Hong Kong: RSF's Collateral Freedom technology restores access to the website of exiled media Flow HK
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) used its mirror site technology "Collateral Freedom" to restore online access to Flow HK, Hong Kong media exiled in Taiwan, which was blocked by the Hong Kong authorities two weeks ago.
On 31 October 2024, two weeks after being blocked by Hong Kong authorities, the media website Flow HK is once again accessible via this link, thanks to a Collateral Freedom operation. While other overseas-hosted websites have been blocked in the territory in the past, this is the first instance of targeted censorship against the Hong Kong media in exile.
“Collateral freedom offers a reliable way to bypass censorship, proving effective even against the vast technical, human, and financial resources used by authoritarian regimes. In response to these adversaries of independent and trustworthy journalism, RSF is investing in and developing a tool to mirror censored media websites in countries like China. Working closely with each media outlet’s teams and technical partners, RSF provides journalistic content to citizens deprived of open access to information. It’s a ‘cat and mouse’ game, and we’re under no illusions: adapting will be an ongoing challenge.
Flow HK, a leading exiled media outlet that operates from Taiwan, was found to be not accessible in Hong Kong since 4 October. As reported by the US-founded media network Voice of America (VOA), the blockage of Flow HK’s website came after police notice to overseas hosting service Automattic requesting them to take down the website — the company did not comply with this request.
“Unblocking Flow HK is essential to protect access to information and Internet freedom. Restricting media platforms limits both local and international perspectives, undermining Hong Kong’s reputation for openness and transparency. Despite the suppression, Flow HK will persist in connecting overseas Hongkongers and safeguarding the freedom of press and speech that belongs to the people of Hong Kong. The voices of Hongkongers will not be silenced by oppression, and we will continue to widely share Hong Kong’s story with the international community.
RSF’s Operation Collateral Freedom is able to quickly restore access to a blocked website by creating an exact copy or “mirror” of the site and placing it on a Content Delivery Network (CDN) that hosts many other services. Authoritarian governments cannot block access to the CDN without suffering the collateral damage of blocking their own access to its other services.
In China, 25 overseas media use Collateral Freedom’s technology to overcome the “Great Firewall of China,” one of the most sophisticated systems of digital censorship and control in the world, which was strengthened when President Xi Jinping came to power. Through these mirror sites, Chinese citizens can now access multimedia content covering increasingly taboo topics in China, such as political news, social conflicts, and the human rights violations carried out by the Beijing regime.
Hong Kong is ranked 135th in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index, having plummeted down the rankings from 18th place in just two decades. China ranks 172nd of the 180 countries and territories surveyed.
