The right to free speech faces the strongest challenges during times of crisis. Whether or not any of us agree about each particular decision made to prevent public access to sensitive information, it is the Electronic Frontier Foundation's responsibility to chart any such efforts so that we as a society are at least aware of what is no longer available to us. This page attempts to convey the chilling effect that responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have had on information availability on the Internet as well as some sense of the effect on people trying to provide this information.

Currently, this page tracks the following:

Websites Shut Down by US Government
Websites Shut Down by Other Governments
Websites Shut Down by Internet Service Provider
Websites Shut Down or Partially Removed by Website Owner
US Government Websites That Shut Down or Removed Information
US Government Requests to Remove Information
Media Professionals Terminated or Suspended
Other Employees Terminated or Suspended
Related Incidents
Related Links

Websites Shut Down by US Government
None reported.

Websites Shut Down by Other Governments

http://www.qoqaz.net
Reportedly shut down by British government because prosecutors allege that the site was affiliated with London-based Azzam Publications and urged support of terrorism to defend Muslims in the Caucasus, "donating money for the Taliban," and "military training for the battle," Wall Street Journal / MSNBC, October 8, 2001

Sakina Securities
The Sakina Securities website at was shut down on Oct. 5, the same day the British government arrested Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin for allegedly "providing training or instruction in the making of firearms, explosives or chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and inviting others to do the same," Wired News / Reuters, October 4, 2001, and Newsbytes.com, October 12, 2001

Websites Shut Down by Internet Service Provider

http://www.allewislive.com
This site from Al Lewis, who played Grandpa on the Munsters television show, was shut down apparently by web hosting provider Hypervine for an unknown reason, although other information from Al Lewis is available at http://www.grandpa2000.org/, Politech, October 2, 2001, and USA Today, October 16, 2001, and Internet.com, October 18, 2001, and Wired, October 26, 2001

http://www.azzam.com
This site reportedly provides "authentic news and information about Jihad and the foreign Mujahideen everywhere, by providing stories of martyrs killed in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya" and says it doesn?t encourage readers to commit illegal acts, although it notes that, according to Islamic tenets, "martyrdom operations are permissible", and was apparently shut down by multiple ISPs, at least one apparently in response to an FBI request, while the site was also apparently at one point mirrored at the now no longer available qoqaz.co.za, Wall Street Journal / MSNBC, October 8, 2001

http://www.iraradio.com
This pro-IRA site which archives all Radio Free Eireann broadcasts, has been taken down because the web service provider Hypervine felt that the Bush administration's announcement of the new Office of Homeland Security's activities threatened the ISP with seizure of their assets if they continued to host "terrorist" radio programs, so the site owners plan to reopen probably on a Canadian server after they move into their new office later this year, Politech, October 2, 2001, and Guardian Unlimited, October 11, 2001, and USA Today, October 16, 2001, and Internet.com, October 18, 2001, and Wired, October 26, 2001

Jihad-Related Sites on Yahoo

Yahoo apparently removed 55 "jihad-related" sites, Wall Street Journal / MSNBC, October 8, 2001

Websites Shut Down or Partially Removed by Website Owner

Amazon Removes a Startling Book Jacket
Amazon.com has removed a photograph of a Arabic book jacket that shows a plane flying through the top of a building under construction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that has a top shaped like the eye of a needle, with the only link to the World Trade Center being that the Riyadh building is being financed by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, whose $10 million donation to the Twin Towers Fund was recently refused by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York, because along with expressing condolences, the prince urged the United States to re-examine its policy toward Israel, New York Times, October 29, 2001

Barbra Streisand Removed Anti-Bush Articles
Barbra Streisand apparently removed anti-Bush articles from her website, saying, "In light of recent events, I strongly believe we must support our government despite our disagreements on certain policies, such as those relating to environmental, educational, social and other specific issues. My past concerns about such matters still pertain, but at this point in time, I have removed several articles from my website in an effort to encourage national unity instead of partisan divisions. Thank you," then ironically complains about the Los Angeles Times refusing to run two columns by Ariana Huffington (covered elsewhere on this page), The List from John Aravosis, October 31, 2001

