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Internet service providers in Australia have temporarily blocked access to dozens of websites, including 4chan and 8chan, that hosted video of last week’s New Zealand mass shooting. New Zealand ISPs have also been blocking websites that host the video.
In Australia, ISP Vodafone said that blocking requests generally come from courts or law enforcement agencies but that this time ISPs acted on their own. “This was an extreme case which we think requires an extraordinary response,” Vodafone Australia said in a statement, according to an Australian Associated Press (AAP) article yesterday.
Telstra and Optus also blocked the sites in Australia. Besides 4chan and 8chan, ISP-level blocking affected the social network Voat, the blog Zerohedge, video hosting site LiveLeak, and others. “The ban on 4chan was lifted a few hours later,” AAP wrote.
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Source: Ars Technica – 4chan, 8chan blocked by Australian and NZ ISPs for hosting shooting video