- An open letter to Google: Stop the censorship of the Internet! Stop the political blacklisting of the World Socialist Web Site! (25 August 2017)
- The bicentenary of Marx’s birth, socialism and the resurgence of the international class struggle (3 January 2018)
- The Place of the October Revolution in World History and Contemporary Politics (13 November 2017)
- Palace coup or class struggle: The political crisis in Washington and the strategy of the working class (13 June 2017)
- A Quarter Century of War: The US Drive for Global Hegemony 1990–2016 (11 July 2016)
- Socialism and the Fight Against War (10 February 2016)
Internet Censorship
Google hiring 10,000 reviewers to censor YouTube content
By Zaida Green, 8 December 2017
The video-sharing platform has already removed over 150,000 videos, with 50 percent of videos removed within two hours of upload.
Behind the FCC plan to abolish net neutrality
Broadband monopolies to censor Internet content
By Kevin Reed, 5 December 2017
The FCC plan to repeal previous net neutrality standards enables the ISP monopolies to further their business interests while enabling censorship at a fundamental level of Internet infrastructure.
FCC plan to repeal “net neutrality” gives telecom giants control of public access to Internet
By Kevin Reed, 23 November 2017
The anti-democratic plan to deregulate the US Internet infrastructure will enable privately-owned US broadband providers to control public access to online content.
Google’s Eric Schmidt admits political censorship of search results
By Niles Niemuth, 22 November 2017
Remarks by the executive chairman of Google’s parent company about efforts to “de-rank” news sites critical of the US government expose the corporate-government conspiracy to block oppositional voices on the Internet.
Sri Lankan students and workers oppose Google censorship of the WSWS
By our correspondents, 22 November 2017
“It’s very important to organise the working class on an international basis.”
Google announces moves to censor RT and Sputnik
By Trévon Austin, 21 November 2017
Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, announced that Google will create algorithms designed to “de-rank” web sites such as RT and Sputnik.
Sri Lankan government bans Lanka e-News web site
By Vijith Samarasinghe, 20 November 2017
The ban on LeN is a direct attack on basic democratic rights and a warning to all sections of the media that the Sri Lankan ruling elite cannot tolerate any criticism.
EU anti-“fake news” authority prepares mass censorship
By Alex Lantier, 16 November 2017
The EU is preparing censorship aimed not at false information, but at news reports or political views that encourage popular opposition to the European ruling class.
Socialist Equality Party holds meeting on Google censorship at Manchester Metropolitan University
By our reporters, 15 November 2017
The meeting outlined the political context in which the term “fake news” is used to justify censorship.
Democrat Mark Warner auditions for the role of grand inquisitor in the anti-Russia campaign
By Harvey Simpkins, 14 November 2017
Senator Warner of Virginia has taken the most aggressive posture in favor of Internet censorship and other attacks on democratic rights.
US brands RT a “foreign agent:” A chilling move against free speech
By Andre Damon, 11 November 2017
The Justice Department’s demand that RT register as a “foreign agent” is aimed at delegitimizing it as a news source, intimidating its contributors and guests, and setting a precedent for branding news outlets as treasonous.
The Democrats’ McCarthyite witch hunt
By Andre Damon, 3 November 2017
This week’s congressional hearings on “extremist content” mark a new stage in the campaign by congressional Democrats, working with the intelligence agencies and leading media outlets, to legitimize censorship and criminalize dissent.
Anti-Russia hearings in the US:
Lawmakers demand tech companies censor journalists and conduct mass surveillance
By Andre Damon, 2 November 2017
Wednesday's testimony made clear the social media giants are being required to act as a proxy of the US government, to muzzle its critics and political opponents.
US Congressional hearing:
Former FBI agent says tech companies must “silence” sources of “rebellion”
By Andre Damon, 1 November 2017
Advocating stepped-up censorship of the Internet, Clint Watts, a former US Army officer and FBI agent, declared, “Civil wars don’t start with gunshots, they start with words.”
