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Twelve Countries That Restrict Speech On The Web

By Douglas MacMillan

For many people, the Internet offers a way to uncover news and information from around the world. Type a few words into Google. You can read up on the oligarchs of Russia, home-cooking recipes from Sweden, or political debates in Pakistan.

But not everywhere. Citizens of many countries have their use of the Internet restricted or blocked completely. News articles on sensitive political topics are spiked. Photos of protests disappear.

There are 12 countries that the Paris-based human rights group Reporters Without Borders deemed "Internet enemies" in a March report because of their Web policies. Some of the governments on the list have adopted strict laws and invested in sophisticated censors to limit Web use, while others rely on harsh punishments of online activists to discourage free speech on the Net.

This BusinessWeek slide show highlights recent examples of Internet repression in each of the 12 countries on the list.

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