DNSFilter, an internet security service, has been found to be censoring some conservative media outlets by labeling them as "contentious" and "misinformation". This means that users of the service may not be able to access certain websites, including Blaze News, due to these labels.
What happened
Tests were conducted on DNSFilter to see how it handled various conservative and left-wing media outlets. The results showed that five conservative websites, including Blaze News, the Daily Caller, and One America News Network, were blocked with a content warning. However, other conservative outlets like the Daily Wire, Breitbart, and Fox News were allowed without any warnings.
In contrast, left-wing sites such as CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post were all permitted, despite their own history of biased reporting. Additionally, openly contentious sites on the left, including the Guardian, Slate, and Vice, were also allowed without any alerts.
This has raised concerns about bias within the "contentious & misinformation" category used by DNSFilter. The service has been contacted for comment, but no response was received before the deadline. The editor in chief of the Daily Caller, Amber Duke, has spoken out against the censorship, stating that it is exactly the kind of censorship that has fueled the rise of independent and new media.
Users of DNSFilter can whitelist Blaze News by editing their policy settings, and administrators can also disable the "contentious & misinformation" category altogether. This incident is not the first time Blaze News has been targeted by censorship efforts, and the outlet has survived previous attempts to demonetize and blacklist it.
