Repressive regimes are taking full advantage of the net’s ability to censor and stifle reform and debate, reveals a report. Written by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) pressure group the report highlights the ways governments threaten the freedom of the press. The report has a section dedicated to the internet and the growing roster of nations censoring online life. This censorship is practised on every continent on Earth, said the report. Power play Although the internet is changing the way the media works as blogs, chat forums and social networking sites turn passive consumers into active critics, it is not just citizens who are taking advantage of its technological power warned the report. Julien Pain – who heads the internet freedom desk at the RSF and was one of the report’s authors, noted: ‘Everyone’s interested in the internet – especially dictators’. Mr Pain said the world’s dictators have not remained powerless in the face of the explosion of online content. By contrast, many have been ‘efficient and inventive’ in using the net to spy on citizens and censor debate. Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download […]