Bert Is Evil!
Although it is not clear if this happened due to strange reports of Islamic fundamentalists holding posters containing an image of Sesame Street's Bert character right next to Osama Bin Laden, the owner of this site, Dino Ignacio, explained that he removed the site because "I feel this has gotten too close to reality and I choose to be responsible enough to stop it right here," Bert Is Evil, October 18, 2001

Federation of American Scientists
Steven Aftergood, who administers the Project on Government Secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists, has pulled from more than 200 pages of previously posted information out of concern that terrorists might find them useful, including floor plans of National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency facilities and images of foreign nuclear weapons plants, Newsfactor Network, October 5, 2001, and SiliconValley.com / Reuters, October 11, 2001, and WashingtonPost.com / Newsbytes, October 11, 2001, and SiliconValley.com, October 11, 2001, and ABCNews.com /" Good Morning America", October 15, 2001, and Contra Costa Times, October 18, 2001

The Flagburning Page
This owner of this site explained that because "Congress is trying to change the constitution in order to put peaceful protesters in prison" and although "I have never burned a flag, nor do I ever want to" he has "had so many death threats and assaulting emails, that I choose no longer to care about this cause. I have fought an uphill battle to protect your freedom of speech. And now I give up," although the site is back on the web as of October 31, 2001, The FlagBurning Page, September 19, 2001, and Internet.com, October 18, 2001, and Wired, October 26, 2001

Google Un-Cached
Google has approached government agencies and private organizations, offering to remove from their "cache" the web pages that were removed from other sites, ABCNews.com / "Good Morning America", October 15, 2001, and Contra Costa Times, October 18, 2001

MSNBC Removes Item on Congressional Coverage Restrictions
MSNBC removed from an article formerly entitled "Ashcroft Seeks Sweeping Powers" and now called "House Approves $343 Billion Defense Bill" a section about how the House Judiciary Committee's Republican staffers ordered television camera crews to leave a hearing on terrorist attacks after Ashcroft spoke but before civil liberties and free-speech advocates could testify, Media Alliance Project, September 24, 2001, and Yahoo Stop Police Abuse Group, September 27, 2001

Planned Parenthood Temporarily Removes RoevBush.com
Planned Parenthood has temporarily removed its RoevBush.com website apparently in a show of unity with the Bush administration in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, The List from John Aravosis, October 31, 2001

WhatDemocracy.com Removes Controversial Content
The WhatDemocracy.com website has temporarily removed its content critical of "right-wing politics, including President Bush and the Republican Party" in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks "due to the potential of endangerment to our staff" and noting that "we would love to address the current terrorism situation, and we should have the RIGHT to SAFELY address our opinions, but who will step up to the plate and protect us, and how?," November 2, 2001

US Government Websites That Shut Down or Removed Information

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
OMB Watch, a Washington group that advocates for government accountability in budgetary and regulatory matters, says the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry dropped a report critical of chemical plant security, Newsfactor Network, October 4, 2001, and Newsfactor Network, October 5, 2001

Army Corps of Engineers
The Army Corps of Engineers site that contained information about an underground military command center near Washington was moved behind a firewall so a username and password are now required for access, ABCNews.com / "Good Morning America", October 15, 2001

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
OMB Watch, a Washington group that advocates for government accountability in budgetary and regulatory matters, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has pulled a report about lack of preparedness against a terrorist attack using poison gas or other chemical agents, Newsfactor Network, October 5, 2001, and USA Today, October 12, 2001 (updated October 18, 2001), and Federal Computer Week, October 16, 2001

Department of Energy, National Transportation of Radioactive Materials
The Department of Energy, National Transportation of Radioactive Materials site has been replaced with the note "This site temporarily unavailable, Please contact Bobby Sanchez at 505-845-5541 if you have any questions," OMB Watch Post-September 11 Environment, October 26, 2001

