Peacefire – Official Site
1. First, try a circumvention site like https://www.MouseMatrix.com/. Be sure to type https at the beginning of the URL, not 'http'. Even though this site has been widely known for months, many networks have their blocking software set up incorrectly so that sites beginning with https:// are not blocked, and https://www.MouseMatrix.com/ will still be accessible.
2. If that doesn't work, you can join our e-mail list where we mail out new Circumventor sites every 3 or 4 days. Of course, employees of blocking software companies have gotten on this list as well, so they add our sites to their blocked-site database as soon as we mail them out, but in most places it takes 3-4 days for the blocked-site list to be updated. So the latest one that we mail out, should usually still work.
3. If you have a computer with an uncensored Internet connection, you can follow these easy steps to set up your own Circumventor site. For example, if you want to get around blocking software at work, and you have a home computer with an uncensored Internet connection, you can install the Circumventor on your home computer. Then it will give you a new URL, and you can take that URL in with you to work and type it into your browser to get around the network blocking software.
4. If you're trying to get around blocking software that's installed on the local computer, and not on the network, use these instructions to boot from the Ubuntu Live CD. (These instructions include tips on how to tell the difference between blocking software that's installed "on the local computer" and software that's installed "on the network".)
Past news items that generated the most interest:
Report on double standards for anti-gay "hate speech" Peacefire created four pages, on free servers such as GeoCities, which consisted of anti-gay quotes copied from four different conservative Web sites: Dr. Laura, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council and Focus on the Family. Using anonymous HotMail accounts, we then sent the URLs of the newly created pages to six blocking software companies, recommending that they block the newly created pages as "hate speech". After the companies had agreed to block the sites we created, we told them that all the quotes on those pages had been taken from the four conservative Web sites, and asked why they didn't block those pages as well. The blocking companies did not block those Web sites and did not respond to our inquiries.
WebSENSE publishing daily porn links For five months, the makers of WebSENSE blocking software published a daily list of pornographic Web sites that were not blocked by their competitors, allegedly to show that their own product was superior. Students using the Internet in schools that were using those competitors' products, could access the WebSENSE site and get a list of unblocked porn sites, by clicking a link agreeing that they were over 18 years of age.
Human rights pages blocked In December 2000, Peacefire released Amnesty Intercepted, a report on human rights pages including Amnesty International that were blocked by blocking software.
Candidates' sites blocked during 2000 elections In November 2000, Peacefire released a list of political candidates whose sites had been blocked as "pornography" by major blocking programs. One candidate had carried the statement on his Web site, "We should demand that all public schools and libraries install and configure Internet Filters." He changed his position after finding out that his own site was blocked, and later became a plaintiff in the ACLU's lawsuit to overturn a law requiring blocking software in schools and libraries.
Pro-blocking site blocked In July 1997, librarian David Burt launched the now-defunct FilteringFacts.org site, advocating the use of blocking software in libraries. The site was later blocked as a "Drugs/Alcohol" site by SurfWatch (which has since been bought out by Cyber Patrol).
More here:
Peacefire - Official Site
- Turkey expands online censorship by blocking corruption-related reporting on independent news site - BLiTZ - Fears None But God - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- Censorship doesnt silence it amplifies | Pearls and Irritations - Pearls and Irritations - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- Adelaide Festival removing Palestinian author is an act of censorship - Al Jazeera - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Governments advance universal digital identification, mass surveillance and censorship - World Socialist Web Site - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Expanding the Web of Control - PEN America - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Irans Protests and the Internet Blackout That Followed - Council on Foreign Relations - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- A tale of two cities in the deplatforming of Jewish and Palestinian speakers - Index on Censorship - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- PEN America Warns of Expanding Web of Control as Politicians Escalate Campaign to Censor U.S. Colleges and Universities - PEN America - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Wikipedias 25th birthday proves the power of free speech - Freedom of the Press Foundation - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- 'Anyone could find themselves on that side of history. Even us' - Haaretz - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Censorship, public safety and the limits of free speech in the age of AI - Full Fact - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Online speech is powerful. Thats why Iran is silencing it. - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Censorship Arrives on Campus - Inside Higher Ed - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Opinion | Trumps censorship machine is cracking down on the Smithsonian - MS NOW - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Red lines and increasing self-censorship reshape Hong Kongs once freewheeling press scene - mariettatimes.com - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Texas A&M censoring Plato is a cowardly act that condescends to students - San Antonio Express-News - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- 7 Ways Yu-Gi-Ohs Censorship Made the Anime Better Than the Original - ComicBook.com - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Bitcoin-Linked Bitchat Goes Open Source To Battle Censorship In Iran - Open Source For You - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Sandeep Reddy Vangas censor remarks goes viral as Thalapahy Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' faces certification d - Times of India - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Elon Musk claims outcry over Grok deepfakes used as an excuse for censorship - the-independent.com - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Ethereum Eyes Censorship Resistance With Distributed Block Building Vision - Bitcoin.com News - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Tech Billionaire Says Its Time for the Government to Suspend Freedom of Speech - Futurism - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Musk claims criticism of X AI chatbot is being used to justify censorship - Anadolu Ajans - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- A&M professor ordered to adjust curriculum speaks with KBTX about academic censorship concerns - KBTX News 3 - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- 60+ Small Tasks to Defend the Right to Read: Book Censorship News, January 9, 2026 - Book Riot - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Tanzanias Samia Suluhu Hassan named Tyrant of the Year - Index on Censorship - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Letter: Keep library free of censorship - The Columbian - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- CDT 2025 Year-End Roundup: Most Notable Censored Articles and Essays (Part 2) - China Digital Times - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Snapshots of Censorship: Viewpoint diversity? No, this is censorship - PEN America - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Opinion | Where hate speech censorship is even worse than on U.S. campuses - The Washington Post - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Philosopher Steve Fuller on Science, Censorship, and the Church of Darwin - Science and Culture Today - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Sivakarthikeyan opens up on Parasakthi censorship; wishes Jana Nayagan success - The Hindu - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- "The effects of these developments are not yet clear" how the VPN industry responded to 2025's biggest threats - TechRadar - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Amid Jana Nayagans controversy, Ram Gopal Varma says censor board is outdated: It insults viewers - The Indian Express - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Looks like another year of intolerance, ignorance and censorship - Canberra CityNews - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Opinion: I counted Trumps censorship attempts. Heres what I found. - The Salt Lake Tribune - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- DACC Board to Consider Public Censor of Member - Vermilion County First - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- 15 Clever Ways Classic Movies Got Past the Censors - Cracked.com - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- The Year in Art: Censorship, Satire, and Introspection - Ocula - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- DACC board to consider public censor of member - The News-Gazette - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Americas free speech tsar: We reject Brits who censor the US - thetimes.com - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Trump Bars 5 Europeans From the U.S. Over Their Censorship Efforts - Yahoo - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Performing Censorship: Theatre and expression in Russia today - The Boar - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Opinion | I Counted Trumps Censorship Attempts. Heres What I Found. - The New York Times - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- A year of censorship and repression. And victory against the Russian state - The Barents Observer - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Proposed Alabama bill sparks debate over library governance and censorship concerns - WBMA - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- States Tried to Censor Kids Online. Courts, and EFF, Mostly Stopped Them: 2025 in Review - Electronic Frontier Foundation - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Trump Bars 5 Europeans From the U.S. Over Their Censorship Efforts - Reason Magazine - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- A Banner Year for Domestic and Global Censorship by the US - theunpopulist.net - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- The science of how (and when) we decide to speak outor self-censor - Ars Technica - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Imran Ahmed on Trump's threat to deport him over 'censorship' for countering online hate - PBS - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Shots fired in the US-EU war over digital censorship - The Week - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Americas free speech tsar: We reject Brits who censor the US - The Times - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Congress's Crusade to Age Gate the Internet: 2025 in Review - Electronic Frontier Foundation - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- CBS Political Censorship of "60 Minutes": Another Victim of Media Merger Madness - btlonline.org - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Trump admin pushes back on European censorship - Fox News - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- They Seek to Curb Online Hate. The U.S. Accuses Them of Censorship. - The New York Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the U.S. bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - Los Angeles Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- CBS 60 Minutes Censorship Rings Another Alarm, Warning of Corporate Medias Threat to Democracy - Democracy Now! - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bars 5 Europeans from entry to the U.S. over alleged censorship - NPR - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- US targets former EU commissioner, activists with visa bans over alleged censorship - Reuters - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of action after U.S. bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - Global News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- US bars five Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online - AP News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - AP News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU rejects US claims of censorship over tech rules after visa bans - EUobserver - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bans top EU figures, citing 'censorship' of American views online - The National Desk - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Turkey intensifies censorship of LGBT-related content across media and culture in 2025 - Stockholm Center for Freedom - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bars Europeans from U.S. for pressuring tech firms to censor American speech - Fortune - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- 'The myth of 'European censorship' is wielded by the Trump administration to avoid regulating Big Tech' - Le Monde.fr - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- How The Pogues Responded to Censorship of Their Hit Song Fairytale of New York: Times Change - VICE - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- RUBIO GOES ON OFFENSE AGAINST EU CENSORSHIP-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX The Trump administration is escalating its fight over free speech, not just at home,... - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Opportunity fleeing the coasts, from censorship to forced speech and other commentary - New York Post - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after US bars five Europeans accused of censorship - Sky News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - The Daily Review - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - The Journal Gazette - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- France condemns travel restrictions on EU officials over online censorship - Washington Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Tonight in Your Rights: Beating the censors - All Rise News | Substack - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- CBS Shelves 60 Minutes Story On Trump Deportees At The Last Minute: People Are Threatening To Quit, Staffers Say - The Seattle Medium - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Exiled journalisms biggest threat is something more mundane than censorship - Nieman Lab - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Epstein victims angry over gaps and censorship in long-awaited file release - South China Morning Post - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]