And then they came for us

Bobbie Johnson, Guardian Comment is Free, November 14:

The suppression of online information is fast becoming a crucial political question, with China now the world’s second largest country on the internet population, and expected to overtake America within just a few years.

As a result of such growth and success, Beijing is now setting the standard for dozens of countries around the world who are following suit and heavily censoring the internet – Saudi Arabia, Iran, Vietnam, Syria, and (as we saw recently) Burma.

What happens to the web when its most powerful group of users live under a regime that keeps them blinkered?

Somebody needs to take a stand. But if Silicon Valley’s finest are happy to pocket profits from repression, and China’s internet elite are unable or unwilling to help, who will fight for us?

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

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