The worst countries for press freedom are expected to increase control of the Internet, says Paris-based RSF
Authoritarian governments are doubling down on press censorship and becoming more adept at blocking Internet access to uncensored news sources, according to the annual World Press Freedom Index that will be published on Thursday.
The report, from Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, saw many countries lose points this year as threats against reporters and press freedom increased. They included governments using national security as an excuse to track reporters and their sources; threats from para-military, organized crime and terrorist groups; government interference in the media, and reporters being targeted for covering demonstrations.
The five countries ranked highest for press freedom were all in Northern Europe, while the U.S. ranked 49th, down 3 places from last year, in part because of a crackdown on government whistle blowers under President Barack Obama.
Most of the bottom 20 countries saw their ratings fall after greater efforts to control free access to information.
"With complete control of the traditional media assured, reining in the Internet is the next big task," said the report.
China was said to be "a pioneer" in Internet censorship, after blocking access to all Google services during the last year and stamping out domestic coverage of the Occupy Central protests in Hong Kong and the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Iran continues to pursue a national intranet that will keep citizens off the global Internet, and it arrested people who were using messaging apps WhatsApp, Viber and Tango. In Cuba, Internet access remains difficult to obtain and expensive, the report said.
Some countries, including Kazakhstan, have taken to blocking or banning websites without the need for court orders, while Uzbekistan, Belarus, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have cracked down on bloggers.
The two bottom-ranked countries, North Korea and Eritrea, run censorship regimes that ensure citizens have virtually no access to free information.
See the original post:
More online censorship coming to closed countries, says report
- Russian Censorship: Tor, Anonymous VPNs Could Be Target Of Next Crackdown, MP Warns - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Russian Censorship: Tor, Anonymous VPNs Could Be Target Of Next Crackdown, Kremlin Warns - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Censorship is no way to hold a debate - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Irreverent: A Celebration of Censorship - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- New book retraces the idea of censorship - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Strike Against SOPA & PIPA - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Censorship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Sonam Kapoor: I Don't Believe In Censorship! Supports AIB roast! - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: Unnecessary Censorship #4 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- China 'great firewall' expands to step up Internet censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- DIRTY GUILD WARS 2: The Voice Cast - Unnecessary Censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Into the Fray Episode 47: NFL Censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Weekly Rewind "Feb 1st" Facebook Censorship? - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Street Fighter 3 2nd Impact CENSORED - Akuma's Defeat Portrait's Blood - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Inside WM: Is Censorship Ever Okay? - Ep. 3 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- China Targets Virtual Private Networks In Censorship Push - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Tricks to Beat Internet Censorship (On Assignment) - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Censorship and Anal Sex - Video Clip with Remi Newman - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Censorship and Graphic Content Warnings - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- KIDS vs. FOOD - Unnecessary Censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Christian Censorship of Truthiracy - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- FaceBook Censorship Video Featuring The M48 War Hammer - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Youtube Media Censorship - #NWO 134 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Listen To "Cyberspace Spirit," China's Anthem To Internet Censorship - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Facebook self-censorship: What happens to the posts you ... - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Unnecessary Censorship of a bunch of Cartoons! - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- DAT CENSORSHIP! - Let's Play Saints Row IV #3 (Playthrough) - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- The Rundown Live #414 Open Lines (Corruption,Waking Up,Censorship) - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Facebook To Implement Chinese Style Internet Censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Paris Fashion Week Debuts Butt Plugs in Reaction to Censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Facebook Censorship: What They're Not Telling You - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Best of Unnecessary Censorship Compilation by Jimmy Kimmel - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Censorship: When Truth Becomes a Casualty - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Ice Climber CENSORED - Yeti/Seal Enemy - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- FaceBook Censorship Video Featuring The M48 Tomahawk - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Censorship: The Story Telling Podcast #73 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Rape scene in Hotline Miami 2 and censorship - The Tara Show - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: Unnecessary Censorship #3 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Destiny Unnecessary Censorship - Censored Cutscenes - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- What's Cool in China? Censorship, Teenage Couples, Gay Guys - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- YOUR Thumbs UP Vanish! + Google Censorship...a Way Around It - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Zoom Censorship Examples 9-11 to Bosoms Version 2 - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Let's Play The Forest | Part 2 | Censorship! - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- INTEL Museum censorship - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Proxy Database - Access Restricted Information, Bypass Censorship! - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Criminal Girls Invite Only CENSORED - Punish/Motivate Time/Spanking - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Let's Try: Stay Dead Evolution: Nazi Censorship - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Loser Laowai on Censorship in China Part 1 - Video - February 14th, 2015 [February 14th, 2015]
- Censorship? - - Project Censored - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Censorship | American Civil Liberties Union - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Censorship Update: My channel is back! - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Alex Kidd In The Enchanted Castle CENSORED - Rock Paper Scissors - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Internet Censorship - Big Brother is Watching Everything - YouTube - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- What is Censorship? - Global Internet Liberty Campaign ... - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- GSC Owner Forces Censorship of Youtube Video - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Before It's News Lisa Haven Used To Be A Skeptic! (On Chrislam, Facebook Censorship, The Madhi) - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks CENSORED - Intro Cutscene/Movie - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Top Censored Gaming - Sexy Edition Vol. 1 - Best Video Game Censorship - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Soul Calibur CENSORED - Mitsurugi/Arthur Character - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 16th, 2015 [February 16th, 2015]
- Censorship Moments in Rooster Teeth - Video - February 17th, 2015 [February 17th, 2015]
- Chinas Internet Censorship Agency Has Its Own Anthem And We Translated It - Video - February 17th, 2015 [February 17th, 2015]
- Manga Censorship Discussion - Video - February 17th, 2015 [February 17th, 2015]
- Top Censored Covers - Gaming Box Art Vol. 1 - Best Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Cars 2 CENSORED - Intro Cutscene/Movie - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Tuff E Nuff CENSORED - Gameplay's Blood - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Carmageddon (PC) CENSORED - Pedestrians & Blood - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Carmageddon (PC) CENSORED - Intro Cutscene/Movie - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Carmageddon 64 CENSORED - Pedestrians & Blood - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Evil Zone CENSORED - Erel Plowse's Outfit - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Pilotwings 64 CENSORED -Turin Shroud's Jesus Christ Face/Everfrost Island - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- D2 CENSORED - Inro Cutscene/Movie - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Another World (Out Of This World) CENSORED - Nudity - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- D2 CENSORED - Jannie's Grandpa Boss/Tentacle - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- OBAMA WANTS INTERNET CENSORSHIP, START A NEW WAR, FORCIBLY VACCINATE YOU, AND SIGN THE TPP. - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Silent Hill CENSORED - Grey Child/Mumbler Enemies - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Mario Party CENSORED - Mini Games/Luigi & Wario Losing - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Breath Of Fire 4 CENSORED - Ursula Dropping Pants For Sailors - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Breath Of Fire 4 CENSORED - Fou-Lu Decapitating Emperor Soniel - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Resident Evil 2 CENSORED - Player Death Scenes/Animations - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]
- Crime Fighters CENSORED - Humping Skimpy Leather Enemy - Video Game Censorship - Video - February 18th, 2015 [February 18th, 2015]