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How independent and international news orgs are circumventing censorship in Russia

2 years 9 months ago

Russia has cracked down extensively on independent reporting within its borders since it invaded Ukraine last month, leading many outlets to cease publishing or pull editorial staff from the country entirely. Still, international and independent news outlets that would face official censorship within Russia are finding ways to distribute uncensored news to avid readers.

If you’re a journalist or represent a news org looking to circumvent censorship in Russia, please reach out to Freedom of the Press Foundation — we may be able to help.

In some cases, the solutions are high-tech. BBC and The New York Times, for example, both offer Tor onion services to make an encrypted connection to their site available to anybody with Tor browser access. Providing an onion address offers benefits above simply encouraging Tor usage for news sites, which we’ve explained in the context of tracking onion roll-outs and which security researcher Alec Muffett has recently described in more detail.

Importantly, these outlets didn’t start offering onion addresses with the invasion — rather, they’ve long provided Tor access as one channel to read their reporting, meaning the onion URLs have already been widely distributed and would be harder to substitute with spoofs.

For services that haven’t always been available over Tor, offering a new onion service is still a welcome development. Twitter somewhat quietly rolled out a long-anticipated onion service this month.

Independent news outlets on the ground in Russia may not have the infrastructure to launch an onion service, but Meduza — which long anticipated the ban that was issued against it this month — was able to educate readers about using VPNs or other circumvention techniques to continue accessing the site, and offers a mobile app that has not been as straightforward to restrict. It has continued to produce valuable reporting since the new restrictions and is looking to non-Russian audiences to help fund its continued existence.

Some outlets have embraced the platform Telegram, which is popular in both Russia and Ukraine, to distribute news through designated channels. Last week, The New York Times announced that it would begin offering updates through the app.

In addition to the channels which provide a sort of newsfeed, Telegram is advertised as a secure messenger, though security researchers have long cautioned about some of its security design decisions. Earlier this month EFF provided a guide to harm reduction for users of the app. (For encrypted communication, we recommend Signal and maintain a guide to maximizing its security.)

Finally, some of the censorship-circumvention techniques being practiced in Russia are decidedly much more old-school. This month the BBC revived its regional short-wave radio broadcasts — technology usually more associated with World War II than the Internet age — and is transmitting World Service news into Russia and Ukraine for hours each day.

Parker Higgins

Joe Hackler Launches Campaign for State Representative  

2 years 9 months ago
GRANITE CITY - Joe Hackler filed the maximum 1,000 petition signatures at the State Board of Elections and is launching his campaign for state representative in the 112th District, which includes portions of Madison and St. Clair counties. “I am running for state representative because I’m tired of seeing young families like my own flee Illinois for places with lower taxes and more opportunity,” said Hackler. “Illinois is my home, and I’m staying to fight for it. We deserve a state government on the side of taxpayers, not corrupt insiders and Springfield special interests.” Joe worked his way through college while serving his hometown as an elected township trustee at the age of 19. After graduating, he turned his focus to helping make Illinois a better place to live and work. Joe has spent his career battling Speaker Michael Madigan's political machine and taking on the extreme agenda of Democratic lawmakers who kept him in power. Joe led the charge

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Former St. Louis Police Officer Sentenced To One Year and One Day In Fraud Case

2 years 9 months ago
ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced former St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer Brad Stephens to one year and one day in federal prison for 3 counts of Mail Fraud by obtaining taxpayer moneys from the Tower Grove South Concerned Citizen Special Business District (“Tower Grove South”) by means of material false representations. Stephens pleaded guilty on December 6, 2021. According to court documents, Stephens was employed as a police officer by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (“SLMPD”) in St. Louis, Missouri, and had been employed by the SLMPD since October 6, 2014. Tower Grove South was established to provide special police and/or security for the protection and enjoyment of the property owners and the public within the district. The administration and operations of the business district are taxpayer funded. City Wide Security (“CWS”) is a private company that contracts with businesses

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Lunchtime Photo

2 years 9 months ago
This is a foggy autumn morning near Jeanerette, Louisiana. It could probably be a better picture, but I've dicked around with it enough already. I just don't feel like starting over.
Kevin Drum

