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Top 10 Countries That Censor the Internet
he Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported that in several countries in Asia and the Middle East, web information is scrutinized and censored by their governments. In some cases, the dictatorships or totalitarian regimes restrict the access to this media and impose prison penalties for anyone who does not comply. Here is a top 10 list of countries where internet activity is considered risky and in which you can get in serious trouble for doing so.
10. Cuba
Cuba is home to the lowest amount of computers per inhabitant in Latin America, and the lowest internet access ratio in the entire Western hemisphere. It is only available at government-controlled “access points.” Activity online is controlled via IP blocking, keyword filtering and rigorous browsing history checks. Only pro-government users may post their content online.
9. Pakistan
Pakistan began its quest to censor the web in 2000, when the main target was anti-Islamic topics. Over the course of the decade, it seems, they liked the possibility to control the Internet traffic and have been increasing the scope of their censorship systems. Sites that are being censored include: porn sites, anti-Islam sites, social networking sites and mainstream Western media sites.
8. Vietnam
The ruling Communist Party necessitates that Yahoo, Google and Bing release data on all bloggers who use their platforms. It blocks websites critical of the government as well as those that advocate for democracy, human rights and religious freedom.
7. Syria
Bloggers who put national unity” in jeopard are detained and held without bond. Cybercafes must ask all customers for identification, record time of use and report the information to the government.
In the past 3 years since thee start of the bloody civil war, citizens and government officials have been battling for control of the country’s Internet. Using everything from cyber attacks to digital surveillance, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his goons have attempted to limit the spread of information online. A new study of stolen Syrian Internet logs offers the world a glimpse at the unique strategies Assad’s regime deploys to censor the web. The results was not that bad. In comparison to China and Iran, Syria censors just a few websites.
6. Iran
When initially introduced, the Internet services provided by the government within Iran were comparatively open and currently has the second highest percentage of its population online in the Middle East, after Israel. Now, Bloggers must register their blogs and websites at the Ministry of Art and Culture. Those that express opposition to the mullahs who run the country are harassed and jailed. The government also uses imprisonment of journalists to stifle critical news coverage.
5. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is officially named as The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is currently the largest country in Western Asia in terms of its land area. Approximately 400,000 sites are being blocked in Saudi Arabia, including any that feature political, social or religious issues that do not relate to the Islamic beliefs of the ruling monarchy. In 2011, the Saudi Arabian government introduced new Internet regulations that necessitate all online newspapers and bloggers to obtain a special license from the Ministry of Culture and Information.
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