It intrigues me to wonder, in this day and age, what the legal meaning of "blocking" is.
In any given nation with a default-open Internet, what are the ramifications of a court or legal process "blocking" a service?
Protonmail is clearly more than a mere website; it's a full-featured communications platform; I'm sure it has a mobile app or at least access via the typical POP/IMAP interfaces.
So, "blocking" Protonmail could mean all sorts of things:
- Excise it from DNS
- Demand removal from Play Store, Apple Store, other mobile OS providers
- filter any IP traffic attempting to connect to service via web, IMAP, POP3
- inhibit or interfere with SMTP traffic to/from Protonmail servers, e.g. mail sending and delivery (MTA activity)
- expel/prohibit colocation of physical servers, VPS systems, or middleware that may be within jurisdiction
- deal legally with any physical office presence or employee contingent within the jurisdiction
Now within the Great Firewall of China and other default-deny Internet services, it's not difficult to see that Protonmail could easily be blackholed. But what if you're accustomed to open access like the USA?
There are so many considerations here. A simple court order to "block" an Internet service introduces quite a few layers to peel back. The USA's action against TikTok was fraught with confusion and ambiguity. Because TikTok is likewise a powerful communications service. So, tech people like us need more insight on what it means to "block" a service when a court says so!
In any given nation with a default-open Internet, what are the ramifications of a court or legal process "blocking" a service?
Protonmail is clearly more than a mere website; it's a full-featured communications platform; I'm sure it has a mobile app or at least access via the typical POP/IMAP interfaces.
So, "blocking" Protonmail could mean all sorts of things:
- Excise it from DNS
- Demand removal from Play Store, Apple Store, other mobile OS providers
- filter any IP traffic attempting to connect to service via web, IMAP, POP3
- inhibit or interfere with SMTP traffic to/from Protonmail servers, e.g. mail sending and delivery (MTA activity)
- expel/prohibit colocation of physical servers, VPS systems, or middleware that may be within jurisdiction
- deal legally with any physical office presence or employee contingent within the jurisdiction
Now within the Great Firewall of China and other default-deny Internet services, it's not difficult to see that Protonmail could easily be blackholed. But what if you're accustomed to open access like the USA?
There are so many considerations here. A simple court order to "block" an Internet service introduces quite a few layers to peel back. The USA's action against TikTok was fraught with confusion and ambiguity. Because TikTok is likewise a powerful communications service. So, tech people like us need more insight on what it means to "block" a service when a court says so!