RT.com not being detected properly

[yanmaani]

In the Netherlands, we have indirect evidence of RT being blocked (see https://freedom.nl/nieuwsartikel/freedom-blokkeert-onder-protest-websites). Same for Ukraine.

However, OONI is reporting it as accessible due to the block pages (NL, UA) being 200 OK, and the query being made over HTTP.

What's going on here? In the global list, rt.com has HTTPS, but in the Ukrainian list, it's HTTP. But it's not in the Dutch list at all, so why is that using HTTP? Is there any reason to have it in both UA and global? Or is the test list working as intended, with this merely being an issue in the explorer software?

[yanmaani]

Why are there even HTTP sites in the lists at all? Wouldn't it make more sense to standardize in some way, then have the backend try both HTTP and HTTPS, because they may be blocked differently?

[bact]

When the test is running from an XX country, two lists will be used: 1) the global list 2) XX list.

For example, if OONI is run in Ukraine, https://rt.com and http://rt.com will be tested. The first one from the global list, the second from the country list.

But if OONI is run in the Netherlands, only https://rt.com will be tested. Taken from the global list.

If you like to have http://rt.com being tested in the Netherlands, you have two options 1) add it to the global list or 2) add it to nl.csv.

But adding anything to global list is tricky, since you will not be allowed to have duplicated URLs in the global list and in any country list.