HEAVY CENSORSHIP IS USED BY COUNTRIES TO KEEP CITIZENS IN THE DARK ABOUT THE HORRIBLE THINGS THEIR GOVERNMENT DOES.
Censorship is all around us. It's in the movies we watch and the music we listen to. But some countries censor many more things, and for much darker purposes. The governments of these countries censor things that would reveal to their citizens the horrible thing the country does. In the new age of internet, this type of extreme censorship has worsened even more. A tool that was once thought to bring enlightenment and knowledge to these countries under dictatorship has instead been used to blind citizens further.
Some extreme censorship in countries can get rather ridiculous. The following is a video about censorship in the country of Turkmenistan.
The following is a list of countries that use the most heavy censorship, and the things they censor
North Korea- A country with no independent journalists, North Korea's government controls all domestic television, newspapers, and radio. Tragedies in this country, such as famines and poverty, are never mentioned.
China- The Chinese government blocks out and removes all stories of uprising, such as the Arab Spring or the Occupy Wall Street movement. These stories are likely banned to prevent people in China to be inspired to rise against China's oppressive communist rule.
Burma- All sites that expose this countries human rights violations, or disagree with the beliefs of the government, are blocked.
Saudi Arabia- Roughly 400,000 sites in this country are blocked, including all those that discuss religious, social, and political topics that go against their Islamic monarchy beliefs.
Vietnam- Websites critical of the Vietnamese government, as well as sites advocating for religious freedom, democracy, and human rights are blocked.
North Korea- A country with no independent journalists, North Korea's government controls all domestic television, newspapers, and radio. Tragedies in this country, such as famines and poverty, are never mentioned.
China- The Chinese government blocks out and removes all stories of uprising, such as the Arab Spring or the Occupy Wall Street movement. These stories are likely banned to prevent people in China to be inspired to rise against China's oppressive communist rule.
Burma- All sites that expose this countries human rights violations, or disagree with the beliefs of the government, are blocked.
Saudi Arabia- Roughly 400,000 sites in this country are blocked, including all those that discuss religious, social, and political topics that go against their Islamic monarchy beliefs.
Vietnam- Websites critical of the Vietnamese government, as well as sites advocating for religious freedom, democracy, and human rights are blocked.
The following is a great TED talk on how the internet is being used to further censor things in countries, thus enforcing their dictatorship.
Some people are finding a way to get around their country's censorship. For example, in China, citizens use intricate things such as Latin acronyms and proxy servers with shortened web addresses. They also avoid using certain number such as '4' and '6', as they are often associated with things such as the Tiananmen Square Tragedy, and are blocked.
This quote from Sasha Majette is a great way to summarize the relationships between governments and their censorship. "Governments that are more like dictatorships have begun to censor the internet and even manipulating it to shape the minds of their citizens in a way comparable to propaganda."
This project relates to Chapter 4 of Human Geography. This is because it deals with the diffusion of things such as the internet. It also involves government control over items such as television.
I chose this topic for my project because it was something that I was interested in learning more about. After doing this project, I have gained a lot of information over the subject, and my view on censorship has changed quite a bit, as I now know more of the things it is used for.
Works Cited
"10 Most Censored Countries." - Committee to Protect Journalists. N.p., 2 May 2012. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Clever Ways to Get around Chinese Censorship on the Net | Asia | DW.DE | 24.03.2010." DW.DE. N.p., 24 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 May 2014.
"Internet Censorship." The Impact. N.p., 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 May 2014.
Today, Usa. "Top 10 Internet-censored Countries." USA Today. Gannett, 05 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Turkmenistan Censors Video of President Falling From Horse." YouTube. YouTube, 2 May 2013. Web. 28 May 2014.
"How the Net Aids Dictatorships." Evgeny Morozov:. N.p., July 2009. Web. 28 May 2014.
"10 Most Censored Countries." - Committee to Protect Journalists. N.p., 2 May 2012. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Clever Ways to Get around Chinese Censorship on the Net | Asia | DW.DE | 24.03.2010." DW.DE. N.p., 24 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 May 2014.
"Internet Censorship." The Impact. N.p., 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 May 2014.
Today, Usa. "Top 10 Internet-censored Countries." USA Today. Gannett, 05 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Turkmenistan Censors Video of President Falling From Horse." YouTube. YouTube, 2 May 2013. Web. 28 May 2014.
"How the Net Aids Dictatorships." Evgeny Morozov:. N.p., July 2009. Web. 28 May 2014.