US congressional hearings on “extremist content” prepare assault on free speech
By Andre Damon, 31 October 2017
This week, US tech companies will report to Congress on their moves to limit “extremist content” on the Internet as part of the anti-Russian witch hunt, which is increasingly targeting the First Amendment.
Twitter bans RT and Sputnik from advertising
By Trévon Austin, 28 October 2017
The move sets a chilling precedent, giving Twitter the ability to decide which news outlets are allowed to promote their content, limiting free speech and freedom of the press online.
New York Times and Wall Street Journal demand censorship of YouTube
By Andre Damon, 26 October 2017
In two articles appearing Tuesday on the front pages of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, the newspapers laid out justifications for censoring the online streaming service YouTube.
Public meetings in Michigan, California and New York
Google: The new face of Internet censorship
24 October 2017
The SEP and IYSSE are hosting meetings throughout the country to inform students youth and workers of the fight against Internet censorship.
Over 5,000 sign WSWS petition against Google blacklisting
By Trévon Austin, 23 October 2017
The broad and passionate response from workers, students and youth in the United States and internationally is indicative of widespread opposition to censorship and attacks on democratic rights.
Google escalates blacklisting of left-wing web sites and journalists
By Andre Damon, 20 October 2017
In a sweeping expansion of its moves to censor the Internet, Google has blacklisted leading left-wing websites and journalists from its news aggregation platform.
“Google is censoring websites to block dissident views critical of the US establishment”
India: Students and workers in Kolkata oppose Google censorship
By Ritwik Mitter and Arun Kumar, 19 October 2017
ICFI/WSWS supporters spoke to students about Google censorship, the Indian government’s attacks on democratic rights and the US war drive against China.
The conspiracy to censor the Internet
By Andre Damon and Joseph Kishore, 18 October 2017
US intelligence agencies, media outlets and Democratic Party operatives are turning the witch-hunt against Russia into the justification for a far-reaching attack on free speech.
The New York Times and the criminalization of dissent
By Joseph Kishore, 11 October 2017
The unsubstantiated charges of Russian interference in the US elections have developed into an increasingly frenzied campaign to ascribe all opposition within the United States to the actions of a “foreign enemy.”
British government prepares further draconian legislation to censor Internet
By Steve James, 10 October 2017
Rudd’s initial focus is on clamping down on opposition to British imperialism’s predatory wars in the Middle East, but this will inevitably be extended to cover all anti-war sentiment and commentary.
Sri Lankan academics oppose Google censorship
By our correspondent, 7 October 2017
Google’s actions are “a gross abuse of monopolistic power” and related to its close links to the US state apparatus and the Pentagon.
Inequality and the American oligarchy
The social and economic roots of the attack on democratic rights
By Eric London, 6 October 2017
New figures on social inequality reveal the material basis for the campaign in ruling circles to block access to the WSWS and other left-wing sites.
The elites “have no credibility left:” An interview with journalist Chris Hedges
By David North, 6 October 2017
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges talks with the WSWS about the anti-Russia campaign, the attack on democratic rights, and the role of the capitalist media.
Germany’s Network Enforcement Act: Legal framework for censorship of the Internet
By Katerina Selin, 5 October 2017
The assumption behind the law, which took effect October 1, is that companies will delete controversial posts rather than risk severe financial penalties.
Indian workers and students in Chennai support campaign against Google censorship
By our correspondents, 3 October 2017
“Blocking information is a dictatorial measure; governments and big companies are trying to prevent us from finding critical information,” said one worker.
Grenfell Fire Forum: Wide-ranging discussion and resolution passed opposing Google censorship
By Paul Mitchell, 3 October 2017
Over 20 people, half of whom were local residents, attended the first meeting of the Grenfell Fire Forum last Saturday at the Maxilla Social Club in North Kensington, London.
The New York Times reports World Socialist Web Site charge of Google censorship and blacklisting
By Andre Damon, 2 October 2017
The Times’ article is the first detailed report in the US mainstream media of Google’s manipulation of searches to bar access to left-wing sites.
