Virgin Media Community

[markjs]

When I try to access rt.com via Virgin broadband I get this generic Chrome error message:

If I connect to an American VPN I can access the site without any problems.

I don't have any of Virgin's content filters switched on in my account settings, what's going on here?

[Anonymous]

Ofcom got tired of it and banned it. 

If you really want to see it then it's VPNs and b i t s h u t e but have a good wash afterwards. 

[newapollo]

https://www.ispreviewrussia-sanctions-add-shock-internet-censorship-twist-for-uk-isps 

You could also try using the google DNS server instead

[markjs]

This is highly ironic given how the British govt & media have been going for the "Freedom and Democracy" angle on the whole Russia / Ukraine situation.

Not really VMs fault, but it would be nice to see some pushback from UK ISPs against this sort of thing. Things go downhill fast once the government starts banning websites. It appears that the order came from a minister rather than a court. Would definitely be worth challenging its legality and compatibility with Article 10 in court. 

Personally it would be a major selling point if an ISP took a stand against censorship on behalf of its customers, even if they charged a little more to fund legal costs.

[markjs]

The other issue is transparency - if VM must block the site they should at least redirect users trying to access the site to a simple page explaining why they're blocking it.

As it stands, most users will just think the site is down.