Where Next for Internet Censorship

While there’s no denying that internet censorship has its place – protecting our children from unsuitable sites or online predators, for one – it’s also being abused by government agencies and ruling powers. This can range from prohibiting certain websites being accessed from schools (more to stop cheating at exams than anything else) to draconian measures that would seem absurd if they weren’t scarily true.

Internet Censorship goes International
In the year of the Olympic games, for example, that well-known bastion of free speech China is probably the worst offender of Internet censorship. International media has been obstructed at every step when it comes to reporting on China’s human rights (or lack of) policy, and the furore over the Olympic torch is virtually unknown by China’s residents. And, although not officially linked to the Chinese government, the case of US citizen Peter Yuan Li is a prime example of both China’s Big Brother presence and Internet censorship coming into the real world.

Li was a key activist against censorship and the Communist party in China – so much so that in 2006 he was attacked in his Atlanta home, where his assailants tried to force him to part with the details of where he stored all his information. When Li refused to talk, he was beaten violently and had two of his laptops stolen – Li believes that the attack was a direct order from the Chinese government.

As disturbing as the attack on Li is, sadly Internet censorship and its effects are not restricted to China. Reporters Without Borders, an excellent organization that promotes free expression as well as the safety of international journalists, has published a comprehensive list of some of the worst violators when it comes to Internet censorship. While the list is fairly obvious – China, Cuba, Iran and North Korea to name just a few – what is alarming is the lengths some of these countries will go to.

For example, you can only access the Internet from a public connection – no private connections are allowed. And the government in Myanmar – recently in the news after being hit by a devastating cyclone – is allegedly so paranoid about what’s being said that it (again, allegedly) has a program in place that takes screenshots every few minutes of whatever web page a user is on.

Observing Local Internet Censorship
Yet before we get all smug and sanctimonious in the West, we suffer from Internet control as well, even if the threat of violence against us isn’t there. While there is the basic type of Internet censorship – restricted sites and online time during working hours – there is also a further reaching type of censorship.

Whereas employees would bitch about their bosses during lunch hours or a social drink at a bar with colleagues after work, try the same approach online and be prepared to lose your job. With the likes of Facebook and Twitter allowing constant updating of a user’s status, write a post about how your job sucks and the company you work for are idiots and you could be disciplined or sacked by your employer for bringing them into disrepute. If you think that’s over the top, employment tribunals obviously disagree – most recent cases of this type have gone in favor of the employer.

Moving into the wider arena, governments are also censoring us, albeit more discreetly. One of the (inevitable) results of 9/11 has been the monitoring of people’s emails. Now, if you use the wrong type of keyword in a private email to your friend, there’s a good chance that you’ll pop up on some government agency’s radar – as a poor teenage kid in the US did when discussing terrorists in the latest Splinter Cell video game. So have we moved into an age where we can no longer speak our minds, despite the Free Speech Act? Not necessarily – and the opponents of Internet censorship may just surprise you.

Internet Censorship 0 – Families 1
While the powers that be may try and convince us that Internet censorship is for our own good, there are many that disagree. Perhaps one of the best examples is Families Against Internet Censorship, or FAIC. While the authorities cite that censorship is to protect our families and family morals, the FAIC make a wonderful (and relevant) point – parents know what their kids should and shouldn’t be looking at. It’s worked ever since humanity has been on this planet – why shouldn’t it work now? After all, parents are the ones who raise their kids and spend every day with them – who better to decide what is suitable and at what age? And if other families share this mindset, why do those in power try to enforce their beliefs – wouldn’t it be more beneficial to listen to those “on the frontline”?

The Future of Internet Censorship
There’s no denying that the Internet has opened up a whole new world for anyone with online access, and there will always be individuals and companies that try to take advantage of this. One of my fellow bloggers, Alex D at Happening Now, posted an interesting blog about how Google may be the next big company to strip away our online privacy and play into the hands of the Internet censors via the new tools they’re implementing. While no-one is suggesting that Google is in bed with the Government, the blog makes some excellent points about how some of Google’s tools could be misused.

So what lies ahead? Will it get to the stage where social networks like Twitter, Digg et al are used to gather information that could lead to blocked access or points of view being shared? Or are we all being too paranoid? Who can say – after all, there are valid points for both pro and anti-censorship. One thing is clear, though – saying what you feel will never be the same again.