You are here: silicon.com > Management > Law & Policy

Law & Policy

Enemies of the internet named and shamed

Blacklist of countries published...

Tags: libya, internet censorship, censorship, china

By Tim Ferguson

Published: 8 November 2006 16:05 GMT

A list of 13 countries that represent a threat to freedom of expression on the internet has been published by human rights campaigners Reporters Without Borders.

The group uses two criteria to justify the inclusion of countries. The first is the level of online censorship. This could include banning of political opposition sites and excessive monitoring of internet activity. The banning of internet communication tools such as Google's Gtalk IM service, which is forbidden in Burma, is also a problem.

Countries that arrest or harass so-called cyber-dissidents - people who use the internet to oppose the government - will also find themselves on the list.

Read all about IT...

Check out the Editor's Blog for the silicon.com chief's take on the hot tech issues of the moment.

Julien Pain, head of the Reporters Without Borders' internet freedom desk, told silicon.com the organisation hopes international pressure as a result of the list could force countries to change their ways. Newly included Egypt could well respond positively, he said, but conceded it would be difficult to force North Korea or China to change their ways in the near future.

Libya, the Maldives and Nepal were removed from the list this year as a result of fact-finding missions that revealed there were no longer any jailed cyber-dissidents, said Pain, who added that censorship of the internet in these countries has been significantly relaxed.

The full list of countries is: Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

  1. Zones
  2. Management
  3. Networks
  4. Software
  5. IT Services
  6. Hardware
  1. Verticals
  2. Public Sector
  3. Financial Services
  4. Retail & Leisure

Mark Crichard Doing business with citizen developers: Beware the legal pitfalls Legal Eye: Make sure your business is protected from potential hazards

Tim Ferguson How CIOs can achieve post-recession success Q&A: McKinsey & Company on living in the 'new normal' business world


  • Jobs
Cyber, Security & Risk Analyst, Berkshire, c27-32k

To apply for this role please send an up to date Word CV and your salary / package expectations to neil@navigationrecruitment.co.uk For a list of all ...

Sales Coordinator, Electronic Components

You will act as an intermediary between the Europe wide sales force and Worldwide supplier base who work to make profitable business happen within ...

C# Developer - Social Networking Site - London

Their global presence currently stretches across 25 countries and their planned expansion for 2008 will see another 10 countries added to this list ...

Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.





Quick Sitemap Links: