DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems
Editor(es): Schwartz-Henderson, Laura
Resumen:
This report documents DNS practices across six countries in Latin America: Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Researchers tested 4,635 websites using local and VPN-based measurements as well as conducted desk research and expert interviews, as part of a hands-on collaborative teaching and research project on internet censorship. The study found that there are no significant differences in how the DNS is technically blocked in repressive and democratic contexts and that the scale of blocking in these countries varies dramatically. In democracies with transparent legal processes such as Argentina and Uruguay, gambling sites and other copyright issues dominate the blocking instances, and this technical practice matches the publication of the legal orders for commercial enforcement. In authoritarian countries, this research showed far smaller amounts of DNS blocking, while the qualitative evidence reveals extensive political censorship and the cultivation of cultures of self-censorship and self-regulation of speech. Additionally, this research finds that commercial VPNs are effective in bypassing a large majority (86-97%) of these blocks. While testing DNS blocking remains a relevant approach to study Internet censorship practices, to comprehensively analyze internet censorship in a country or region, there is a need to integrate other complementary technical and non-technical methodologies.
| 2026 | |
| Open Technology Fund | |
|
Internet Censorship Access to information Freedom of expression Latin America Democracy Political systems Internet Censura Acceso a la información Libertad de expresión América Latina Democracia Sistemas políticos |
|
| Universidad Católica del Uruguay | |
| LIBERI | |
| https://hdl.handle.net/10895/7555 | |
| Acceso abierto | |
| Licencia Creative Commons Atribución – No Comercial – Sin Derivadas (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
| _version_ | 1879561818096009216 |
|---|---|
| author | Aguerre, Carolina |
| author2 | Breventano, Camila Buriani, Rodrigo Delgado, Brittany Elgart, Sabrina Estrada, Miguel Ignacio Martínez Cagnazzo, Carlos Raimondo, Luca Robotti, Franco |
| author2_role | author author author author author author author author |
| author_facet | Aguerre, Carolina Breventano, Camila Buriani, Rodrigo Delgado, Brittany Elgart, Sabrina Estrada, Miguel Ignacio Martínez Cagnazzo, Carlos Raimondo, Luca Robotti, Franco |
| author_role | author |
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| collection | LIBERI |
| dc.creator.editor.none.fl_str_mv | Schwartz-Henderson, Laura |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv | Aguerre, Carolina Breventano, Camila Buriani, Rodrigo Delgado, Brittany Elgart, Sabrina Estrada, Miguel Ignacio Martínez Cagnazzo, Carlos Raimondo, Luca Robotti, Franco |
| dc.date.accessioned.none.fl_str_mv | 2026-04-29T16:00:44Z |
| dc.date.available.none.fl_str_mv | 2026-04-29T16:00:44Z |
| dc.date.issued.none.fl_str_mv | 2026 |
| dc.description.abstract.none.fl_txt_mv | This report documents DNS practices across six countries in Latin America: Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Researchers tested 4,635 websites using local and VPN-based measurements as well as conducted desk research and expert interviews, as part of a hands-on collaborative teaching and research project on internet censorship. The study found that there are no significant differences in how the DNS is technically blocked in repressive and democratic contexts and that the scale of blocking in these countries varies dramatically. In democracies with transparent legal processes such as Argentina and Uruguay, gambling sites and other copyright issues dominate the blocking instances, and this technical practice matches the publication of the legal orders for commercial enforcement. In authoritarian countries, this research showed far smaller amounts of DNS blocking, while the qualitative evidence reveals extensive political censorship and the cultivation of cultures of self-censorship and self-regulation of speech. Additionally, this research finds that commercial VPNs are effective in bypassing a large majority (86-97%) of these blocks. While testing DNS blocking remains a relevant approach to study Internet censorship practices, to comprehensively analyze internet censorship in a country or region, there is a need to integrate other complementary technical and non-technical methodologies. |
| dc.description.sponsorship.none.fl_txt_mv | Open Technology Fund |
| dc.format.extent.es.fl_str_mv | 24 p. |
| dc.format.none.fl_str_mv | application/pdf |
| dc.identifier.uri.none.fl_str_mv | https://hdl.handle.net/10895/7555 |
| dc.language.iso.none.fl_str_mv | en_US |
| dc.publisher.country.none.fl_str_mv | UY |
| dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv | Universidad Católica del Uruguay |
| dc.rights.license.none.fl_str_mv | Licencia Creative Commons Atribución – No Comercial – Sin Derivadas (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| dc.rights.uri.none.fl_str_mv | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| dc.source.none.fl_str_mv | reponame:LIBERI instname:Universidad Católica del Uruguay instacron:Universidad Católica del Uruguay |
| dc.subject.en.fl_str_mv | Internet Censorship Access to information Freedom of expression Latin America Democracy Political systems |
| dc.subject.es.fl_str_mv | Internet Censura Acceso a la información Libertad de expresión América Latina Democracia Sistemas políticos |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv | info:eu-repo/semantics/report |
| dc.type.version.none.fl_str_mv | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
