Six-Month Surveillance and Censorship Timeline
Documenting Systematic Suppression: May–October 2025
Gender Watchdog documentation of racialized sexual violence in Korean universities
Overview: From May through October 2025, our advocacy platform experienced escalating surveillance and censorship across multiple platforms. In May, DC Inside formally granted permission for academic metric collection from our university gallery posts—making subsequent mass censorship particularly significant. From June onward, we documented active surveillance and platform-specific suppression. The campaign intensified dramatically as South Korea prepared to host APEC Leaders' Week (October 27–November 1, 2025), with unusual traffic patterns affecting our X.com posts and blog during this period—and continued during the event itself with additional APEC-related reply suppressions. This timeline documents a pattern consistent with coordinated suppression: active monitoring, platform-specific censorship, cross-border coordination, and strategic escalation timed to major diplomatic events.
🔍 Featured Evidence: APEC Censorship Pattern
Three documented incidents of APEC-related content suppression in October 2025.
View interactive X.com (Twitter) embeds with timestamps, engagement metrics, and direct verification links.
Essential for journalists: Timestamped proof with verifiable X.com links
📊 SURVEILLANCE
🚫 CENSORSHIP
Phase 0: Establishing Context (May 2025)
May 17, 2025
DC Inside Grants Scraping Permission
Requested and received formal permission from DC Inside to collect view count, recommendation, and comment metrics from our own posts in university galleries. DC Inside granted permission for non-commercial academic research and journalistic transparency purposes. This documented approval makes subsequent July 5 mass censorship of 20+ posts particularly significant—platform that granted research permission later coordinated mass takedowns.
Request Email →DC Inside Response →
Phase 1: Surveillance Begins (June 2025)
June 20, 2025
Active Blog Monitoring Begins
Viewers arriving within seconds of publishing. Pattern continues for 4+ months. Screen recordings document immediate "Reading now" UI changes (0→1) within seconds/minutes of posting.
YouTube Evidence (6/25) →
June 25, 2025
Digital Surveillance Patterns Blog Post
Published analysis: "Digital Surveillance Patterns: When VPN Exit Nodes Reveal More Than They Hide." Documents surveillance methodology.
Read Post →
June 27, 2025
Surveillance Screen Recording
Documented immediate viewer arrival after blog edits. Real-time UI changes captured.
YouTube Evidence →
Phase 2: Korean Platform Censorship (July 2025)
July 5, 2025
20+ Military LGBT Sexual Violence Posts Censored
DC Inside galleries across 20+ university communities remove posts documenting sexual violence in Korean military within hours. DC Inside response implies Korean government behind takedown orders. Topics: "military" and "LGBT" not in their keyword censorship list.
X.com Documentation →Blog Post Analysis →
July 13, 2025
K-Arts Posts Deleted, View Counts Reset to Zero
Follow-up inquiry to DC Inside documents 5 additional posts deleted with view counts reset to zero: K-Arts (243 views → 0), Dongdeok Womens (240 views → 0), K-Arts sex trafficking (110 views → 0), K-Arts faculty firing (46 views → 0), K-Arts defamation law (35 views → 0). Email thanks DC Inside for July 6 response clarifying LGBT military keywords not in automated censorship list, requests explanation for new deletions.
Email to DC Inside →
July 18, 2025
K-Arts Gallery Censorship
Post documenting state-sanctioned sex trafficking in Korea removed from DC Inside K-Arts university gallery.
X.com Post →
July 20, 2025
Surveillance Screenshot Archive Begins
Started systematic screenshot documentation of surveillance patterns. Archive runs July 20 - October 9, 2025.
Proton Drive Archive →
July 29, 2025
Xiaohongshu Ghost-Banning
After successful viral XHS campaign (50k+ views May-June), created safe.genderwatchdog.org to mirror key posts. Within minutes of seeing 2 viewers arrive via Bearblog Analytics, multiple XHS posts became ghost-banned—accessible only when logged into our own account, invisible to all other users even via direct URL.
Documentation →
Phase 3: Cross-Platform Expansion (August–September 2025)
August 29, 2025
Ongoing Surveillance Documentation
Screen recording shows continued instant viewer arrival pattern. 0→1 UI changes persist.
