Reporters Without Borders released its latest “Enemies of the Internet” list on Monday. Enemies are defined as “counties that severely curtail freedom of expression on and access to the web”.
Bahrain is one of the newest members of this infamous list due to a news blackout and harassment of bloggers. This country had also been previously under surveillance due to its anti-internet actions.
One country that has actually been removed from the list is Libya due to the end of Moammar Gadhafi’s repressive rule.
A few countries are listed under surveillance that may come as a surprise. While not nearly as dangerous as counties listed as an enemy, countries listed under surveillance still must be kept under close watch. These surprises include Australia and France.
Australia is listed for persuading internet service providers to create a national content-filtering system. Reporters Without Borders is concerned that the filtering criteria for this system may be too broad.
France is listed for passing a law that punishes people who illegally download content by stripping them of their internet.
This is the first time I have heard of the “Enemies of the Internet” list and it seems to be a good idea as long as those who compile the list are unbiased and fair in their judgements.
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