How to Check for Net Neutrality Violations on Your Network
Net neutrality may be returning in the Senate , but at the same time, you’re probably a little worried that your ISP will take advantage of the new lax FCC rules . If only there was some service that could check your network for throttling and censorship.
It turns out there are a couple of different applications for this. The latest version , called Wehe , can help show which streaming services are slowed down by your ISP.
You won’t find Wehe in the App Store. It was recently turned down by Apple , but you still have options.
How Wehe Works (and Why Apple Blocked It)
Wehe’s premise is simple. It can test the streaming speed of seven popular apps (YouTube, Amazon, NBCSports, Netflix, Skype, Spotify, and Vimeo) and then tell you which ones are artificially slowed down by your ISP. Using this information, you can file a complaint with your ISP or submit a formal report to the FTC.
Wehe is now available for Android , but it’s unclear when (if at all) you will be able to download the iOS version. Apple did not offer a detailed explanation for its decision, simply telling the developer that, according to Motherboard , it “has no direct benefit to the user.” The company did not go into details other than calling it “objectionable content,” which is actually a generic term for anything that is rejected.
So if you don’t have an Android device, you’re out of luck just yet, but luckily, Wehe isn’t the only app in this category. There is another service that has been around for even longer and is already available for iOS.
How Ooniprobe works
OONI, which stands for Open Observatory of Network Interference, is part of the Tor project. Its ooniprobe app was launched in early 2017 with the goal of matching online censorship around the world. Then, in August, the app added a new test designed to detect net neutrality violations.
The DASH Streaming Test tests the quality of your network by pretending to be streaming a 30-second video. It measures the power of your internet and how it handles an unrecognized video service. Ooniprobe displays this information in the app, but also combines it with other results from around the world and publishes its results online .
Ooniprobe can also show you which sites are being censored and how. This is useful information if you are trying to bypass Internet blocking at your office or if you live in a country where the government blocks access to important websites.
You can download ooniprobe right now for iOS and Android .
Potential risks
Regarding government censorship, OONI notes that using the app can come with certain risks, depending on where you are. Anyone who tracks your online activity (like your ISP, government, or your boss if you’re at work) will know that you are using the app. If your company catches you trying to access blocked websites when you have to work, you have to pay a hell of a lot, and if you do the same in countries with tight internet restrictions like China, you could be fined or even jailed. to jail.
On the other hand, OONI says that at the moment, no one has encountered any repercussions of using the app. As far as Wehe is concerned, it’s not that much of a risk as you are actually just checking the streaming speed – it doesn’t require additional censorship like ooniprobe. That said, it’s probably not a good idea to use an app at work or when traveling to certain countries unless you want to draw negative attention to yourself.