YouTube Evidence →
August 27-29, 2025
Traffic Spike Following Hanwha Submarine Warning
X.com post warning Canadian government about Hanwha submarine contract bid (documenting human rights concerns) resulted in 129 views on blog.genderwatchdog.org two days later—10x normal traffic baseline (2-15 views/day). Pattern indicates institutional monitoring of defense procurement accountability content. Occurred during documented 4-month surveillance pattern (June-October 2025).
X.com Post →Full Analysis →
September 2, 2025
Surveillance Publicly Exposed
Published: "Digital Intimidation Exposed and Defeated: Korean Government Surveillance Operation Ends After Public Documentation." Screen recording evidence.
Blog Post →YouTube Evidence →
September 2, 2025 (Later)
Monitoring Resumed After Exposure
Published update: "Monitoring Resumed After Exposure: Korean Government Surveillance Continues." Surveillance resumed shortly after public documentation.
Blog Update →
September 2, 2025
DC Inside Changes Policy: 117+ Posts Deleted
DC Inside retroactively changes policy, claiming "cross-posting is spam" despite granting permission May 17 and acknowledging our multi-gallery posting through July 6 correspondence. Mass deletion of 117+ posts across university galleries, erasing thousands of accumulated views (ranging from 35-385 views per post). Posts had been up for weeks/months, proving relevance to each gallery's audience. Dashboard documents deleted URLs with view counts before erasure. Email requests clarification on policy change and deletion metadata.
Email to DC Inside →View Dashboard with Deleted Posts →
September 3, 2025
Surveillance Screen Recording
Documented continued monitoring after exposure. Pattern persists.
YouTube Evidence →
September 6, 2025
Dongguk Gallery Flooding Attack
After posting about second false Canadian partnership (2 of 5 verified fake) and Canadian diplomat email screenshot calling crisis a "sensitive issue," DC Inside Dongguk gallery experiences flooding attack. DC Inside has not responded to our inquiry.
X.com Documentation →Email to DC Inside →
Phase 4: APEC Escalation (October 2025)
October 7, 2025 (20 days before APEC)
APEC Engagement → Suppression → Evidence Cleanup
Timeline: (1) APEC Secretariat likes our reply raising governance concerns during Korea's APEC hosting. (2) 23 minutes later: Reply becomes invisible under APEC's post (context-level suppression). (3) Oct 7-10: APEC removes their like (evidence cleanup). Content exists via direct URL but diplomatic connection severed.
X.com Thread →Evidence Archive (.wacz) →
August–October 2025
Save My Seoul Documentary Removed from Civl
Documentary exposing Korea's $74.8B sex industry removed from Civl streaming platform after we extensively shared it in blog posts and X.com. Film documented: government historical role (25% of GDP from prostitution in 1960s), 50% of female runaways end up in prostitution, corporate slush funds used for sexual entertainment, police denial of victimhood. Civl has not responded to our inquiries. Now available only on Vimeo on-demand.
Screenshot Evidence →
Watch on Vimeo →
October 9, 2025
Surveillance Screenshot Archive Ends
Final date in Proton Drive screenshot archive (July 20 - Oct 9). Archive documents 4-month surveillance pattern.
Complete Archive →
October 11, 2025
Surveillance Screen Recording
Ongoing monitoring documentation continues.
YouTube Evidence →
October 22, 2025
ADEX Arms Expo Email Campaign Traffic Spike
Email outreach to 135 recipients (Seoul ADEX exhibitors, defense ministries, procurement organizations, NATO/ASEAN, defense media) resulted in 105 views—7-10x normal traffic. Timing correlation with active email campaign demonstrates institutional monitoring of arms export due diligence documentation. Canadian diplomat had previously acknowledged concerns as "sensitive matter" (June 16, 2025).
Full Analysis →Email Evidence (Redacted) →
October 20, 2025
Surveillance Screen Recording
Monitoring documented during Substack censorship incident.
YouTube Evidence →
October 20, 2025 (7 days before APEC)
Substack Content Blocking
Time: ~3:30 AM EST / 4:30 PM KST. Two APEC-related posts became inaccessible for ~2.5 hours. Substack status page showed "All Systems Operational" throughout. Only our Korea-related posts affected. Restored within 10-25 minutes after public X.com documentation—proving active monitoring.