| description | This report documents DNS practices across six countries in Latin America: Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Researchers tested 4,635 websites using local and VPN-based measurements as well as conducted desk research and expert interviews, as part of a hands-on collaborative teaching and research project on internet censorship. The study found that there are no significant differences in how the DNS is technically blocked in repressive and democratic contexts and that the scale of blocking in these countries varies dramatically. In democracies with transparent legal processes such as Argentina and Uruguay, gambling sites and other copyright issues dominate the blocking instances, and this technical practice matches the publication of the legal orders for commercial enforcement. In authoritarian countries, this research showed far smaller amounts of DNS blocking, while the qualitative evidence reveals extensive political censorship and the cultivation of cultures of self-censorship and self-regulation of speech. Additionally, this research finds that commercial VPNs are effective in bypassing a large majority (86-97%) of these blocks. While testing DNS blocking remains a relevant approach to study Internet censorship practices, to comprehensively analyze internet censorship in a country or region, there is a need to integrate other complementary technical and non-technical methodologies. |
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| oai_identifier_str | oai:liberi.ucu.edu.uy:10895/7555 |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher.none.fl_str_mv | Universidad Católica del Uruguay |
| reponame_str | LIBERI |
| repository.mail.fl_str_mv | franco.pertusso@ucu.edu.uy |
| repository.name.fl_str_mv | LIBERI - Universidad Católica del Uruguay |
| repository_id_str | 10342 |
| rights_invalid_str_mv | Licencia Creative Commons Atribución – No Comercial – Sin Derivadas (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| spelling | Licencia Creative Commons Atribución – No Comercial – Sin Derivadas (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/2026-04-29T16:00:44Z2026-04-29T16:00:44Z2026https://hdl.handle.net/10895/7555This report documents DNS practices across six countries in Latin America: Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Researchers tested 4,635 websites using local and VPN-based measurements as well as conducted desk research and expert interviews, as part of a hands-on collaborative teaching and research project on internet censorship. The study found that there are no significant differences in how the DNS is technically blocked in repressive and democratic contexts and that the scale of blocking in these countries varies dramatically. In democracies with transparent legal processes such as Argentina and Uruguay, gambling sites and other copyright issues dominate the blocking instances, and this technical practice matches the publication of the legal orders for commercial enforcement. In authoritarian countries, this research showed far smaller amounts of DNS blocking, while the qualitative evidence reveals extensive political censorship and the cultivation of cultures of self-censorship and self-regulation of speech. Additionally, this research finds that commercial VPNs are effective in bypassing a large majority (86-97%) of these blocks. While testing DNS blocking remains a relevant approach to study Internet censorship practices, to comprehensively analyze internet censorship in a country or region, there is a need to integrate other complementary technical and non-technical methodologies.Open Technology Fundapplication/pdf24 p.en_USUniversidad Católica del UruguayUYInternetCensorshipAccess to informationFreedom of expressionLatin AmericaDemocracyPolitical systemsInternetCensuraAcceso a la informaciónLibertad de expresiónAmérica LatinaDemocraciaSistemas políticosDNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systemsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/reportinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionreponame:LIBERIinstname:Universidad Católica del Uruguayinstacron:Universidad Católica del UruguayAguerre, CarolinaBreventano, CamilaBuriani, RodrigoDelgado, BrittanyElgart, SabrinaEstrada, Miguel IgnacioMartínez Cagnazzo, CarlosRaimondo, LucaRobotti, FrancoSchwartz-Henderson, LauraORIGINALDNS Blocking in LAC Summary Report.pdfDNS Blocking in LAC Summary Report.pdfapplication/pdf783300https://liberi.ucu.edu.uy/bitstreams/7f00c97d-6110-4dd9-8b66-156fcb0682d1/download34197e18e8fce14ac28f954a8ceeaf67MD51trueAnonymousREADLICENSElicense.txtWritten by org.dspace.content.LicenseUtilstext/plain; charset=utf-81021https://liberi.ucu.edu.uy/bitstreams/115b0f9a-bcb8-4e8f-91c6-1210bf28ae68/download40f5922ee6c15fece1c80fd7406b5becMD52falseAnonymousREADTEXTDNS Blocking in LAC Summary Report.pdf.txtWritten by FormatFilter org.dspace.app.mediafilter.TikaTextExtractionFilter on 2026-04-30T06:00:25Z (GMT).Extracted texttext/plain63061https://liberi.ucu.edu.uy/bitstreams/2ef4edd1-cb9e-4754-8955-d7e4bc77c352/download61bfb0e5d44662bdbe7fdb9db48bf4daMD53falseAnonymousREADTHUMBNAILDNS Blocking in LAC Summary Report.pdf.jpgWritten by FormatFilter org.dspace.app.mediafilter.PDFBoxThumbnail on 2026-04-30T06:00:26Z (GMT).Generated Thumbnailimage/jpeg6408https://liberi.ucu.edu.uy/bitstreams/e22bac80-d1dc-4311-b67f-c4f87fd98b30/download2113821bec584fb3f766ae44695e0d37MD54falseAnonymousREAD10895/75552026-04-30 08:00:26.801https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessopen.accessoai:liberi.ucu.edu.uy:10895/7555https://liberi.ucu.edu.uyInstitucionalhttps://liberi.ucu.edu.uy/Universidadhttps://www.ucu.edu.uy/https://liberi.ucu.edu.uy/server/oaifranco.pertusso@ucu.edu.uyUruguayopendoar:103422026-04-30T06:00:26LIBERI - Universidad Católica del 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 |
| spellingShingle | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems Aguerre, Carolina Internet Censorship Access to information Freedom of expression Latin America Democracy Political systems Internet Censura Acceso a la información Libertad de expresión América Latina Democracia Sistemas políticos |
| status_str | publishedVersion |
| title | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems |
| title_full | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems |
| title_fullStr | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems |
| title_short | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems |
| title_sort | DNS blocking in Latin America: a comparative study across political systems |
| topic | Internet Censorship Access to information Freedom of expression Latin America Democracy Political systems Internet Censura Acceso a la información Libertad de expresión América Latina Democracia Sistemas políticos |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10895/7555 |