inside]
posted by ykjay on Apr 11, 2006 - 8 answers

What search engine should I use instead of Google to protest their agreement to provide a censored product for China? [more inside]
posted by alms on Feb 13, 2006 - 16 answers

I had heard that there was a pretty harsh proxy firewall set up for the United Arab Emirates... but I largely ignored it as I didn't plan or needing warez, pornography, or dissident views. I'm here now, and an absolutely astounding amount of (non-prurient, non-dangerous) things are blocked. Is there a workaround? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 13, 2006 - 26 answers

Does anyone know, loosely or extensively, of Kyrgystan's methods of web censorship of religion? [more inside]
posted by vanoakenfold on Dec 31, 2005 - 1 answer

After the Titanic sank, was removing references to persons or ships tangentially involved common place? [more inside]
posted by nomisxid on Nov 18, 2005 - 4 answers

My fiance went to the Buca Di Beppo in Orlando last night and she told me that in the women's stalls they had vintage pictures of naked ladies; her friend told her that in Chicago they even have naked men in the men's room. I think it's pretty cool, but I'm a little freaked by it, especially when I think about taking my kids in to use the lavatory. So it got me thinking....how is this legal? [more inside]
posted by taumeson on Sep 9, 2005 - 53 answers

I have to discuss this in class tonight... can anybody give me a hand.... ? "The freedom of the individual depends on the freedom of everyone." "The freedom to disagree discourages censorship."
posted by bamassippi on Jul 5, 2005 - 25 answers

Much to my surprise, I have been given a visa to visit ol' zhongguo (china) for a few months (i'll be doing research on minorities). I would like to be able to surf the net anonymously but I'm a bit of a nOOb when it comes to proxy servers and what not. I remember seeing a similar question on slashdot but answers said things like "Just ssh into ..." I know what ssh is, etc. but i'm not sure how to use a proxy through ssh. can anyone give me some basic instructions? I would appreciate help. Comments like "Don't go to China if you don't want to obey their rules!!!" or whatever are less appreciated. Thanks!
posted by hurting.the.feelings.of.thechinesepeople on May 25, 2005 - 9 answers

Why are there two versions of the new Black Eyed Peas single? It (kinda) made sense to have a radio version of "Let's Get Retarded", but what's so bad about "Don't Phunk With My Heart"? [more inside]
posted by smackfu on May 12, 2005 - 7 answers

Wanna subvert an authoritarian regime? Help me get around the Great Firewall! [more inside]
posted by saysthis on Mar 12, 2005 - 16 answers

Christmas is coming up and I want to be a cool parent to my 10 year old. She wants to listen to, what I can best describe, hip-hop. Not really rap, but stuff that has a beat (she liked Black Eyed Peas "let's get it started in here"). Her current problem is I am uncool. I didn't let her watch Mean Girls—all the other kids got to. I don't let her listen to the local "cool" radio station—mainly because of the language and DJs. So any suggestions on what could keep a kid cool but let me feel like she's getting music of some quality? I don't have to like the music, but I don't want anything with questionable lyrics. Answers that accuse me of censorship will be ignored. When she wants to save her own money up and buy a CD she can, but I'm buying these.
posted by nramsey on Nov 16, 2004 - 52 answers