Censorship and internet control: Beginners guide

This unlimited access to information without any restrictions empowers individual internet users to rely on the internet even more with each passing day. However, one huge problem threatens to ruin what is otherwise an idealistic picture – censorship.

Censorship is one of the very real threats that can directly disturb the open nature of the internet and limit this free market of ideas. While censorship might be seemingly unnoticeable in many countries, citizens in some regions do not get the same access rights.

People living under repressive or restrictive regimes could not have the chance to get access to independent news providers. As noted by The New York Times, many attempts to censor or restrict access to the internet have political reasons behind them. Governments could manipulate access and distribution of information to silence citizens while claiming to protect national security.

Who can impose censorship?

When it comes to who can censor or limit access to the internet, there are several entities.

Government censorship

Countries with autocratic governments often enforce censorship on the internet to stifle dissent. Governmental censorship is the most obvious type of censorship, and it is put in place by the country’s government.

The best example of how governments censor the web is in China. The country’s ruling party has established an internet police force that enforces a nationwide censorship system. China’s Great Firewall blacklisting system blocked thousands of apps, social network platforms, and websites.

This Chinese censoring system blocks access to all western messaging apps, news sources, social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Violating government censorship could result in jail time.

Corporate censorship

Companies also might censor your internet access at the behest of a government authority. Internet companies are known to censor access, throttle connections, block websites, etc.

On the other hand, social media companies are also censoring users by filtering posts and messages containing sensitive keywords. Corporate censorship refers to limited access to the marketplace, monetary loss, or threatening staff with termination.

Net neutrality

According to net neutrality principles, all people should have the right to use apps and websites and receive equal treatment in terms of access. It also means that there should be no prioritization when it comes to the way certain services work. For example, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should be able to separate your traffic into fast or slow lanes: everything should work the same. However, in countries that do not enforce net neutrality, there is a lot of prioritization happening.

Targets of Censorship

In countries with autocratic regimes, the most common targets of censorship are websites or services that contain opposing political stands and views. Notably, news sources and social media are the most frequent targets of state-sponsored online censorship.

The same goes for the most popular apps like WhatsApp that have been blocked in countries like Brazil, Turkey, and China. Censorship can also target entire organizations, events, and people, including communication tools like Snapchat or Facebook. Additionally, governments could also decide which games are appropriate for their citizens. China has actually blocked many video games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, PUBG, and Battlefield 4.

How to Protect Yourself Against Online Censorship

Recent events show that many attempts to censor or restrict internet access might happen unexpectedly. Thus, you will likely need to have certain protections beforehand. However, depending on the situation, some tips could help mitigate such incidents. If restrictions prevent the use of specific apps, a VPN could work. A Virtual Private Network reroutes your traffic through remote servers located all across the map. Thus, by connecting to a server in Italy, you will receive content as if you are currently there. This trick helps to bypass certain blocks that might prevent the use of apps or visits to websites. You can also use the Tor browser, proxies, or mesh networks when governments implement internet shutdowns.

Conclusion

The internet is a beautiful thing that allows you to quickly find everything you need, from entertainment to work, in a personalized manner. However, with the web becoming more and more important for every aspect of our daily lives, there are certain things people should know before they start using the internet.

Each interaction you make online generates data that can be used against you at some point. By becoming aware of this, you increase your chances of doing something about it. The censorship is real, but there are ways to fight it.

*This is a featured post.