03-15-2018 PRODUCER. I've just spent the better part of four days digging deeply into why the sudden change in accessibility to the icecast stream for Mind Mix Radio. Originally tested sound and accessible on Chrome, Firefox, and IE on two separate internet providers (dlink and cricket wireless), one of the internet providers is now blocking the stream and both Chrome and Firefox whilst on that particular provider's access is blocking atop that. It causes the html5 to refuse to work because it is the site link or stream link itself to be blocked within the player.
Turns out that the giants on the block are working in cahoots to force the entirety of the internet to upgrade security across the board to https, security certificates and encryption. Instead of handling this at the browser or operating system manufacturer level, they're doing at the site level. Anyone with a website that is. This includes the traditional little guy audio broadcaster producing a audio stream on a two-bit dinosaur of a computer out of their basement, i.e. yours truly.
The half and whole of what I found includes
explanation on DNS blocking...which is what first caused me to investigate why some listeners could hear the stream but others could not, for no apparent reason. Essentially anything that is not using https in all the coding, and that does not have an 'approved' security certificate is being tagged as 'insecure' by the big browsers: Chrome, Firefox, IE. Once tagged they don't allow you access to the site. When you try to open the link you are not given a choice about whether to trust the site or not. They just block you arbitrarily, there by dictating what you may or may not access. It is left to the site owner or stream owner to determine why they are not getting visitors, and it is left to them to pay out of pocket for the fancy security measures to meet their standards...most of which is sold by either them or a subsidiary of the parent companies like Google.
I read a ton of threads with people screaming at them because sites that affected peoples income were now blocked, one gal couldn't collect her paycheck, another guy couldn't buy or sell....sounding like something out of biblical prophecy.
There is no real work around for this and I wasn't able to find any intent to produce one....just many many angry internet entrepreneurial business owners and employees trying to figure out what to do in the wake of the monumental disaster created to line the pockets of companies like Google and other Security Encryption producers.
So what is the fallout wrt Mind Mix Radio? Well, I will try to get a free security certificate for the server. No money to buy one. Not happening with money. I've already changed everything in the Icecast config to https but that has not had any effect, the stream is still showing listed as 'insecure' because there is no fancy pedigree (security certificate). I don't know if one of the free certificates will suffice or not. If it does not then it will be left to the listeners to move to an internet connection that does not currently block anything tagged 'insecure'. I can only tell you that at this time Cricket Wireless internet is tagging and blocking at the dns level. DLink is not.
I am also experimenting on Cricket to see if I can get around the blocking by using either a proxy or a VPN. No guarantees but I will post if it works.
Since I'm Producer here and this is my blog I will take a shot back at the cretins in the dark by saying I strongly suspect that this is less about security than it is about political censorship. Political censorship is raging on the big guy's social media platform right now with the continual banning and harassment of conservative voices. This 'management' of security at these levels levying financial hardship on small sites, bloggers, audio & video streamers, etc affects primarily conservative voices in the landscape as most of the Awake & Aware crowd live at the periphery of society thus paying in income limitation for being free of the myopia that comes with the rat race in the wealth producing circles.
So am I suggesting that this is backdoor mind war & censorship to steer the knowledge, awareness, and narratives in the landscape? I suggest that it most likely is. Who benefits? There's your answer. Truth be known most hackers & malware artists aren't interested in the little guy as targets...no money to squeeze from turnips, so the whine and cheese routine that this is about security really doesn't fly with me. This is about blocking access to the 'alternative' media which relies on free, low cost, or other creative forms of getting information onto the web for others to consider.
Free Proxy: Free Proxy Server w/Google App Engine
Free VPNs:
Free Security Certificates:
