Global media watchdog organization Reporters Without Borders has released its annual list of “Enemies of the Internet,” highlighting countries that restrict online freedom of expression.
The list‘s release coincides with World Day Against Cyber Censorship, March 12, a day the organization started in 2008 to rally the world behind an open Internet.
The list includes 12 “Internet Enemies” and 14 “countries under surveillance.”
The Arab Spring, the social media-fueled protests that swept across the Arab world since December 2010, has led some countries to stiffen their Internet restrictions while others have loosened their controls.
“The Internet and social networks have been conclusively established as tools for protest, campaigning and circulating information, and as vehicles for freedom,” the report says. “More than ever before, online freedom of expression is now a major foreign and domestic policy issue.”
Following a revolution ousting dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya — in previous years considered an Internet Enemy — has been removed from both lists.
Two countries, Bahrain and Belarus, have been moved from the “under surveillance” category into “Internet Enemies.” Over the last year, Bahrain restricted Internet access during protests and Belarus placed limitationson visiting foreign websites.
The other 10 countries on the Internet Enemies list are Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The 14 under surveillance are Australia, Egypt, Eritrea, France, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
France’s spot on the list is of interest, considering Reporters Without Borders is a French NGO. According to the report, France requires surveillance because of a filtering law and a law that allows Internet access to be cut off from people who illegally download content.
Australia, the other surprise country under surveillance, is on the list because of its national filtering system, which restricts access to child pornography sites and other domains deemed inappropriate.
What do you think of the list? Are their any other countries Reporters Without Borders should have included?
2011′s Notable Social Media Uprisings
A 26-year-old Tunisian vegetable vendor set himself on fire Dec. 17, 2010 after police stole produce from his stand. The suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi, a college graduate unable to find work within his field of study, triggered a revolution in his home country that spread across the Arab world.
Young Tunisians began organizing on Facebook and Twitter-- with Bouazi as their role model -- protesting the oppressive regime of the country's 23-year President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
On Jan. 14, Ben Ali fled the Tunisia, seeking refuge in Saudi Arabia. His exit triggered similar movements across the region, from Western Sahara to Iran, the most noteworthy of which are highlighted on coming slides.
Though the social media-organized protests in Egypt were not as peaceful as the ones in Tunisia, they successfully led to the ousting of a dictator, Hosni Mubarak. The movement began on Jan. 25 (spurring popular Twitter hashtag #Jan25) and lasted until Feb. 11, when Mubarak finally agreed to step down.
Given the clear roll of digital tools in the protests, authorities blocked Twitter, and then eventually theInternet and SMS, in attempts to quell organizing. When the networking sites were available, citizens shared images of their experiences with the world through YouTube and Flickr.
Once Mubarak resigned, Egyptians took to YouTube and Twitter to share their reactions.
Protests against Bahraini King Hamad began Feb. 14. Four days later, and no doubt in response to the web's power as a mobilizer, authorities restricted the Internet.
Citizens filmed the funeral of a protester, uploading the footage to YouTube immediately. Despite efforts to overthrow the Sunni King in the mostly Shi'a country, the regime remains in tact.
Protests in Libya began around Feb. 17. Authorities shut down the Internet a few days later, hoping to stop rebel forces from organized use of social media. Violence escalated as former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi launched a war against the rebel forces.
Following months of brutality, Twitter rumors said Gaddafi had left Libya. Two months later, photos of the dead leader circulated on Twitter.
Ultimately, the end to the war was announced on Facebook by NATO commander Admiral James Stavridis in late October.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Ammar Abd Rabbo
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