OONI Probe: Measuring Internet Censorship on Mobile and Desktop

Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), a non-profit free software project founded in 2012, publishes a free tool called OONI Probe. The app lets ordinary users independently check which websites, instant messaging apps and circumvention tools work on their network.

Its install page describes the effort as the world's largest open dataset on internet censorship and invites anyone to contribute measurements. The project's stated goal is to empower the public to detect information controls on the internet on their own.

What OONI Probe measures

The app runs several kinds of tests. One discovers which websites are blocked in a given country. Another — the NDT test, developed in collaboration with M-Lab — measures the speed and performance of the network. A third set checks popular messengers: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram. The same tests also show whether circumvention tools work on the user's network.

Where it can be installed

OONI Probe is available on mobile platforms, Android and iOS, and on the desktop for Windows and macOS. Linux and macOS users can use the command-line version, which comes with separate installation and usage instructions. Each platform has its own user guide.

Why the measurements matter

As soon as a test is run, the results are automatically published as open data in near real time, so every run increases the transparency of internet censorship. According to OONI, more than a billion network measurements from more than 200 countries have already been published thanks to its global community. The data is accessible through OONI Explorer and the OONI API, which allow researchers, journalists, activists and human rights defenders to document censorship events. The organisation also asks users to read its data policy and documentation about potential risks before testing, since measurements can carry risks in some countries.