Censorship
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Traditionally: Deletion of materials
that the gorvernment or media
considers to be objectionable
Internet censorship often just blocks
access
World Map Of Censorship
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Blue = no censorship
Yellow = some censorship
Red = Under Surveillance
Black = Most heavily censored nations
Image courtesy of Wikipedia and Reporters Without Borders
Censorship in Iran
political/religious in nature
widespread to the point of
omnipresence
built into almost every facet of life
done without explanation and without
recourse
History of Iranian Censorship
1979 – Iranian Revolution
non-Islamic newspapers banned
1980’s – growth of censorship
radio, print, and television sources
monitored
2000 – media crackdown
reformist newspapers banned,
journalists jailed
early 2000’s – the Internet
Iran begins to censor websites
Internet Censorship in Iran
Internet originally relatively
uncensored
used as a bypass for censorship in other
media
2003, censorship begins
originally used to suppress dissent
spread to general sites such as
Facebook, Youtube
currently cracking down on women’s
rights, anti-Islamic, gay/lesbian sites,
etc.
•According to China Internet Network Information
Center (CNNIC), there are more than approximately 20
millions of people who have access to the internet.
•A large number of the internet surfers worry the
Chinese government because it makes the media and
news harder to control. To neutralize critical online
opinion comes after a series of anti-Japanese, antipollution and anti-corruption protests, more than 30,000
internet police were employed by the government
agency to monitor internet forums, blogs, and major
portal to erase any critical comments that “defame
Chinese government agencies, split the nation, or leak
secret secrets.”
Golden Shield Project
It started in 1998 and began the process in November 2003.
It is owned by the Ministry of Public Security of China, and it is to
construct a communication network and computer information system for
internet police to improve their capability and efficiency.
It is also known as the Great Firewall of China, in reference to both its
role and a network firework and to ancient Great Wall of China
The system blocks content by preventing IP addresses from being
routed through and consisted of standard firewalls and proxy servers at
the Internet gateways.
The system also selectively engages in DNS poisoning when particular
sites are requested.
Selected Censored Websites
Chinese Wikipedia (zh.wikipedia.org secure.wikimedia.rog)
and other versions of Wikipedia
Hongkong Economic Journal (www.hkej.com) since 2009-05
Facebook
Youtube
Itunes (blocked during the 2008 Summer Olympics in
Beijing after more than 40 athletes downloaded a protibetan album from the service.
Censorship in the United States
Though many people relate
censorship to countries such as
China, even the United States has
had a history involving censorship.
This censorship dates back long
before the internet, and was prevalent
in newspapers and in the film
industry.
Censorship in the United States
The 1st Amendment of the United
States ensures the right to freedom of
speech... but has this protection been
limited by the digital age and the
internet?
For the most part this right does exist
within the internet. However, this
excludes cases involving libel,
pornography, or infringing on the
rights of others (hosting copyrighted
content, etc.)
Censorship in the United States
In 1997, the Communications Decency
Act was struck down by Congress. This
act would have substantially decreased
rights and free speech on the internet.
On the other hand, “inappropriate
materials” are required to be blocked in
all public schools and libraries and some
other federally funded institutions.
Congress is also considering including
social networking sites in this list
Censorship in the United States
Overall, there is no large-scale
filtering of the internet in the United
States, and the First Amendment is
upheld to a high degree.
The ONI (Open Net Initiative) places
the U.S. in the “nominal” category.
Even though censorship in the U.S. is
minimal, we should remember it does
exist and could get worse.
In Conclusion…
Censorship does not allow for all forms of
free speech because it restricts specific
information
The USA is more liberal than the other
countries mentioned, and therefore allows
more access to websites which are
considered “harmful” in other countries
Censorship is due to increasing security
due to threats from other
countries/organizations
Censorship is used to prevent spread of
“malicious and harmful” content