News by Faculty

Cloud and consequences: Internet censorship data enters the transformation age

A blog post discussing Prof. Roya Ensafi’s work with the Censored Planet Observatory to transform the way we analyze censorship data.

Shining a light in the dark: Measuring global internet shutdowns

This blog post discusses Prof. Roya Ensafi’s work with the Censored Planet Observatory to measure and track government censorship on the internet and then make that data publicly accessible.

From a lab in Ann Arbor, fighting internet censorship around the world

This in-depth profile spotlights Prof. Roya Ensafi, her motivations, and the work she is doing to defend and open internet.

Meet the brains behind the world’s first fully remote global censorship observatory

Sloan Research Fellow and Morris Wellman Faculty Development Professor Roya Ensafi has been profiled on the Sloan Foundation’s blog for her work in combatting internet censorship and surveillance.

I Got Investigated by the Secret Service. Here’s How to Not Be Me

Prof. Roya Ensafi is quoted in this piece on Wired about the role of ISPs in government surveillance, and how useful technologies like VPNs are in safeguarding privacy.

Are virtual private networks actually private?

A joint project with Prof. Roya Ensafi and Arizona State University works to protect internet freedom and digital security by revealing vulnerabilities in VPN technology.

Apps can pose bigger security, privacy threat based on where you download them

According to a study led by PhD student Renuka Kumar, the same app can pose different different risks if you download it in, say, Tunisia rather than in Germany.

A New Report on VPNs Shows They’re Often a Mixed Bag for Privacy

Consumer Reports recently reviewed a variety of virtual private networks with the help of VPNalyzer, a tool developed in Prof. Roya Ensafi’s lab.

Governments are finding new ways to squash free expression online

Work by Prof. Roya Ensafi and the Censored Planet Lab has helped to identify the use of new censorship technology in Russia.

Russia Is Censoring the Internet, With Coercion and Black Boxes

Work by Prof. Roya Ensafi and the Censored Planet Lab was cited in a New York Times report on the growing use of new censorship technology in Russia

Trump Says More Countries Should Ban Twitter: ‘Perhaps I Should Have Done It While I Was President’

In this article, Prof. Roya Ensafi comments on how the June 2018 repeal of net neutrality in the U.S. has set the stage for potentially blocking websites nationwide.

Putin Finds Ally in China’s TikTok in Crackdown on Critics

Russia is now pioneering a “landmark” approach to censorship that relies on both pressuring platforms to police their own content and an innovative use of technology to ensure they comply, according to Roya Ensafi, the founder of the Censored Planet lab.

Academics: Russia deployed new technology to throttle Twitter’s traffic

The Censored Planet project, from the lab of Prof. Roya Ensafi, published a study explaining some of the details about the slowdown of Twitter in Russia.

US blocks Hong Kong users from some government websites

Sites hosting economic data have been inaccessible to users in the Asian financial centre for months, according to work by Prof. Roya Ensafi and her Censored Planet team.

Study: Russia’s web-censoring tool sets pace for imitators

New research by Prof. Roya Ensafi sheds light on the implications of this technology.