Research from the University of Toronto's
OpenNet Initiative forms the core of recent
Financial Times feature on Internet censorship by governments.
The OpenNet Initiative--a collaborative partnership of the
Citizen Lab at University of Toronto, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and the SecDev Group in Ottawa--tracks Internet censorship around the world. Directed and founded by University of Toronto's Ron Dibert, the OpenNet Initiative is a world leader on Internet censorship research.
"The OpenNet Initiative lists 18 countries in which it has found evidence of actual or suspected political censorship online, ranging from 'pervasive' in countries like China, Vietnam and Iran to 'substantial' (Libya, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia) and 'selective' (Pakistan, Thailand and Azerbaijan.) More than 30 states filter for social reasons, blocking content related to things like sex, gambling and illegal drugs. Most Middle Eastern countries are identified as 'pervasive' social censors; China, Burma and Thailand are among the 'substantial.' The US, the UK and many European states apply it 'selectively.'"
"People will now see that there's a global battle going on over the future of the Internet," says Ron Deibert of the University of Toronto and a founder of the OpenNet Initiative, which tracks global censorship."
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Financial Times