US Justice Department demands Facebook turn over information on anti-administration activists
By Trévon Austin, 30 September 2017
Private account information on thousands of Facebook users could be handed over to the government as a result of the warrants.
US Department of Homeland Security to track all immigrants’ social media accounts
By Jake Dean, 29 September 2017
The DHS’s invasive surveillance and data gathering operation will cover all immigrants, including green card holders and naturalized citizens.
The new McCarthyism and the suppression of political dissent
By Andre Damon, 29 September 2017
The increasingly hysterical anti-Russia campaign, spearheaded by the Democratic Party, is laying the political and legal basis for the criminalization of dissent in the United States.
Socialist Equality Party/International Youth and Students for Social Equality (UK) public meetings
Stop Internet Censorship! Stop Google’s political blacklisting of the World Socialist Web Site
22 September 2017
The Socialist Equality Party and International Youth and Students for Social Equality are holding a series of public meetings in the UK in opposition to Google’s censorship of the Internet and its blacklisting of the World Socialist Web Site.
Obama adviser Samantha Power calls for crackdown on social media
Internet censorship and government war plans
By Andre Damon, 21 September 2017
Samantha Power, US ambassador to the United Nations under Barack Obama, has penned a column in the New York Times advocating the use of “professional gatekeepers” to police public discourse on the Internet.
Sri Lankan free trade zone and harbour workers denounce Google censorship
By our correspondents, 21 September 2017
“We oppose exploitation and inequality. We oppose world war and Google censorship of the WSWS.”
Hillary Clinton’s What Happened: A conspiracy theory of the 2016 election
By Andre Damon, 20 September 2017
Hillary Clinton’s memoir, released September 13, represents the Democratic Party’s semi-official narrative of its electoral defeat in 2016.
Facebook turns over information on Russia-linked accounts to Special Counsel Mueller
By Patrick Martin, 19 September 2017
The investigation into alleged Russian interference in the US election and Trump campaign collusion is being used to justify a crackdown on the Internet.
Google intensifies censorship of left-wing websites
By Andre Damon, 19 September 2017
New statistics expose the growing impact of Google’s attack on free speech.
World Socialist Web Site readers in Britain oppose Google’s censorship campaign
By our reporter, 18 September 2017
World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to some of the hundreds of people in Britain on why they have signed the petition to Google demanding that the corporation stop its censorship of the Internet and end their blacklist of the WSWS.
Anger mounts over consumer credit data hack
What is Equifax and why does it have personal information on half the American population?
By Kevin Reed, 15 September 2017
Credit ratings agencies serve a critical function for the financial elite, collecting information on every individual to determine a “credit score,” used to extract as much money as possible from the working class.
Why is Amazon deleting negative reviews of Hillary Clinton’s new book?
By Andre Damon, 15 September 2017
Amazon has deleted over a thousand negative reviews of What Happened?, Hillary Clinton’s account of the 2016 presidential election.
New York Times stokes anti-Russia campaign to promote Facebook, Twitter censorship
By Bill Van Auken, 12 September 2017
Invoking an alleged Russian menace to American democracy, the New York Times is spearheading a campaign for a crackdown on political expression on social media.
Personal data of 143 million US consumers compromised in massive Equifax server hack
By Kevin Reed, 11 September 2017
The $18 billion corporation had its servers hacked, covered up the breach for two-and-a-half months, and still claims to not know what happened.
“If the Internet shuts down, we wouldn’t know anything. The union isn’t going to tell us”
Autoworkers in Detroit support campaign against Google Internet censorship
By a WSWS reporting team, 9 September 2017
SEP campaign teams in the Detroit area collected scores of signatures last weekend for the petition opposing Google’s Internet censorship.
Forbes writer says Google censored report on manipulation of search traffic
By Andre Damon, 8 September 2017
Journalist Kashmir Hill faced a backlash from the tech giant after she reported that Google threatened to demote search results for sites that did not link to its ill-fated social media network.
