Block (Internet)

On the Internet, a block or ban is a technical measure intended to restrict access to information or resources.

[1] Blocking may also refer to denying access to a web server based on the IP address of the client machine.

[1] In the United States, the Children's Internet Protection Act requires schools receiving federal funded discount rates for Internet access to install filter software that blocks obscene content, pornography, and, where applicable, content "harmful to minors".

Common reasons for blocking are spamming, trolling, and flaming, or, in the case of wiki sites like Wikipedia, vandalism and other types of disruptive editing.

However, websites have a legal right to decide who is allowed to post, and users often respond by "voting with their feet" and going to a place where the administrators see their behavior as acceptable.

Alternate accounts set up by people evading blocks or bans from websites are referred to as sock puppets.

Other possible measures include somewhat altering how they conduct themselves and exhibiting different behaviour in order to prevent moderators from determining that they are the same person.