20 October 2025

Introduction

Qurium has operated the Bifrost mirror service for nearly a decade to help circumvent website blocking in repressive environments. Bifrost is a circumvention solution designed specifically for WordPress-based sites which automates the creation of live mirrors of dynamic websites and hosts them on large cloud platforms such as Google Cloud and Amazon S3. These providers are too costly for many censorship regimes to block at scale. As a result, readers in countries with Internet censorship can access the blocked content directly via a standard URL, without the need of any App, VPN, or browser extension.

Google, the main hosting provider of Bifrost mirrors, has (with one exception) never notified us about these takedown demands. Thanks to the Lumen Database, an online project that collects and analyzes legal complaints and takedown requests made to online platforms like Google, Twitter (X), Reddit and Wikipedia, it came to our knowledge that content on our Bifrost mirrors had been requested to be taken down for the past four years without our knowledge.

We decided to systematically analyze the requests against our mirrored sites to better understand who were submitting them, what content they targeted, and how frequently such demands were made.

The List of Shame

Analysis of takedown reporters

Each of the take-down requests against a Qurium Bifrost mirror has been analyzed in terms of who submitted the case, what type of content that was targeted and the context surrounding each case.

Mugin Alexander Sergeevich, Azerbaijan

The first case on our list was reported by Mugin Alexander Sergeevich (written as “Мугин Александр Сергеевич” in the report), a Russian lawyer specialized in reputation management.

The article he reported on investigates the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who became known for exposing high-level corruption in Malta. The report alleges that her assassination was linked to Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and members of the ruling Aliyev family.

Clickonmedia UG, Azerbaijan

The second case was reported by “Clickonmedia UG”, a Munich-based online marketing agency specializing in online reputation management (ORM), SEO/SEM, crisis PR, and managing Google search results. They seem also to operate under the YourReputation24.com brand.

The article reported by them suggests that after the arrest of Cahangir Hajiyev, former chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), many large and once profitable enterprises were deliberately bankrupted or undervalued then sold off under shady circumstances to well-connected elites, while massive amounts of state funds disappeared or were embezzled.

Web Analysis Cell (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority)

This is the only DMCA take-down request that we have been informed about by Google. A Pakistani fact-checking site had published redacted passport copies where some personal information was still visible. We were requested to remove the “non-redacted PII” from the mirror since it was in violation ti Google’s Cloud Terms of Service. It’s important to note that they initially attempted to take down the site by citing false and fabricated claims, and when that failed, they resorted to using the PII argument.

The take-down request was submitted by Web Analysis Cell, a special unit under the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The Web Analysis Cell was established by PTA over a decade ago with the mandate review regime critical websites to find and report compromising articles.

The reported article suggests that since General Asim Munir became Pakistan’s Army Chief, the military’s headquarters has supposedly tightened its grip on civilian institutions. It alleges that Munir’s relatives and associates, such as his uncle Syed Babar Ali Shah and cousin Hajra Sohail, have used influence to secure top government roles without due process. Hajra Sohail was reportedly promoted rapidly from a scholarship manager to CEO of a federal organization.

The article also claims that Mohsin Naqvi, a relative by marriage, was allegedly given powerful positions—Punjab Chief Minister, Interior Minister, and PCB Chairman—despite questions about process and qualifications. It further states that some of Munir’s family members supposedly received diplomatic or official passports in violation of rules. Overall, the piece portrays what it describes as unprecedented nepotism and misuse of power under General Munir’s tenure.

Roskomnadzor (Russia)

It was no surprise that we encountered several take-down requests from Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal agency responsible for overseeing communications, information technology, and mass media. So far, we have confirmed five requests from Roskomnadzor. In all but one case, the requests target entire websites instead of individual pages. The exception is the request concerning a specific article published on the Nemoskva website. This particular article discusses the experiences of artists who left Russia in response to the war in Ukraine, highlighting how their work and lives have changed in exile. The piece focuses on themes of political pressure, censorship, and the role of contemporary art in times of crisis.

The other four reports involve full website blocks and relate to the following platforms: ochevidcy.com, nemoskva.net, moscowtimes.org, and proekt.media. Each of these websites plays a distinct role in Russia’s media landscape, often providing independent or critical perspectives on political and social issues. Their inclusion in Roskomnadzor’s take-down requests reflects the broader pattern of restricting access to sources that offer alternative viewpoints or investigative journalism that challenges official narratives.

Gustavo Ernesto Mendiri Borges, Venezuela

Another set of take-down requests have been sent by Gustavo Ernesto Mendiri Borges, who sent at least four separate notices. Two aimed at one single article, and another two requests aiming on another article. The repetition of the demands seems to be an effort to increase pressure. In the same request, he also included takedown demands for other URLs that contained information about him.

Mendiri is a Venezuelan lawyer with a controversial reputation. Multiple sources within the country’s judicial system have alleged he is a political operator who leverages his friendship with Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, to build influence and recruit prosecutors and judges into a personal network to favor either himself or his clients. He has been described as a lobbyist or fixer able to sway decisions in the Supreme Court.

His public career began in sports management before he became known for his political connections. Today he is seen as a behind-the-scenes power broker in Venezuela’s fragmented and politicized justice system, often described in terms of competing “judicial tribes.”

It is likely that he reported these two articles because they involve his clients or individuals within his network. One investigates a businessman’s rapid rise in Venezuela’s mining sector through opaque companies and questionable state contracts. The other exposes a little-known firm with political connections that landed lucrative oil export deals despite having no real track record.

[REDACTED]

The remaining eight reports have the reporter’s name censored so it appears as [REDACTED]. The requests target the Venezuelan sites armando.info and elpitazo.net and the Azerbaijani sites azerbaycansaati.tv, and adadliq.info.

Considering that they mostly concern the same articles or websites as other reports in which the reporter’s name is public, it is reasonable to assume that these are simply additional submissions by the same individuals or organizations described above, but with their identifying information withheld.

Conclusion

The take-down requests targeting Bifrost mirrors reveal ongoing attempts to censor content in restrictive environments and to silence independent media. Despite these efforts, the resilience of mirror services help to maintain access to censored information. Continued analysis of these take-down patterns is essential to understand censorship tactics and who is behind them.

It should be noted that Google has NOT acted on any of these 20 take-down requests to unlist an article or complete website from Google Search. However, it would be desirable as a target of a take-down request, whether it is a claim of a copyright violation or an act of defamation, to be notified about its existence.

Bifrost is a pro bono mirroring service provided to independent media outlets and human rights organizations whose websites have been blocked. The initiative currently supports over 75 blocked media outlets across the globe. Apply for your Bifrost mirror here.