FINDING · DETECTION

DNS filtering is the documented primary blocking mechanism across the 6 surveyed Indian ISPs, with no evidence in this dataset of complementary IP-blocking or SNI-based blocking layers, suggesting the censor relies on DNS as a sufficient single-layer enforcement point.

From 2026-qurbat-list-domains-blocked — List of domains blocked via DNS filtering in India · Abstract / dataset scope · 2026 · net4people BBS

Implications

For India, DNS-layer circumvention (DoH, DoT, DNS-over-QUIC, or DNS tunneling) alone may be sufficient to restore access — tools should treat DNS bypass as the high-priority first line of defense.
Validate whether domain-only DNS blocking means IP connections succeed post-resolution; if so, lightweight resolver-swap tools outperform full VPN tunnels for the Indian threat model.