Internet Censorship In Developing Countries

Censorship is a primary tool for consolidating power and suppressing opposition in authoritarian governments and with the Internet becoming one of the major channels of information flow in modern society, Internet censorship has become an integral component of stifling information flow. Many countries practice some form of Internet censorship and most of the motivations for this censorship are similar: the need to control information flow. The reasons for this need vary however. In theocratic regimes (especially in the Middle East) any content that is regarded as immoral in the governing religion is blocked. This includes everything from pornography to gambling sites and in some cases (specifically Yemen) any material that seeks to convert its citizens to religions besides the government endorsed one. Th The other major motivation for Internet censorship is to suppress political opposition and to consolidate governmental power. Iran  The practice of Internet censorship is especially prevalent in Islamist and communist regimes and almost exclusively single party states. Of the twelve countries listed among the "Enemies of the Internet" list compiled by Reporters Without Borders, seven practice either some form of Islamism or some form of Communism and virtually all of the countries are basically single party states (some are single party states in practice rather than name). Freedom of information and uninhibited flow of information are fundamental pillars in building the foundation of a democratic society. Given free reign to seek out the information they need, citizens will be able to make informed decisions about politics and other aspects of of their own lives. Therein lies the danger of authoritarian regimes allowing their citizens total  and uncensored access to the Internet and therein lies the reason why freedom of information is so important to the national progress of developing countries and must be maintained at all costs.

Information used in this blog gathered from:
http://en.rsf.org/list-of-the-13-internet-enemies-07-11-2006,19603