Technology
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Yes, with deep packet inspection they can identify when a certain protocol is used and then block that traffic. Works the same way as blocking torrents.
Edit: That is harder though than just blocking a couple of IPs that signal uses.
True, but you can also try set up an xmpp server inside the country and sort of fly under the radar as country internal communication is usually less restricted. Of course hosting inside the country also puts the server in reach of the authorities, so better be careful not to collect any data they could get their hands on that way.
thanks!
np :)
Is there a way to circumvent such a block?
Tor or I2P would be my guess
Edit: for Tor you will need to use meek-azure because it's also blocked. idk about I2P, probably also blocked
That is not entirely correct. It would be trivial to block requests on port 5222/5269, though as you said actually blocking the protocol itself would require deep-packet inspection (because you could run it on port 443 for example).
Then you can of course run on top of Tor/I2P (or equivalent) for federation. It's not exactly game over when a protocol is blocked, but the stakes are high. You'll end up in prison for defying state censorship.