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Turkey's Twitter block and propaganda be damned: revolutions will be tweeted Turkey's Twitter block and propaganda be damned: revolutions will be tweeted
(5 months later)
Vladimir Putin has never been a fan of a Vladimir Putin has never been a fan of a free press or open public debates, but the Ukraine crisis has provided the Kremlin with a new favorite target for cracking down even more harshly on political expression: cyberspace. Last week, Galina Timchenko was ousted as editor of the Russian news site Lenta.ru, after publishing an interview with a right wing Ukrainian nationalist. She was replaced with an editor much more friendly toward Putin and his allies. The websites of opposition leaders Garry Kasparov and Alexei Navalny have also been targeted, along with other sites critical of the Russian president.
free press or open public debates, but the Ukraine crisis has provided the Kremlin Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the embattled Turkish prime minister, recently pushed new censorship legislation through parliament, making it easier for the government to block web content – and now Twitter is restricted across the country.
with a new favorite target for cracking down even more harshly on political Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has blocked websites covering topics that might be a bit uncomfortable for his government, such as skyrocketing inflation and anti-government protests.
expression: cyberspace. Last week, Galina Timchenko was ousted as editor of the World leaders may be cracking down on dissenting voices online – if ever there were a global trend, it’s that the revolution will be tweeted, and then restricted – but research shows there are reasons to be very optimistic about the future of internet freedom.
Russian news site Lenta.ru, after publishing an interview with a right wing According to Freedom House (pdf), 24 nations have added new laws or regulations that restrict online speech since May 2012. Three years after the Arab Spring began in earnest, and a quarter century after he invented the world wide web, the foundation of Tim Berners-Lee has found that “targeted blocking and filtering of politically sensitive Web content by governments is also on the rise across the globe”.
Ukrainian nationalist. She was replaced with an editor much more friendly Indeed, governments are becoming more clever about how to restrict speech in cyberspace, using laws against cybercrime, blasphemy or terrorism. But in a remarkably short period of time, people around the world have embraced the idea of an internet free from censorship. A new report here from the Pew Research Center shows that majorities in 22 of 24 emerging and developing nations from across the globe say it is important that people have access to the internet without government censorship. This includes solid majorities in Putin’s Russia (63%) and Erdogan’s Turkey (58%). And in Maduro’s Venezuela, a stunning 89% oppose internet censorship.
toward Putin and his allies. The websites of opposition leaders Garry Kasparov The data also show why autocrats might have reason to fear open discussions in cyberspace. Internet usage, participation in social networking and support for internet freedom are generally more common among young people, the college educated and those with higher incomes – exactly the groups who are often at the forefront of protest movements and political change. For example, when Hosni Mubarak fell from power in 2011, only 23% of Egyptians said they were getting news and information about the political situation in their country via social networking – however, among college-educated Egyptians the number was 67%.
and Alexei Navalny have also been targeted, along with other sites critical of Overall, there is a strong relationship between internet adoption and support for internet freedom: the higher the percentage of people online in a given country, the greater the opposition to censorship.
the Russian president. Among the emerging and developing nations we surveyed in 2013, support for an uncensored internet is high in places like Chile and Argentina, where roughly two-thirds of the population goes online; meanwhile, it’s relatively low in countries such as Pakistan, Uganda and Indonesia, where internet penetration remains limited.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the embattled Turkish prime Our research shows that once people get access to the internet, they quickly begin incorporating it into their lives. In 19 of 22 nations we polled, half or more of internet users said they go online daily. The data on views about censorship suggest that people not only begin to include the internet in their daily lives, they also bring it into their political thinking, and make free expression on the internet a political priority, just like other civil liberties.
minister, recently pushed new censorship legislation through parliament, making Speaking in 2010, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton updated Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms by adding one for the 21st century: the freedom to connect – “the idea that governments should not prevent people from connecting to the internet, to websites, or to each other. The freedom to connect is like the freedom of assembly in cyberspace.”
it easier for the government to block web content – and now It may be a while before the freedom to connect trumps Roosevelt’s original four – freedom of expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. But the internet has already become an important public gathering place, and as access spreads to more and more people around the globe, it will become a central feature of politics nearly everywhere – not just a meme but a reality. Even Putin and Erdogan may not be able to shut down sites quickly enough.
Twitter is restricted across the country.
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has blocked
websites covering topics that might be a bit uncomfortable for his government,
such as skyrocketing inflation and anti-government protests.
World leaders may be cracking down on
dissenting voices online – if ever there were a global trend, it’s that the
revolution will be tweeted, and then restricted – but research shows there
are reasons to be very optimistic about the future of internet freedom.
According to Freedom House (pdf),
24 nations have added new laws or regulations that restrict online speech since
May 2012. Three years after the Arab Spring began in earnest, and a quarter
century after he invented the world wide web, the foundation of Tim Berners-Lee
has
found that “targeted blocking and filtering of politically sensitive Web
content by governments is also on the rise across the globe”.
Indeed, governments are becoming more
clever about how to restrict speech in cyberspace, using laws against
cybercrime, blasphemy or terrorism. But in a remarkably short period of time,
people around the world have embraced the idea of an internet free from
censorship. A
new report here from the Pew Research Center shows that majorities in 22 of
24 emerging and developing nations from across the globe say it is important
that people have access to the internet without government censorship. This
includes solid majorities in Putin’s Russia (63%) and Erdogan’s Turkey (58%).
And in Maduro’s Venezuela, a stunning 89% oppose internet censorship.
The data also show why autocrats might have
reason to fear open discussions in cyberspace. Internet usage, participation in
social networking and support for internet freedom are generally more common
among young people, the college educated and those with higher incomes – exactly the groups who are often at the forefront
of protest movements and political change. For example, when Hosni Mubarak fell from power in 2011, only 23%
of Egyptians said they were getting news and information about the
political situation in their country via social networking – however, among
college-educated Egyptians the number was 67%.
Overall, there is a strong relationship
between internet adoption and support for internet freedom: the higher the
percentage of people online in a given country, the greater the opposition to
censorship.
Among the emerging and developing nations
we surveyed in 2013, support for an uncensored internet is high in places like
Chile and Argentina, where roughly two-thirds of the population goes online;
meanwhile, it’s relatively low in countries such as Pakistan, Uganda and
Indonesia, where internet penetration remains limited.
Our research shows that once people get
access to the internet, they quickly begin incorporating it into their lives.
In 19 of 22 nations we polled, half or more of internet users said they go
online daily. The data on views about censorship suggest that people not only
begin to include the internet in their daily lives, they also bring it into their
political thinking, and make free expression on the internet a political
priority, just like other civil liberties.
Speaking in 2010, former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton updated Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms by adding
one for the 21st century: the freedom to connect – “the idea that
governments should not prevent people from connecting to the internet, to
websites, or to each other. The freedom to connect is like the freedom of
assembly in cyberspace.”
It may be a while before the freedom to
connect trumps Roosevelt’s original four – freedom of expression, freedom of
worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. But the internet has already
become an important public gathering place, and as access spreads to more and
more people around the globe, it will become a central feature of politics
nearly everywhere – not just a meme but a reality. Even Putin and Erdogan may
not be able to shut down sites quickly enough.