Sri Lankan students oppose Google’s censorship of the World Socialist Web Site
By our reporters, 5 September 2017
Members of the SEP and IYSSE in Sri Lanka campaigned this month to gather support among students and youth for the WSWS’s campaign against Google’s censorship of the Internet.
Antimonopoly researchers say Google CEO pressured leading think tank to fire them
By Andre Damon, 2 September 2017
The researchers, who had criticized Google, said in a statement that the tech giant is “trying to censor journalists and researchers who fight dangerous monopolies.”
Over three thousand sign WSWS petition against Google censorship
By Isaac Finn, 1 September 2017
The World Socialist Web Site’s petition against Google’s blacklisting of socialist, antiwar and progressive websites has received more than 3,000 signatures, with over a thousand signing in the last ten days.
“They are trying to block out the truth”
US autoworkers denounce Google censorship of WSWS
By Shannon Jones, 31 August 2017
Detroit autoworkers support the campaign by the Socialist Equality Party against the attempt by tech giant Google to manipulate its searches to restrict access to the World Socialist Web Site.
DreamHost ordered to hand over data on anti-Trump website: The criminalization of political dissent
By Joseph Kishore, 26 August 2017
The court decision that DreamHost must turn over information on the individuals associated with disruptj20.org is a chilling assault on free speech.
German government raids and shuts down left-wing Indymedia site
By Johannes Stern, 26 August 2017
The shutdown of linksunten.indymedia.org is the latest step in a crackdown on left-wing politics in Germany ahead of the upcoming federal election.
An open letter to Google: Stop the censorship of the Internet! Stop the political blacklisting of the World Socialist Web Site!
25 August 2017
David North, chairperson of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, has sent the following open letter to Google executives Sundar Pichai, Lawrence Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt.
Internet censorship goes beyond Google
Facebook, Youtube, other tech giants launch joint, state-backed censorship programs
By Zac Corrigan, 24 August 2017
Google's fake search results are the spearhead of a much wider campaign by an entire fraternity of state-aligned tech giants to censor political speech on the Internet.
More than two thousand sign petition to stop Google censorship
By Zac Corrigan, 22 August 2017
The number of signatures jumped over the weekend, after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tweeted a link to the WSWS’s exposure of Google’s actions.
Trump administration demands Internet records on 1.3 million political opponents
By Don Barrett and Niles Niemuth, 17 August 2017
The Justice Department has filed a warrant demanding emails, visitor logs, contact information and photographs relating to the website that coordinated protests at the January 20 presidential inauguration.
Over 1,000 sign petition to demand end to Google blacklisting of WSWS
By Isaac Finn, 16 August 2017
In the two days since the WSWS released the online petition, more than one thousand people from all over the world have signed the petition against Google’s censorship.
Defense Secretary “Mad Dog” Mattis visits Google and Amazon
By Andre Damon, 12 August 2017
Mattis’ visit indicates the increasingly vital role played by the US tech giants not just in the conduct of wars abroad, but in the censorship and suppression of political opposition at home.
Facebook establishes new censorship centre in Germany
By Christoph Vandreier, 11 August 2017
In the autumn, Internet company Facebook will open a new censorship centre employing 500 people in Essen, Germany.
The hacking of HBO and the “Russian meddling” campaign
By Barry Grey, 10 August 2017
The massive hack of HBO is but the latest case demonstrating the proliferation of hacker groups all over the world that employ advanced technology to successfully attack giant corporations.
Evidence of Google blacklisting of left and progressive sites continues to mount
By Andre Damon, 8 August 2017
Leading left-wing news outlets confirmed that their traffic plunged after Google announced measures to allow human evaluators to censor political websites.
Apple, Amazon help Chinese government censor the Internet
By Josh Varlin, 5 August 2017
The Chinese government has launched a crackdown on virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow Internet users to circumvent state censorship.
Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms
By Andre Damon, 4 August 2017
Google has blacklisted the World Socialist Web Site from the 45 most popular search terms that previously brought people to it, according to a new review of data.
