Internet Censorship Around the Globe
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 government censors and their firewalls.
The majority of such Internet censorship is employed in the name of combating software piracy and other types of illegal file sharing (including torrents and file hosting sites such as New Zealand’s controversial Mega.co.nz). It’s interesting to note, however, that while such traffic is actively condemned by both governments and intellectual property advocates alike, corporations such as Netflix are using torrent activity to help them plan their own (legal) offerings.
Another justification for widespread censorship and monitoring of legal content (including torrents, political and social media, and yes, pornography) is state-enforced morality. Countries engaged in this sort of censorship often claim to be looking out for the welfare of their citizenry, but critics are quick to point out that the countries with the most censorship are often the same ones with a history of aggressively suppressing public protest or political unrest.
If you’re taking a trip around the world and plan on accessing the Internet (including basics such as email and social media) while you’re on the road, you may need to review and adjust your itinerary if it includes heavily-censored countries such as Eritrea, China, Somalia, or the famously secretive and regulated North Korea. Torrent users—even those who rely on the embattled tech to share legitimate, legal files—might find themselves out of luck no matter where they go.
It’s not just moral or intellectual outrage that’s driving censorship, of course. With the issue of Net Neutrality dominating news in the tech sector, the specter of another form of censorship—selective or restricted access based on corporate policies, as compared to government intervention—has reared its troubling head. Regardless of the form, it’s clear that equal and open access to the Internet is something no one can afford to take for granted any longer, and that the discussion of how much—if any—of the Internet can or should be censored will continue far into the future.
Internet Censorship World Map
The internet, and our freedom to use it as we please, is a contentious issue. Whereas access in some countries can be unrestricted for any materials its government deign legal, in others censorship ranges from governments blocking the dissemination of political opinion, to blacklisting pornographic and social media websites.
No evidence of censorship of legal content |
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‘Default On’ – content censored unless access requested |
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Limited access with blocks and monitoring on many sites |
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Access with heavy restrictions, censorship, and sanctions |
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No access |
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Country with heavy censorship |
Country Name |
Asia
Country |
Social Media |
Pornography |
Political Media |
Torrents |
Afghanistan |
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Armenia |
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Azerbaijan |
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Bahrain |
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Bangladesh |
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Burma |
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Cambodia |
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China |
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Cyprus |
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Gaza Strip |
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Georgia |
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India |
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Indonesia |
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Iran |
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Iraq |
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Israel |
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Japan |
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Jordan |
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Kazakhstan |
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Korea, North |
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Korea, South |
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Kuwait |
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Kyrgyzstan |
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Laos |
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Lebanon |
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Malaysia |
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Mongolia |
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Nepal |
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Oman |
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Pakistan |
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Philippines |
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Qatar |
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Saudi Arabia |
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Singapore |
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Sri Lanka |
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Syria |
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Tajikistan |
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Thailand |
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Tunisia |
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Turkmenistan |
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United Arab Emirates |
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Uzbekistan |
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Vietnam |
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Yemen |
Africa
Country |
Social Media |
Pornography |
Political Media |
Torrents |
Algeria |
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Angola |
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Egypt |
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Eritrea |
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Ethiopia |
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Gambia, The |
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Ghana |
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Kenya |
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Libya |
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Malawi |
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Mauritania |
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Morocco |
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Nigeria |
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Rwanda |
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South Africa |
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Sudan |
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Swaziland |
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Uganda |
North America
Country |
Social Media |
Pornography |
Political Media |
Torrents |
Bahamas, The |
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Canada |
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Cuba |
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Guatemala |
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Mexico |
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United States |
South America
Country |
Social Media |
Pornography |
Political Media |
Torrents |
Argentina |
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Brazil |
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Chile |
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Colombia |
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Ecuador |
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Paraguay |
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Peru |
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Venezuela |
Europe
Country |
Social Media |
Pornography |
Political Media |
Torrents |
Austria |
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Belarus |
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Belgium |
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Bulgaria |
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Croatia |
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Czech Republic |
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Denmark |
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Estonia |
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Finland |
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France |
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Germany |
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Greece |
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Hungary |
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Iceland |
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Ireland |
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Isle of Man |
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Italy |
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Latvia |
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Moldova |
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Netherlands |
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Norway |
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Poland |
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Portugal |
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Romania |
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Russia |
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Slovakia |
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Slovenia |
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Spain |
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Sweden |
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Switzerland |
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Turkey |
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Ukraine |
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United Kingdom |
Australia
Country |
Social Media |
Pornography |
Political Media |
Torrents |
Australia |
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Fiji |
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New Zealand |
Most democratic countries have little Internet censorship, mainly to control piracy. However, some countries limit access to information and suppress discussion among citizens, often in anticipation of elections, protests, and riots.
Freedom of the Internet is not a guarantee.
Sources
- List of Countries of the World – listofcuontriesoftheworld.com
- Era of Digital Mercenaries – surveillance.rsf.org
- Internet Censorship Listed – theguardian.com
- Burma (Myanmar) – opennet.net
- Freedom on the Net – freedomhouse.org
- New Internet Censorship Rules Take Effect in Gaza – jpost.com
- Freedom House Georgia – freedomhouse.org
- Internet Freedom Plummets in India – Indiarealtime
- Freedom House Indonesia – freedomhouse.org
- Freedom House Kazakhstan – freedomhouse.org
- Kazakhstan’s Social Networking Restrictions Spur Censorship Debate – washingtontimes.com
- North Korea: On the Net in World’s Most Secretive Nation – bbc.co.uk
- Net Freedom under Fire in Kyrgyzstan – netprophet.tol.org
- Freedom House Libya – freedomhouse.org
- Oman – opennet.net
- Syria – Reporters without Borders – en.rsf.org
- Syria – surveillance.rsf.org
- Internet Censorship in Dubai and the UAE – plenz.com
- New Study on Internet Censorship and Political Activism in Uzbekistan – techpresident.com
- Vietnam Announces Big Fines for Social Media ‘Propaganda’ – reuters.com
- Internet Filtering in Yemen – opennet.net
- Internet Censorship in Southeast Asian Countries – saigonist.com
- Freedom House Cambodia – freedomhouse.org
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wtf?! Greece has restrictions? I’m able to watch porn while downloading TB’s of games, movies, series, and trolling around FB. If be “restriction” you mean that if i upload a video of chlid pornography and get arrested, then then the rest of Europe is not free, it’s just medieval
February 23rd, 2014 at 1:44 am
Obsolete, verify your data !!
February 28th, 2014 at 3:56 am
In France, some of streaming-website are censored.
SEO prohibited by law.
The websites in question were indeed a lot of illegal content. But it is nevertheless an attack on freedom of the net to prohibit a search engine to censor a site.
February 28th, 2014 at 7:52 am
Verify your data please, im from Tunisia and after the revolution (since 2011) we dont have any censorship. All websites and all protocols work here ?
February 28th, 2014 at 9:54 am
FAIL!!! In Colombia NOT restricted the use of TORRENT. It is COMPLETELY LEGAL!
March 2nd, 2014 at 2:12 pm
and where is it VENEZUELA ?
March 2nd, 2014 at 2:42 pm