Day two of the ENOG-2 international meeting on 30 November was marked by the panel discussion provocatively labeled “DNS filtering content: Does might make right?” The panel was sponsored by the Coordination Center for TLD RU.
The panel moderator, Mikhail Yakushev of RAEC and Mail.ru Group, outlined main issues for discussion: criteria for content blocking and practicability of respective technical levers. The first panelist, Andrey Robachevsky of ISOC, briefed the participants on the debate on the issue at IGF-2011 in Kenya. According to international experts, DNS-based content filtering is not a means to take on illegal content on the Web. The source of the content remains freely accessible, and the ways to bypass DNS filters are very rough and cause serious damage to the network infrastructure.
Andrey Kolesnikov, the CC’s CEO, tagged issues of malicious content filtering as the most pressing ones. “The issue of dissemination of criminal content on the Web will be addressed through technical means, whether we like it or not. On the other hand, the same mechanisms can be used against objects which do not fall under the Criminal Code. For example, under the right holders’ pressure the United States face the urgency of extra-judicial removal of content from Internet resources. And instead of hunting down real criminals, the police chase peering network users. These two issues should be clearly separated, said Andrey Kolesnikov. – Today, an efficient way to combat unlawful content is to do it all together. That’s the way “hot lines” operate, and it has proved pretty effective.”
Vladimir Menyailo of the Friendly Runet Foundation took up the issue by displaying impressive statistics of hot line performance in combating child pornography. Over a year, the hot line took and checked out as many as 46,820 users’ messages regarding child pornography online. Upon verification 18,916 resources were rooted out in Russia and 859 ones - overseas. Certain materials were passed over to law enforcement agencies to subsequently open 41 criminal cases.
Ivan Zassoursky, the Internet publishers Foundation, complained about the Russian law failing to properly define extremism. The inaccuracy in determining what should constitute extremism, according to I. Zassoursky, gives rise to abuses. As a result, the Internet users perceive almost all legislative novelties in this area as a threat to online freedoms. Ivan Zassoursky expressed doubts over effectiveness of technical blocking of inappropriate content. He cited the example of Kazakhstan and Turkey that tried this method on a national scale; however, a user can easily bypass the blockages. Moreover, I. Zassoursky noted that Runet faces a grave challenge of spilling out the accumulated negative attitude and hatred online.
Paul Vixie, ISC, related about how things stand with the problem of posting illegal content abroad. Commenting on his presentation, Ivan Zassoursky noted that for Russians a tightening of control over the online content is the prime fear. In Europe and America, the greatest concern is the government’s Big-Brother capacity. Paul Vixie stressed that most politicians and policemen can grasp the concept of filtering through changes in the DNS records to no matter how senseless and fruitless it is.
Petr Zavialov, Mail.ru, referred to the problem of confusing the really unlawful content with “the one you personally find disgusting.”
Recapping, Mikhail Yakushev asserted that the Internet is inseparable from the offline life, and it is naive to assume that it is home to the evil, and as such, it can be overcome by technical methods. The whole society’s engagement in addressing these issues is the keystone of success in fighting against illegal content in the Internet.