Village of Glen Carbon Secures Environmental Grant Award For Schon Park Electric Charging Station  

2 years 9 months ago
GLEN CARBON – As recipients of the Madison County Sustainability Grant, a charging station will be installed at Schon Park in Glen Carbon to support the efforts of the Village to provide sustainable options for residents. Recently awarded, this environmental grant for $15,000 will provide the Village with its first dual-port electric charging station. Once installed, the village will continue to monitor its use and determine any additional needs moving forward based on appropriate quantitative data. It’s conceived that usage of the charging station could reduce up to 100 pounds of CO2 emissions per hour per use. The new station will occupy two spaces at the south end of Schon Park parking lot. “We are very excited to be awarded this environmental grant and feel that this is a wonderful asset for our Village and its residents,” said Bob Marcus, Mayor of Glen Carbon. “Today, manufacturers are building more hybrid and electric cars than ever before,”

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Court Tells Convicted Fraudster Paul Hansmeier To Stop Wasting The Court’s Time With Frivolous Litigation

2 years 9 months ago
Old habits die hard, even when limited by incarceration. Convicted lawyer/Prenda mastermind Paul Hansmeier apparently isn’t going to let being locked up for 14 years steer him clear of recidivism. As was reported in late 2020 by TorrentFreak, Hansmeier began filing copyright litigation from a place he certainly shouldn’t be filing lawsuits alleging illegal actions […]
Tim Cushing

The Village of East Alton Will Conduct A Spring Clean-up April 25-29

2 years 9 months ago
EAST ALTON - Beginning Monday, April 25th, during their normal garbage pick-up day that week, East Alton Village residents may put out bulk items and general rubbish and junk not suitable for regular garbage pick-up. Items not allowed: electronics, tires, shingles, car parts, concrete, hazardous materials such as oil, paint, asbestos, etc. Trash trucks may pick up some of the items during your normal pick-up; a Village dump truck will follow along the garbage routes and pick up other items throughout the week. Depending on the volume, items may be picked up a day or two later after normal trash pick-up. In order to take advantage of the Village Spring Clean-up, all items must be placed in the area of your regular trash pick-up by 6:00 am on your regular trash pick-up day the week of April 25th. For NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE (East Alton Village residents only), the Village Drop-Off Center located at 331 Playground Court behind the Municipal Garage will also be open Monday, April 25th

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Family-run restaurant closing on South Grand after nearly 40 years

2 years 9 months ago
A fixture on South Grand will close its doors and usher in new changes after nearly 40 years. Café Natasha owner Hamishe Bahrami announced Tuesday she’s stepping down and will retire at the end of April. Between now and then, the St. Louis community is welcome to dine in and enjoy the Persian stews and kabobs they’ve been serving up for decades. “The St. Louis community has shown such incredible support for Cafe Natasha over the years, and that didn’t even change during the pandemic,”…
Dori Olmos, KSDK

Alton City Treasurer Cameo Holland Earns National Certification Achievement

2 years 9 months ago
ALTON - Cameo Holland, who is in her fifth year as the Alton City Treasurer is always cognizant of any education or training that assists her in regard to her high-profile position. Holland was an outstanding student at Lewis and Clark Community College, then at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. She has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration. Recently, Cameo added to her education with a National Certification Achievement. She has earned the Certified Public Funds Investment Manager (CPFIM) Certification from the Association of Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada (APT US&C). Cameo said while it was a difficult process, she was excited to obtain the knowledge and the certification for the City of Alton. “I learned a lot with the certification,” she said. “It was difficult and took a lot of time, but it was worth it. I always want to learn more about government investments and be the best I can be at my job.” T

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Sheena Greitens stands by abuse charge

2 years 9 months ago
ST. LOUIS –One day after the contents of a court affidavit alleging she and her children were the subject of physical abuse at the hands of her husband, former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, Sheena Greitens says she's standing by the charge and denying political influence in it. In a tweet Tuesday, Sheena Greitens said: "I [...]
Gregg Palermo