While the internet has opened unexpected opportunities for communication, education, and activism, it has also become a target for censorship. Governments and private entities worldwide are implementing restrictions that limit access to information and suppress free expression. Internet censorship, once seen as a concern in authoritarian regimes, is now a global issue affecting societies in complex and often subtle ways.
These forms of censorship range from the mere blocking of websites and/or social media to the latest sophisticated deep packet inspections and surveillance. Countries like China and North Korea have been two of the most notorious states for internet control. China does impose strict internet controls on its citizens through filtering politically sensitive content and foreign news sources and even goes to the extent of suppressing internet access during periods of unrest.
Yet, all this does not mean that censorship is relevant exclusively to the authoritarian forms of rule. Democratic countries also have their forms of censorship, too, justified as necessary for the sake of national security, protection of public morals or combating misinformation. For example, a set of Western states have passed legislation obliging social media to delete content considered harmful-like hate speech or extremist propaganda. On one hand, such measures are admittedly taken for the creation of a safer online environment. On the other hand, they invite suspicions of a slippery slope of over-regulation.
Essentially, the censorship of the internet is a test of the boundaries of free speech. The internet is growing as a venue for public discourse, and restrictions on content shrink individuals’ potential to express themselves and access diverse viewpoints. This becomes particularly disturbing in countries where the traditional media are already controlled or suppressed. The internet provides another avenue for dissent, journalism and activism, which makes its censorship even more harmful.
Internet censorship can encourage activists and journalists to self-censor, where a perceived threat of retribution or punishment keeps them from discussing controversial or politically sensitive topics. In some instances, governments have shut off the internet during protests to quell an opposition movement, as has been the case in Myanmar and Iran. Regimes shut off social media and news outlets, which disable the ability of citizens to organize and disseminate information-a surefire way to quash dissent.
A large amount of varied information is critical in academic research, therefore making internet restrictions defeats this very important aspect of learning. In countries where there is heavy censorship, students and researchers often face significant obstacles when trying to access materials that may be blocked or filtered by government agencies. This isolates them from interactive participation in international ideas, cooperation with their colleagues from abroad and even current information.
Additionally, censorship does not stop at political or social issues: in too many cases, scientific research, for example, on genetics, on environmental studies, or even on pandemic response, is limited because of state or ideological sensitivities. The consequence would indeed hinder international scientific progress since the knowledge would be fragmentized and controlled.
Technology companies, and within them social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, are important players when it comes to the world of online censorship. In many countries, these services are obliged to abide by local laws that require the companies to remove illegal or otherwise harmful content from their platforms. While the companies may argue they’re merely abiding by the law, critics call the cooperation a means to enabling censorship and suppressing freedom of expression.
Also, content-regulating algorithms of these platforms tend to reinforce censorship sometimes. That automated moderation, aimed at flagging and removing inappropriate material, often lacks the nuance to separate protected expression from actually harmful content. In the process, this can inadvertently take down posts and articles that challenge the status quo or offer critical perspectives, contributing to a shrinking space for public debate online.
As it expands, the fight for digital freedom rages on. Advocacy groups and activists around the world fight hard to preserve the open and free nature of the Internet. Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Reporters Without Borders are working to bring awareness about the dangers of censorship and to promote policies that protect free speech and privacy online.
At the same time, people themselves can be proactive about safeguarding their digital rights. Accessing the internet through virtual private networks, encryption, and secure channels of communication helps users get around censorship and deny cyber snoopers. However, in a number of regions these tools are increasingly hard to use as governments and technology companies are pushing harder to monitor and control the Internet. In the future, security concerns will have to be balanced with the fundamental right of access and dissemination of information by the stakeholders on the internet.
