Censorship on the Internet

Least Access to Most Access:
Cuba: Most of Cuba's population does not have access to the Internet. Those that do are under much control and surveillance. The government has banned all private internet connections. Cubans must use public access points that are easier to monitor. Secondly, their is software that alerts the government when "subversive" keywords are typed. It is also made sure that political enemies and independent journalists do not have internet access to publish. There is severe punishment in Cuba for accessing the internet illegally or publishing anti-government content.

China: The Chinese government blocks all websites that are anti-government, media sites with unregulated content, sites related to Taiwan, and sites with obscenity, pornography, and criminal activity. At least 18,000 websites are blocked in mainland China.

Saudi Arabia: All internet traffic is directed to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology where it is filtered. Blocked sites include those that contain immoral content, and those based on directions from the Ministry of Interior. These, obviously, include anti-government sites.

Brazil: Brazil prohibits the anonymity of journalists, forbids freedom of expression, and blocks sites that are racist or offensive.

France: French internet users that illegally download copyrighted material have their internet disconnected. There is also a blacklist of sites with child pornography which service providers will have to block.

Germany: Germany is in the process of building a system for censorship, especially of sites involving child pornography

India: India has blocked approximately 17 sites, mostly pertaining to separatist groups, and defamatory content.

Japan: Japan uses filtering software to remove information it deems harmful.

United States: There are few sites blocked in the United States, although some schools and libraries use filtering software to block sites inappropriate for children.

The intent behind these restrictions is to limit repercussions against the government, especially when they oppress people. If people are forbidden from discussing the oppression of the government, then they will not know who agrees with them and will not be able to organize some sort of uprising against the government. By restricting people's access to the government, the government only gains more control over them and their lives. These restrictions, however, can also be helpful in preventing the exploitation of children, or from letting them see inappropriate content. I think that in most cases, the restrictions will work. People will be too afraid to stand up against the government, especially if there are very strict punishments (years in jail, etc.), and they have been oppressed by the government for years.