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Minecraft 'loophole' Library Of Banned Journalism

Minecraft 'loophole' library of banned journalism By Tom Gerken BBC News, Washington DC



13 March 2020



It was originally an online forum project and has since grown into the most popular video game ever. But , today Minecraft is being utilized in a way that its creator could never have imagined.



The cult game that revolves on the concept of putting Lego-like blocks together with more than 145 million people playing each month has been turned into a hub of free speech.



To host journalistic articles that were censored online The virtual library was designed with care.



The work of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist killed by Saudi agents in the year 2018 is available among the plethora of books available in the library.



Minecraft declined to make a comment.



Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organization that aims to protect the freedom of information throughout the world, created the project. Blockworks, the design studio responsible for the Minecraft library, built it.



Christian Mihr, executive director of Reporters Without Borders Germany, told the BBC that Minecraft was a good choice for the project as he believes it's not considered a threat by the governments that control their media.



He said that Minecraft was chosen because of its accessibility. It is accessible in every country. The game is not subject to censorship as other games that are believed to be political.



"There are large communities in every country featured, that's why the idea was born - it is an opportunity to bypass censorship."



The authors were chosen to represent the countries where press was restricted in order that people from these communities would be able to access their work.



However, he clarified that permissions were sought prior to republishing in the library.



"We didn't include any information in the library without the consent of the author themselves - if they are alive.



"In the Jamal Khashoggi's case, we spoke with family members - in respect of people who have been killed, and to ensure the safety of their families."



Nick Feamster, Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, told the BBC that the library could be effective at beating censors, but he was worried about how governments may respond.



He said that it was an interesting idea, but that there were issues. Governments will be aware and the articles are being circulated all over the internet. It won't be foolproof against an aggressive enemy.



He claimed that the strength of the library was due to its use of entanglement - mixing up the censored material with the video game in the eyes censors.



He said, "By entangling the two things , you force them both to share content." "You can't block this one without the other."



However, Helmi Noman is a Research Associate of the Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society He said he believed that the library would be more likely to attract an audience that is limited.
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He said that "censored content is dynamic and diverse" and that users prefer to use methods that don't pre-select or compartmentalise content in particular areas online.



"Any method that doesn't provide an unhindered and secure browsing experience of the entire web, social media and direct messaging apps will be ineffective."



The server, which can host up to 100 users at once, was regularly inaccessible due to how many players were trying to log in at the same time. Despite the limitation on concurrent users, it has been visited by 3,889 users from 75 different countries. It has also been downloaded more than 7,000 times.



After two hours of searching, BBC finally visited the virtual library and asked users what they thought.



SoulfulGenie said that they thought "it needs more books and a brand new section on North Korea" and another user called it "ingenious in many ways", adding that since the library could be downloaded and reuploaded by other users, "it is easy to replicate and therefore difficult to kill".



ReduxPL said that the library "looks amazing indeed".



Blockworks took 250 hours to create the library, which was developed by 24 people from 16 countries.



James Delaney, the company's managing director, stated to the BBC that the company's goal was to create a design that was "on the edge of fantasy".



He said it was feasible as a building, but is over the limit of what is possible.



"We chose a design that is in the neoclassical style. It's similar to the British Museum and public libraries in New York."



He claimed that Minecraft was improvisational in its core, so builders weren't restricted to following a pre-determined design.



He explained that when there are a lot of people working on the same project, "people can see each others' work and have to react in real-time." It's a reactive method of working, and that can change the look of the project.



"The style is chosen to symbolize power and authority We wanted to flip this on its head.



"It's not representing the power of the regime or the government. It's a symbol of freedom of speech."



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