Let's start this text with a challenge: would you be able to work or study without relying on the internet? What if you had a connection, but were dependent on the government to know what you can and cannot access? In the middle of the 21st century it seems hard to believe, but this is the reality of many countries around the world.

It is precisely to fight censorship on the internet that the NGO Reporters Without Borders created the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, which aims to raise public awareness about freedom of expression on the network. Want to understand more about it? Keep reading!

What is the World Day Against Cyber Censorship?

Celebrated on March 12, World Day Against Cyber Censorship was created in 2009 by the NGO Reporters Without Borders. The organization, founded in 1985 in France, is dedicated to the defense of press freedom and the right of citizens to express themselves.

For the NGO, all 4.6 billion Internet users should have the right to be informed, whether receiving or sending data that circulates on the web.

Despite having a special day for awareness, Reporters Without Borders runs campaigns throughout the year to alert the population to free internet access, in addition to receiving complaints about countries that use the ban as a way of controlling power, for example.

The countries that censor the most

According to a survey carried out by Reporters Without Borders, China, Iran, Bahrain and North Vietnam are some of the countries that restrict citizens' access to the internet. Even more radical, Eritrea, Turkey, Thailand and Ukraine completely censor the information. Find out now the facts about censorship in these countries that will surprise you: 

China 

China has the most sophisticated censorship apparatus in the world. The Golden Shield Project, popularly known as China's Great Firewall, prohibits Chinese users from accessing foreign search engines, news sites and social networks. Google tools like Maps, Translator and Drive do not work in the country, as well as the social networks Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and Youtube.

Russia 

Russia's "sovereign internet" law went into effect in 2019, which gives power to the government to stop Internet access for the population when they judge it’s necessary. More recently, earlier this year, the Telecommunications regulatory dept. in the country announced that Russia will apply fines on major social networks for encouraging young people to speak out against the government.

North Korea

In North Korea the population is prohibited from accessing the internet freely. The country has only two registered sites, the Official Computing Center and the official government portal. The internet connection is only released to some elite government participants.

Eritrea

Eritrea is the place where the press is most censored, as the government has absolute control over all media. In the country, less than 1% of the population has access to the internet and only 5% of citizens have a cell phone.

Iran

In Iran, government officials restrict internet activity when they think it’s necessary. The country's National Cyberspace Council has banned citizens from accessing major social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, WhatsApp and Telegram.

We need to support this cause to ensure that censorship decreases, and above all, does not increase around the world. Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if internet access was restricted?

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