17-Year-Old Student Exposes Germany's 'Secret' Pirate Site Blocklist
A 17-year-old student in Germany launched CUIIliste.de to expose blocked domains by ISPs, addressing transparency issues in copyright enforcement and advocating for freedom of expression against censorship.
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A 17-year-old student in Germany has launched a website, CUIIliste.de, to expose a list of domains blocked by Internet service providers (ISPs) under a voluntary agreement with copyright holders. This initiative arose from concerns over the lack of transparency regarding the blocking of pirate sites, which began in Germany in 2021. The "Clearing Body for Copyright on the Internet" (CUII) oversees these blocking orders, but does not disclose the specific domain names involved, leading to frustration among journalists and watchdogs. The student and his friends compiled data through DNS resolver tests to create a searchable database of blocked domains, which currently lists 275 entries, including subdomains. They argue that the blocking efforts, while claimed not to be censorship, lack the necessary transparency to verify this assertion. The site also provides information on how users can circumvent these blocks, advocating for freedom of expression. The project highlights the need for greater transparency in copyright enforcement practices, contrasting Germany's approach with that of countries like Uruguay, which offers more comprehensive information on blocked sites.
- A 17-year-old student has created a site to expose blocked pirate domains in Germany.
- The initiative addresses the lack of transparency in the blocking process by the Clearing Body for Copyright on the Internet (CUII).
- The site lists 275 blocked domains, including subdomains, and aims to provide public access to this information.
- The project advocates against censorship and promotes freedom of expression.
- The lack of transparency in Germany's blocking practices contrasts with more open approaches in other countries.
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- Many users express skepticism about the effectiveness of DNS-based blocking, suggesting it can be easily bypassed with VPNs or other methods.
- There is concern over the transparency and accountability of the list, with some questioning the criteria for including or excluding certain sites.
- Several comments highlight the potential for the list to be misused, either for censorship or as a tool for misinformation.
- Users share personal experiences and technical solutions for circumventing internet restrictions, indicating a proactive approach to accessing blocked content.
- Some commenters emphasize the importance of freedom of expression and the need for transparency in internet governance.
26 commentsI'm using many of the book sites and general torrent ones (I won't name them here), but none of these are on the list.
I also think the point is kinda moot because everyone doing torrents in Germany will already use VPN because it's only a matter of time before you get serious letters from lawyers there, demanding about 400 euro per move they've seen you download. ISPs always cooperate in giving subscriber info for each IP. Some lawyer firms actually specialise in this and go after downloaders on their own.
I wonder if they leave the big torrent sites out to provide income for these lawyers?
sudo apt install dnscrypt-proxy
sudo systemctl enable dnscrypt-proxy (or system service dnscrypt-proxy start|enable)
sudo mv /etc/resolv.conf ~/resolv.conf.bak
sudo rm /etc/resolv.conf
sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf
nameserver 127.0.0.1
#back up to dns over plaintext not recomennded if your dnscrypt-proxy service stops for whatever reason (enable in systemd, too lazy to write here)
#nameserver 1.1.1.1
sudo chattr +i /etc/resolv.conf
Always use DoH / DoT (DNS over HTTPS / TLS)
in firefox, settings -> DNS in search select Max protection choose NexDNS, make a NexDNS account for further privacy/setting up your local DNS restrictions like ad/tracker blocks
or use cloudflare.
Cheap VPS proxy:
on a VPS, do said dnscrypt-proxy
ssh -D 8080 -i ~/.ssh/sshkey username@vps.server (always use SSH key auth, no passwords)
in firefox, set up proxy 127.0.0.1 8080 select 'Use DNS through proxy' - can set proxy settings at OS level to use DNS.
There's some options for you. Tailscale works, haven't tried it though.
To state the obvious: If you have someone doing things you don't like in office you can vote them out and replace them with someone who doesn't do those things. This is already a slow and cumbersome process that may take decades to materialize.
Or does this provide a framework for implementing direct democracy? Have a website with law proposals that can be implemented in a privatized way, have the citizens vote for and against them then pressure corporations to implement them.
says what is blocked is at the DNS level; I guess that means not blackholing routing to the IP addresses
interestingly, the benchmark sites I use to conduct my censorship research are not even in their list?
It's just after people get accustom to having a censorship infrastructure in place, it slowly starts spreading like cancer and gaining momentum...
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