Department of Transportation
OMB Watch, a Washington group that advocates for government accountability in budgetary and regulatory matters, says the Department of Transportation has limited access to the National Pipeline Mapping System of the Office of Pipeline Safety, which lays out the network of high pressure natural gas pipelines throughout the nation and the site of the Geographic Information Services section of the DOT's Bureau of Transportation Services (BTS) reports that "Recent events have focused additional security concerns on transportation infrastructure" and "Due to these concerns, BTS will not provide unlimited access to the geospatial data through the Internet," Newsfactor Network, October 4, 2001, and Newsfactor Network, October 5, 2001, and SiliconValley.com / Reuters, October 11, 2001, and USA Today, October 12, 2001 (updated October 18, 2001), and ABCNews.com / "Good Morning America", October 15, 2001, and Federal Computer Week, October 16, 2001

Environmental Protection Agency
OMB Watch, a Washington group that advocates for government accountability in budgetary and regulatory matters, says the EPA has pulled from its site Risk Management Plans, which contain detailed information about the dangers of chemical accidents -- such as toxic plume maps and emergency response plans after a refinery explosion, Newsfactor Network, October 4, 2001, and Newsfactor Network, October 5, 2001, and SiliconValley.com / Reuters, October 11, 2001, and USA Today, October 12, 2001 (updated October 18, 2001), and ABCNews.com / "Good Morning America", October 15, 2001, and Federal Computer Week, October 16, 2001, and Washington Post / Newsbytes.com, October 26, 2001

Federal Aviation Administration
OMB Watch, a Washington group that advocates for government accountability in budgetary and regulatory matters, says the Federal Aviation Administration has pulled data from a site listing enforcement violations such as weaknesses in airport security, Newsfactor Network, October 5, 2001, and ABCNews.com, October 12, 2001

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, has removed documents that detail specifications for energy facilities from its website, Contra Costa Times, October 18, 2001

Geographic Information Services
OMB Watch, a Washington group that advocates for government accountability in budgetary and regulatory matters, says the Geographic Information Services, which provides highly detailed maps of roads and utilities, is limiting access to federal, state, and local government officials, Newsfactor Network, October 5, 2001

International Nuclear Safety Center
Selecting the Reactor Maps link from the front page of this site generates the following message: "If you requested access to the maps of nuclear power reactor locations, these maps have been taken off-line temporarily pending the outcome of a policy review by the US Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory," while their Power Reactors database still lists city and state for nuclear plants around the world, International Nuclear Safety Center, October 18, 2001

Los Alamos National Laboratory
The Los Alamos National Laboratory has removed a number of reports from its Laboratory Publications page, OMB Watch Post-September 11 Environment, October 26, 2001

NASA Glenn Research Center
The NASA Glenn Research Center website notes that "Public access to many of our web sites is temporarily limited. We apologize for any inconvenience," OMB Watch Post-September 11 Environment, October 26, 2001

National Atlas of the United States
The Nuclear Site Locations in the United States page of this site is missing though listed as a result with a broken link and no cache on a Google search for "nuclear site location map", National Atlas of the United States, October 18, 2001

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The New Jersey officials removed from the Internet "for security reasons temporarily" some Web pages that officials fear could be useful to terrorists in planning attacks, in particular the Department of Environmental Protection recently removed a database listing the hazardous chemicals and substances used or stored at 33,000 businesses throughout the state, as well as maps of reservoirs, Associated Press / SiliconValley.com, October 26, 2001, and Washington Post / Newsbytes.com, October 26, 2001

Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is displaying only "only select content" while "performing a review of all material" on their website, although most of the information has been there for years and "nothing top secret was on the Web site to begin with," according to William Beecher of the NRC, ABCNews.com, October 12, 2001, and USA Today, October 12, 2001 (updated October 18, 2001), and ABCNews.com / "Good Morning America", October 15, 2001, and Federal Computer Week, October 16, 2001, and Contra Costa Times, October 18, 2001

U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey has removed a number of pages from its Registered Online Water-Resources Reports database (search for "removed"), OMB Watch Post-September 11 Environment, October 26, 2001

