Paderborn University and WhoisXML API: Analyzing Domain Censorship
About
Dennis Suermann, a master’s student at the Paderborn University System Security Department, delved deep into the domain censorship trends in Iran and Indonesia in his research paper. To do that, he developed a system that retrieved a list of blocked domains for each country and used Website Categorization API to determine their categories.
Highlights
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Categorizing thousands of censored domains is time-consuming when done manually.
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An accurate and easy-to-implement website categorization solution helps visualize censorship patterns faster.
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The researcher was able to categorize more than 106,000 blocked domains accurately.
Classifying Blocked Domains
Mr. Suermann created a script that retrieves a list of blocked domains from Iran and Indonesia’s Tranco 1 million test list. However, manually determining each category would be rigorous and time-consuming, requiring the researcher to visit tens of thousands of websites.
The researcher knew he needed a solution that can quickly and automatically analyze and classify the blocked domains.
Accurate and Easy-to-Use Website Categorization API
The researcher used Website Categorization API to power his whole research project, allowing him to visualize each target country’s censorship pattern.
Website Categorization API’s accuracy enabled the researcher to classify the blocked domains and determine which website categories were most censored in each country. The API’s clear documentation allowed him to implement and use the solution with ease.
“The website intelligence is easy to set up and returns everything we need. One reason for this is the documentation of the API, which is well-written and very detailed.”
Data-Driven Analysis of Censorship Patterns
Accurate Categorization of Blocked Domains
Website Categorization API is the main solution the researcher used to analyze the types of websites mostly blocked in Indonesia and Iran.
Clear Visualization of Website Censorship
With accurate website categories, Mr. Suermann was able to visualize the most censored domains in each country effectively.