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The internet lets most of us share information openly. Using a simple blog, or a social media website, anyone can speak to a massive audience, instantly. The internet is responsible for spreading revolutionary thoughts and ideas across geographic and cultural boundaries in many parts of the world. But not all netizens benefit from this cross-border freedom of information; some countries actively censor the web to prevent it, placing filters and firewalls in the way.
Depending on where you live, free and open access to the information and entertainment found on the internet might seem like more of a right than a privilege. But for folks who live in some of the world’s more restrictive societies, some or even most of the internet remains tantalizingly out of reach, blocked by […]
North Korea — known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) — is a secretive and unpredictable place. Its 25 million residents live in a completely isolated environment, where information is tightly controlled by the state. And its citizens cannot enjoy simple things that we take for granted, from home-brewed alcohol to sarcasm. Most North Koreans are banned […]
Ever wonder why YouTube has such terrible comments? It seems like the commenting community is made up of the worst trolls on the Internet. They’re so bad, YouTube has been called “a comment disaster on an unprecedented scale.” But why YouTube? Lots of people watch videos online, and most of them aren’t jerks (we hope). […]
“Hacker” wasn’t always a pejorative term, and even today it may not mean exactly what you think. The term has a convoluted history, but its origins lie with some of the first computer programmers at MIT in the 1960s, who used it to label anyone who played around with computer programming software for the fun […]
Even though the World Wide Web is over 25 years old, we’re still in the Wild West of the Internet Age. An ever-expanding network of websites created by people all over the world, the World Wide Web is home to over a trillion gigabytes of data. The total number of websites online has just exceeded […]
In the Information Age, data is the new currency, and knowledge is power. And thanks to the Internet, we’re used to being able to access information at whim, quickly and easily — and for free. But throughout history, those in power have guarded their secrets closely. In the face of a movement towards more freedom of information, they work […]
When the World Wide Web was first proposed in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee, his vision was to create a decentralized network of information that was free and open for everyone to access. Today, Berners-Lee and many others are fighting to preserve the new age of freedom of information expression the web enables. At the same time, many […]
The invention of the Internet has sparked a new age of global unity. More than ever before, people around the world can connect with each other regardless of physical location. Millions of people are no longer limited by what knowledge is available in their local library, but can now access information on any topic, freely […]
Central to modern human experience is the free exchange of information throughout the world. Never has so much knowledge been at the fingertips of the average citizen, and while some stories that spread rapidly are fairly trivial, sometimes what’s being shared becomes deadly serious. The ability of a government to manage the information reaching its people is […]
There is continual tension between internet freedom fighters and those who attempt to censor the internet. Technology often evolves more quickly than government policy, meaning that blocks can sometimes be circumvented illegally. However, there are some countries — such as North Korea — where internet access is so limited, millions of citizens may not know it exists at all.
Not all forms of security are bad, though. All of us need to be smart about our approach to online privacy; filters and firewalls can be useful in helping us to achieve that. Sharing the intimate details of your life in public can be a recipe for disaster, particularly if your job involves working with young or vulnerable people. What’s more, we all want to ensure that sensitive data is not available to the wider world.
Censorship and privacy are complex, but they are concepts that every netizen has to get to grips with. We’ve collected some resources for web hosting customers, individuals, and businesses on how to navigate the complicated world of online security.
There are a lot of different aspects of censorship and security online.
Depending on the laws of your own country, you may be prevented from publishing certain types of content on the internet. However, something that is illegal in one territory may be legal somewhere else. The internet allows us to bend geographical boundaries to get around some of these restrictions.
If you run a business, you have a responsibility to secure data against online threats. In some countries, there may be large penalties for failing to respect data privacy. In fact, distributing certain types of information may be a criminal offence. These resources will equip you with the services and knowledge you need to protect customers’ data.
Computer security is a two-way street. On one side there are governments and other entities that want to stop the free flow of information that people need. On the other are individuals, governments, and businesses that have a real interest in keeping some information private. The resources here will teach you a lot about both kinds of security issues.
