Fergie's Tech Blog

Internet Censorship Rising Globally

An AP newswire article by Anick Jesdanun, via NewsFactor Network, reports that:

In the new OpenNet study on censorship, China, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Tunisia, and Vietnam were found to have the most extensive censorship filters for political sites, while Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen had the strictest social-filtering practices, blocking pornography, gambling, and gay and lesbian sites.

At least 25 countries around the world block Web sites for political, social or other reasons as governments seek to assert authority over a network meant to be borderless, according to a study out Friday.

The actual number may be higher, but the OpenNet Initiative had the time and capabilities to study only 40 countries and the Palestinian territories. Even so, researchers said they found more censorship than they had initially expected, a sign that the Internet has matured to the point that governments are taking notice.

posted by Fergie @ 5/18/2007 03:01:00 PM