Google’s new advertising program tracks offline shoppers, violates privacy
By Josh Varlin, 2 August 2017
Google is using a secret and potentially vulnerable algorithm to correlate in-store credit and debit card purchases with Internet activity.
Google’s new search protocol is restricting access to 13 leading socialist, progressive and anti-war web sites
By Andre Damon and David North, 2 August 2017
The World Socialist Web Site and other widely-followed left-wing internet publications have experienced a massive drop in Google search traffic.
RT interviews Andre Damon: Google becoming “censorship engine”
1 August 2017
World Socialist Web Site reporter Andre Damon spoke to RT America about Google’s censorship of left-wing, progressive, and anti-war web sites.
Google’s chief search engineer legitimizes new censorship algorithm
By Andre Damon, 31 July 2017
Using the fraudulent pretext of blocking access to “fake news,” Google has implemented a vastly expanded program of Internet censorship.
Does the WSWS write about Leon Trotsky? Not according to Google
By Joseph Kishore, 29 July 2017
Searching Google for “Who is Leon Trotsky” will not lead web users to articles published by the most widely read Trotskyist site on the internet.
Google rigs searches to block access to World Socialist Web Site
the WSWS Editorial Board, 28 July 2017
Statistical analysis proves that Google is excluding WSWS content from search requests.
New Google algorithm restricts access to left-wing, progressive web sites
By Andre Damon and Niles Niemuth, 27 July 2017
In the three months since Internet monopoly Google announced plans to keep users from accessing “fake news,” the traffic rankings of a broad range of left-wing, progressive, anti-war and democratic rights organizations have fallen significantly.
Petya ransomware attack shuts down computers in 65 countries
By Kevin Reed, 29 June 2017
In the second massive cyberattack in 44 days, both originating from malicious software developed by the NSA, personal computers in at least 65 countries were shut down Tuesday.
The global ransomware attack and the crimes of the US spy agencies
By Andre Damon, 16 May 2017
The cyberweapons created by the NSA are aimed not only against the geopolitical targets of US imperialism, but the populations of the United States and the entire world.
Trump’s FCC chairman issues plan to overturn 2015 “net neutrality” rules
By Kevin Reed, 29 April 2017
Net neutrality is the principle that the transmission of data over the Internet must be treated equally, without regard to content, purpose or originating source.
Germany activates new cyber warfare unit
By Johannes Stern, 8 April 2017
Germany is seeking to take the lead internationally in the field of cyber warfare and thereby position itself “for the warfare of the future.”
US House votes to repeal internet protections
Trump expected to sign anti-privacy measure into law
By Kevin Reed, 1 April 2017
Congress has decided that internet providers own the information that consumers provide when they use the internet to shop, browse or message.
Senate votes to repeal FCC internet privacy regulations
By Bryan Dyne, 27 March 2017
If signed into law, the new legislation would give the American intelligence agencies access to even greater means for spying on the population.
Facebook’s “fake news” measures: A move toward censorship
By George Gallanis, 17 December 2016
Facebook will begin validating articles posted on the social media platform through third party agencies, dominated by the establishment media and institutions affiliated with the state.
Massive cyberattack shuts down large sections of the Internet
By Kevin Reed, 22 October 2016
The assault was very large in scale and sophisticated in coordination.
Samsung abruptly drops Galaxy Note 7 smartphone due to dangerous overheating
By Kevin Reed, 14 October 2016
After scores of reports in the US alone, including a forced evacuation of an airliner, the company finally responded.
Werner Herzog’s Lo and Behold: Reveries of The Connected World
Exploring the origins and impact of the Internet
By Kevin Reed, 8 October 2016
The movie examines the origins and implications of the Internet and related technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things and space travel.
Yahoo reports 500 million user accounts were hacked in 2014
By Kevin Reed, 24 September 2016
Although Yahoo’s assertion that the breach was the work of a state-sponsored hacker has been repeated widely in news reports, no facts have been presented to substantiate the claim.
