Blog 8: Internet anti censorship tools

This article was detailed by James Ball writer for the Washington post. The article is on Internet anti-censorship tools and the approval as well as the disapproval of such around the world. Internet anti-censorship tools funded by the United States are gaining more and more popularity around the world, especially in what are labeled as repressive countries. Research shows that more than one million people a day worldwide are using the United States funded tools to get past government blocking programs. However, these tools are being overwhelmed by demand around the world and frankly there is not enough money to expand these tools. This results in these tools being slow and sometimes not accessed by users in China, Iran, etc.  Every time more funding is given and the program is expanded the problem is fixed for a time and then inevitably moves back to capacity. About 30 million a year is spent by the United States on Internet freedom attempting to create a war against countries that spend billions on Internet regulation tools. The Internet anti censorship programs have been supported by President Obama and were promoted three years ago at a meeting in Shanghai. The United States government as well as non-profit groups fund the development of software that can be downloaded by users in countries that have Internet censorship. Despite this however, the act of Internet freedom around the world has become increasingly harder. It is detailed that China’s “Great Firewall” has become more sophisticated and complex over the years. Advancing plans for Internet censorship have taken flight in Iran as well banning overseas audio and videos. These facts have made it increasingly harder for the Obama administration and the United States government to attempt to provide these tools and rectify this lack of freedom.

            A countries government has no right to withhold and censor information from its citizens. By censoring the information that the citizens have access to it is to say that these people do not have the mental capability to handle the information. It should be seen as an insult. The citizens of these repressive countries should not be denied the right to access important information and knowledge around the world. In this day and age technology and namely the Internet are becoming increasingly popular and provide more and more information to the general public. Knowing what’s going on around the world is accessed with the click of a button during this technology era and the fact that some people do not have that right is unfair. The government officials of these countries withhold information and censor the Internet because they know that knowledge is power and they do not want the people to have that power. Also they withhold this because they don’t want their citizens to get ideas by seeing the freedom around the world. This is not right, everyone should have an equal right to gain knowledge no matter where they live.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/online-tools-to-skirt-internet-censorship-overwhelmed-by-demand/2012/10/21/390457a2-082d-11e2-858a-5311df86ab04_story.html