US Government Requests to Remove Information

Al-Jazeera
Bush administration national security adviser Condoleezza Rice called network executives to request that they "exercise judgment" in broadcasting messages from Osama bin Laden received through the Al-Jazeera satellite network while Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed the broadcasts may contain "some kind of message", and in response CNN, Fox, and other networks agreed to review statements before airing them, Associated Press, October 10, 2001

Globalsecurity.org
According to John Pike of Globalsecurity.org, low-level military officials requested he remove data he had gathered from military websites, ABCNews.com / "Good Morning America", October 15, 2001, and Wired, October 26, 2001

Voice of America
Journalists from the Voice of America who obtained an interview with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar managed to publish a modified version of the interview only after struggles within the Bush administration, Washington Post, September 26, 2001

Media Professionals Terminated or Suspended

Oneida Daily Dispatch Fires Editors
The Oneida Daily Dispatch apparently fired Managing Editor Jean Ryan and City Editor Dale Seth for publishing an editorial including these remarks, "Until 1948, there was no Israel. The United Nations took Palestinian land and gave it to a number of Jewish terrorists to rule -- Jewish terrorists who had bombed and killed Palestinians and others in an effort to force hands of power to see an Israel formed. Today's freedom fighter, in many cases, was yesterday's terrorist," Associated Press, October 19, 2001, and Nile Media, October 24, 2001

National Review Cans Columnist Ann Coulter
The National Review told conservative columnist Ann Coulter her writing is no longer welcome after one of her columns declared, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity," while the Washington Times refused to run the terrorism column in the first place, Washington Post, October 2, 2001

Daily Courier Fires Columnist
The Daily Courier publisher Dennis Mack fired columnist Dan Guthrie for writing about President Bush "hiding in a Nebraska hole" following terrorist attacks, TBO.com / Associated Press, September 26, 2001

Los Angeles Times Stifles Arianna Huffington
The Los Angeles Times apparently refused to print a column from Arianna Huffington defending Bill Maher and a column bemoaning 'unity' that results in approval of a faulty missile defense shield, capital gains tax cuts, and drilling in in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, both of which Barbara Streisand has published on her website, September 24, 2001

"Politically Incorrect"
When ABC satirist Bill Maher said on his show, "Politically Incorrect," that "we have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away -- that's cowardly," three ABC affiliates, including Washington's WJLA-TV, answered viewer complaints by yanking subsequent episodes from the air, Arianna Online (the LA Times apparently refused to print some of Ariana's columns as covered elsewhere on this page), September 24, 2001, and Washington Post, September 26, 2001

Other Employees Terminated or Suspended

UCLA Library Assistant Suspended for Critical Email
A library assistant at the University of California at Los Angeles was suspended without pay for one week, then later returned to work with full pay and the incident removed from his record, after sending a mass e-mail message criticizing American support for what he called apartheid policies in Israel and the bombing of Iraq, Daily Bruin Online, October 4, 2001, and American Libraries, October 15, 2001, and Daily Bruin Online, October 25, 2001

University of New Mexico Professor Faces Discipline for Explosive Comment University of New Mexico Professor Richard A. Berthold is facing disciplinary action for when he offered his freshman history class what he now calls an unfortunate attempt at humor saying, "Anyone who would blow up the Pentagon would have my vote," Washington Post, October 30, 2001

Related Incidents

Green Party USA Coordinator Detained At Airport
Although there is some disagreement about the reasons for their action, armed government agents grabbed Nancy Oden, Green Party USA coordinating committee member, Thursday at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine, and banned her from flying that day at that airport as she attempted to board an American Airlines flight to Chicago for a Green's conference including discussion of opposition to the war in Afghanistan, IndyMedia, November 3, 2001, and Bangor Daily News, November 3, 2001, and WarTimeLiberty.com, November 3, 2001