Sexual assault accusations used to oust leader at Tor Project
By Adam Mclean, 19 August 2016
The Tor Project, a network and tool for anonymizing one’s internet traffic, has been a repeated target of attacks from US intelligence agencies.
Twenty five years of the World Wide Web
By Bryan Dyne, 8 January 2016
The first successful connection between two computers over the Internet using the World Wide Web was created by Tim Berners-Lee twenty five years ago.
Obama declares “national emergency” based on alleged cyber threats from Russia, China
By Thomas Gaist, 3 April 2015
In an online statement, Obama made clear that the new powers granted in his latest executive order will be used to target America’s main geopolitical rivals.
FCC ruling sides with tech companies on “net neutrality”
By Mike Ingram, 6 March 2015
The decision of the FCC to reclassify broadband providers as a “telecommunications service” favors one set of corporate giants over another.
Obama administration pushes cybersecurity law to expand corporate-government collaboration
By Ed Hightower, 15 January 2015
The intelligence sharing legislation would give legal immunity to corporations that grant the US government direct access to their data.
Sony hacking allegations used to push antidemocratic “cybersecurity” laws
By Tom Carter, 10 January 2015
Efforts are underway within the US government to exploit hacking allegations against North Korea in order to ram through legislation that will further expand domestic surveillance.
US escalates campaign against North Korea
By Patrick Martin, 20 December 2014
An FBI declaration and a White House press conference ratcheted up the pressure on the isolated Stalinist dictatorship, which now faces unspecified US retaliation for an alleged hacking attack on Sony Pictures.
US stokes conflict with North Korea over Sony hacking
By Patrick Martin, 19 December 2014
Obama administration officials described the hacking as a “serious national security matter” that warranted a “proportionate response” by the US government.
Cameron announces plans to remove British passports from suspected terrorists
By Julie Hyland, 18 November 2014
The home secretary will have the power to cancel passports and impose a “temporary exclusion” order for two years.
AT&T and Verizon use “supercookies” to track users’ online activities
By Thomas Gaist, 7 November 2014
The leading mobile phone companies use so-called “supercookies” to secretly record day-to-day Internet usage by at least 100 million customers
The Internet’s Own Boy: Documentary about “hacktivist” Aaron Swartz
By Nick Barrickman, 1 July 2014
The film documents the life of Aaron Swartz, the open Internet activist and web technology prodigy who committed suicide after being hounded by the US government.
Decision by US federal agency opens way to two-tier Internet
By Mike Ingram, 19 May 2014
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to accept proposals that will allow broadband companies to charge content providers for access to their networks, in a move that opens the way for a two-tier Internet.
New proposed Internet rules would strengthen corporate control, end “net neutrality”
By Gabriel Black, 25 April 2014
The US Federal Communications Commission has proposed a new set of rules allowing companies to pay money in order for their content to be quickly delivered to users.
NSA exploited Heartbleed bug
By Joseph Santolan, 14 April 2014
Both the White House National Security Council (NSC) and the NSA issued categorical denials that they had any awareness of the existence of the Heartbleed bug prior to its public disclosure on April 7.
Heartbleed security bug compromises vast portion of Internet traffic
By Joseph Santolan, 11 April 2014
Whether Heartbleed originated as a mistake or was deliberately planted by the National Security Agency, it is a near certainty that the NSA has been using it for the past two years.
Netflix to pay Comcast to prioritize content
By Gabriel Black, 28 February 2014
In a deal announced last Sunday, Netflix will pay Comcast to ensure that its content gets sent to customers faster than that from other services.
Reddit forum blacklists WSWS
the WSWS Editorial Board, 11 February 2014
In a blatant act of political censorship, the moderators of the r/socialism forum on the popular link aggregating site Reddit have decided to “blacklist” the World Socialist Web Site for a period of one month.
Tech company “transparency reports” reveal massive NSA spying
By Thomas Gaist, 5 February 2014
The data, which cover only a small portion of surveillance operations, show the NSA requested content from tens of thousands of accounts during the first half of 2013.
