The HTTP 451 Error To Indicate a Censored By Your Government

The HTTP 451 Error To Indicate a Censored By Your Government

The HTTP 451 Error To Indicate a Censored By Your Government

T

he Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that is responsible for defining many Internet standards announced HTTP Error 451 to indicate a censored web page. This will determine if a page is censored, or not available due to a technical error.

The HTTP 451 Error To Indicate a Censored By Your Government

There are several types of HTTP error. We already faced the 404 to report a missing page, though it was also the 403 who said they just could not access the resource. In 2013, Tim Bray, an engineer proposes the idea of an HTTP error code specifically for censored content. Bray was inspired by an article by the security researcher Terence Eden who complained of the blocking of Pirate Bay and could not identify that the site was censored or simply unavailable.

Eden proposed code and Bray have used the 451 in reference to the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Interpretations vary on this book because for some it is a science fiction story denouncing McCarthyism and others see the apocalyptic frame of a society governed by conformism and censorship.

Despite the fact that the proposed date of 2013, it takes a long time for the HTTP 451 code is integrated, accepted and approved by officials. However, the HTTP 451 error code does not guarantee that we will determine whether the content is censored. For example, a government may use a more vague code to hide it censors the content.

HTTP code 451 will be especially useful for companies like Facebook, Github, and Google to indicate that they have censored content at the request of governments.