Judge: Charleston Student Can't Form Anarchy Club; Wear a Anti-War T-Shirts to School
A judge ruled Thursday that Katie Sierra, a 15-year-old sophomore, cannot form an anarchy club or wear T-shirts opposing the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan because it would disrupt school and upheld her suspension from Sissonville High School for three days for promoting the club and for wearing T-shirts with messages such as: "When I saw the dead and dying Afghani children on TV, I felt a newly recovered sense of national security. God Bless America," The Charlotte Observer, November 1, 2001

Terrorist Phone Home?
Among the more than 1,100 people ensnared in the United States hunt for terrorists in connection with the hijacked-airliner attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon for whom some information is publicly available are people who made "congratulatory" telephone calls minutes later, although many others apparently have tenuous or nonexistent connections to the attacks, Washington Post, November 4, 2001, and New York Times, October 28, 2001, and CNN, October 28, 2001, and Reuters / CNN, October 28, 2001, and American Civil Liberties Union, October 29, 2001, and Wired.com, October 30, 2001

College of the Holy Cross Department Head Orders Flag Removal
At the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., a department head told a secretary to take down an "inappropriate" flag she had hung in her office in honor of a friend who died on one of the hijacked airliners, but after the matter made it into a local newspaper, triggering an angry public reaction, the secretary was allowed to fly another flag on her desk, Washington Post, October 30, 2001

CNN vs. IndyMedia?
EFF has confirmed that CNN has blocked use of the word "IndyMedia" in its online discussion groups, perhaps in response to a report that appeared on IndyMedia charging that footage of Palestinians celebrating in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks were recycled from older coverage, IndyMedia, October 27, 2001

Daily Cals Replaced with Fliers Calling for Boycott
Approximately 1,000 copies of The Daily Californian were stolen from newspaper racks on Sproul Plaza Wednesday, apparently in response to an advertisement titled "End States Who Sponsor Terrorism," paid for by the Ayn Rand Institute, and in place of the newspapers were fliers that called for a boycott of the Daily Cal alleging the Oct. 23 ad is "irrational and inflammatory," and perpetuates hostility against the Iranian community, Daily Californian, October 25, 2001

ACLU to Defend Masked Peace-March Protesters
The American Civil Liberties Union will defend seven protesters who were arrested apparently because they were wearing masks during a peace march in Denver on September 29, Denver Post, October 23, 2001

Novel Security Measures
A Philadelphia man was kept off a recent flight because of a book he was carrying, SiliconValley.com, October 18, 2001

British Broadcasters Refuse to Censor Video Statements by bin Laden
British broadcasters yesterday refused to censor video statements by Osama bin Laden owing to government fears that he may be sending secret messages to his terrorist network by video, Freedom Forum, October 16, 2001

Military Buys Exclusive Commercial Satellite Coverage of War Zone
The U.S. military is paying for the exclusive rights to commercial satellite imagery of Afghanistan even though its own satellites are thought to take far better pictures, SiliconValley.com, October 15, 2001

Bush Administration Interpretation Weakens Freedom of Information Act
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a revised memorandum for how to treat requests received under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that establishing a "sound legal basis" rather than the existing "forseeable harm" standard for defending FOIA request refusals in court, John Ashcroft FOIA Memorandum, October 12, 2001, in contrast with Janet Reno's "New Standard for Openness", October 4, 1993

Clear Channel "Bans" Songs on 1200 Radio Stations
In response to the terrorist attacks, a program director from Clear Channel, owner of 1200 radio stations across the US, identified a list of more than one hundred "questionable" songs "that certain markets or individuals may find insensitive" in light of the terrorist attack, including John Lennon's "Imagine," E!Online, September 18, 2001, and Slate, September 18, 2001, and Denial from ClearChannel, September 18, 2001, and Slate, September 19, 2001, and Mike's Message, September 22, 2001, and Snopes.com, October 2001

2000 Election Recount Study Suppressed?
Please let EFF know if you have evidence that will confirm or deny a rumor circulating that media organizations, including The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and CNN, have suppressed results of the recount of all Florida votes in the 2000 election, conducted by the Chicago-based National Opinion Research Center, and originally scheduled for release in May 2001, Online News Hour / PBS, April 3, 2001 (reporting when the study results were expected)

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