X.com Documentation →
October 21, 2025
Final Surveillance Screen Recording
Last documented surveillance evidence before traffic spike incident.
YouTube Evidence →
October 25, 2025 (48 hours before APEC)
Time: ~12:34 PM KST. Custom domain blog.genderwatchdog.org stops resolving after 6 months of operation. Registrar (Namecheap): No legal actions, court orders, or government requests. DNS records unchanged, propagating correctly. October 28 Update: Bear Blog developer confirmed bot traffic spike crashed reverse proxy server (affected all custom domains globally). Developer: "Can't entirely rule out foul play" but "terrible timing." Context: Incident occurred amid global AI scraping crisis as Korea announces $100 trillion AI expansion. Migrated to GitHub Pages (Microsoft infrastructure).
Migration Post →AI Governance Analysis →
October 28, 2025 (During APEC Leaders' Week)
APEC "Practical Solutions" Reply Suppressed
Reply to APEC Secretariat's post about "practical solutions to build a region that lifts everyone" documenting Gyeongju WISE campus exploitation (forced housing with tourists, racist harassment, admin non-response). Result: 35 views overnight—severe suppression indicating reply shadow-banned. Posted during APEC Leaders' Week in Gyeongju—the same city we documented.
Suppressed Reply →Original APEC Post →
October 28, 2025 (During APEC Leaders' Week)
APEC "Trust Currency" Reply Thread Suppressed
Two-post thread reply to APEC's "Trust is Asia-Pacific's strongest currency" post. First post references October 7 APEC like → suppression → unlike pattern and Korea's institutional failures (40% fake Canadian partnerships at Dongguk, criminal defamation law). Second post documents APEC Secretariat's Singapore headquarters and parallels between Singapore's two-tier migrant exploitation and Korea's system. Pattern: This is now the third time APEC-related content has been suppressed (Oct 7, Oct 28 post #1, Oct 28 post #2).
Suppressed Reply (Post 1) →Suppressed Reply (Post 2) →
Original APEC Post →
Pattern Analysis
Multi-Platform Coordination
- Korean Platforms (DC Inside): Rapid removal (hours), gallery flooding, 20+ simultaneous takedowns
- Chinese Platform (Xiaohongshu): Ghost-banning triggered by content mirroring
- Western Platforms: X/Twitter (context suppression + evidence cleanup), Substack (temporary blocking reversed when exposed), Domain (traffic spike incident - most likely AI bots)
Escalation Timeline
- Surveillance (June–October): Monitoring established
- Removal (July 5): 20+ coordinated removals
- Disruption (July–Sept): Flooding attacks, ghost-banning
- Context suppression (Oct 7): Western platform, diplomatic context severed
- Infrastructure incident (Oct 25): Traffic spike (most likely AI bots)
APEC Timing Correlation
- Oct 7: 20 days before APEC → Social media suppression (APEC like/suppress/unlike)
- Oct 20: 7 days before APEC → Substack blocking (failed)
- Oct 25: 48 hours before APEC → Domain infrastructure failure (bot traffic)
- Oct 27-Nov 1: APEC Leaders' Week in Gyeongju
- Oct 28: During APEC → Two more APEC replies suppressed (35 views overnight)
Pattern: Suppression intensifies as international scrutiny increases. APEC-related content targeted three times (Oct 7, Oct 28 twice).
Speed Indicators
- Surveillance: Seconds (viewers arrive immediately after publishing)
- APEC Twitter: 23 minutes (engagement → suppression)
- DC Inside: Hours (20+ coordinated removals)
- Substack: Immediate restoration when exposed (active monitoring proven)
- XHS Ghost-ban: Minutes (triggered by blog analytics showing viewers)
- Domain: Sudden after 6 months (strategic timing)
Evidence Archives
- Surveillance Videos: YouTube Playlist
- Screenshot Archive: Proton Drive (7/20–10/9)
- APEC Suppression: .wacz Archive
- Technical Documentation: GitHub Repository
Contact Press Freedom Organizations
This documented pattern warrants investigation by:
Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF): asie@rsf.org
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): asia@cpj.org
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): info@eff.org
Access Now: help@accessnow.org
Citizen Lab: citizenlab@citizenlab.ca
NetBlocks: contact@netblocks.org