Governments Increasingly Entangle World Wide Web
Helle Dale /
While the Internet is emerging as an increasingly powerful tool for political activism—most recently demonstrated in the Middle East up-risings—so governments around the world are becoming more expert in the means and methods to control electronic communication. This is the conclusion reached by a new report by the respected human-rights organization Freedom House, “Freedom on the Net 2011: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media.”
The report complements Freedom House’s long standing annual “Freedom in the World” report, adding a new dimension to its treatment of freedom of expression. “Freedom on the Net,” however, does not cover the entire world but a selection of 37 countries, among them the world’s most egregious abusers.
Over 2 billion people worldwide have some degree of access to the Internet, a figure that has doubled over the past five years. In tandem with that growth, Web site blocking, filtering, manipulation, and cyber attacks by governments that feel threatened by this new communications tool have all increased massively as well. Of the 37 countries examined, 15 engaged in substantial blocking of politically relevant material. As the report notes, this blocking was deliberate, systematic, and comprehensive, covering thousands of Web sites, news outlets, and human rights groups. (more…)