Bloggers Write Text Backwards to Bypass Web Filters in China

Bloggers and journalists in China are using a novel approach to bypass Internet filters in their country – they write backwards or from right to left. The content therefore remains readable by human beings but defeats the web filtering software.

write text backwards

China is known to implement ‘packet filtering’ – a technique that detects TCP packets containing controversial keywords like Tibet, Democracy, Tiananmen, etc.

To dodge these censors, Internet writers in China are writing backwards when posting to web forums and blogs. They do it using this web tool that flips sentences to read right to left instead of left to right, and vertically instead of horizontally. Source: WSJ.

Related: Find if a Website or Blogs is Blocked in China

Amit Agarwal

Amit Agarwal

Google Developer Expert, Google Cloud Champion

Amit Agarwal is a Google Developer Expert in Google Workspace and Google Apps Script. He holds an engineering degree in Computer Science (I.I.T.) and is the first professional blogger in India.

Amit has developed several popular Google add-ons including Mail Merge for Gmail and Document Studio. Read more on Lifehacker and YourStory

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