Error 451: New Bradbury-inspired HTTP code to show legal censorship
Published time: 22 Dec, 2015 21:32Edited time: 22 Dec, 2015 21:55
A
newly approved 451 error code will be used on pages which have been
censored by the government for legal reasons. The code number was
inspired by the famous dystopian Ray Bradbury novel ‘Fahrenheit 451.’
The
Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) approved on Monday a new
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) status – code 451 that will be seen
by internet users when the page is blocked by government due to ‘legal
obstacles.’
“This status code indicates that the server is denying access to the resource as a consequence of a legal demand,” the body, responsible for internet operating standards, said in a statement.
“This status code indicates that the server is denying access to the resource as a consequence of a legal demand,” the body, responsible for internet operating standards, said in a statement.
The IESG has approved the 451 (Unavailable for Legal Reasons) #HTTP Status code; great job @timbray! #censorshiphttps://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-httpbis-legally-restricted-status/ …
However, “it is possible that certain legal authorities might wish to avoid transparency, and not only demand the restriction of access to certain resources, but also avoid disclosing that the demand was made.”
Though it said that in many cases the sites could still be accessed using a VPN or the Tor network.
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