Internet Clampdown: The Worst Offenders

Owning a modem in Myanmar will get you a 15 year prison sentence for "endangering the security of the state, national unity, culture, the national economy, and law and order." The nation's Internet is closely filtered and extensive slowdowns during times of unrest are frequent.

China

China claims to operate a "completely open" Internet but Reporters Without Borders calls the country "the world's biggest netizen prison," one in which its Internet censorship system is considered to be the world's most sophisticated. The "Department of Publicity" in China lists what what topics can get covered and how. Journalists and private citizens get thrown into jail for posting their opinions on the Internet.

Cuba

If you or a family member belong to the politic elite, then you enjoy unfettered Internet access. Otherwise, you live under a regime in which connections to the outside Internet are subject to censorship.

Cubans convicted of publishing "counter-revolutionary" articles on foreign-hosted websites are at risk of serving as many as 20 years in jail. If they connect illegally to an international Internet network, they also risk five years in jail. A planned underwater optical fiber cable linking Cuba to Venezuela is expected to go into operation in 2011.

Egypt

In the face of popular protests this past week, the government went to the extraordinary step of cutting Egyptians off from the Internet. This was only the most extreme manifestation of a long-running battle between the authorities and bloggers who have criticized Egypt's government for its human rights record.

Reporters Without Borders says that complaints against Internet journalists and bloggers average one each day. It says that Egyptian authorities troll Facebook, on the prowl for activists. Coincidentally, in order to use Wi-Fi, you must supply a real email address. Also, the nation's Telecommunications Law requires Internet service providers to supply the government with surveillance services and equipment.

The government also owns the main service provider, Telecom Egypt, a relationship that lets the state exert control over the international telecom interconnection facilities that provide the physical transport for the international Internet connections, according to MIT Internet expert, William Lehr.

Iran

In the aftermath of protests following the contested outcome of the 2009 Iranian presidential contest, the authorities blocked hundreds of thousands of web sites. That was made easier by the fact that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps run the company which controls censorship in the country. However, Iranian bloggers have taken to the Internet to express themselves in large numbers - OpenNet Initiative estimates the number of active blogs at around 60,000. For good reason, Iran's regime views the free flow of information as a potential threat to its existence. If there's another explosion of popular protest, the blogosphere may yet play a crucial role in organizing resistance to the authorities.

Connections to the Internet are slow while broadband is off limits for cyber cafes and homes. Iran's Cyber Crime Act of 2009 mandates prison terms of up to two years and a fine for anyone found guilty of "disseminating false information likely to agitate public opinion."

North Korea

North Korea's so poor that one might wonder whether most of the nation even knows there's such a thing called the Internet? Rest assured that the regime does. But access is limited to select members of the ruling clique as well as top military leaders. Academics, businessmen or civil servants who want to access what essentially is a very limited "Intranet," need special permission.

Saudi Arabia

Another Mideast country where Internet access is severely controlled. The House of Saud rules over one of the most conservative countries in the Middle East. About 38% of the population goes online. That makes for an interesting dynamic, especially when you consider that Saudi Arabia ranked as one of the world's "most repressive countries with regard to the Internet," according to Reporters Without Borders.

The kingdom prohibits access to websites that discuss religion and human rights. Owners of Web sites that support "terrorism" or "pornography" are subject to jail terms. Twitter pages of human rights activists have been blocked. Reflecting the limits of tolerance in this ultra-conservative nation, one blogger, Fouad Al-Farhan, was arrested after discussing the "advantages" and "disadvantages" of being a Muslim.

Syria

After he inherited the leadership of Syria after the death of his country, Bashar Assad raised hopes of liberalizers. But when it comes to the Internet, the Western-educated has moved slowly. Syria engages in centralized Internet surveillance through a couple of government bodies (the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment and the Syrian Information Organization) and still bans over 200 sites on the grounds of preventing religious discord and Israeli infiltration. (The list includes YouTube, Wikipedia's Arabic version, Amazon and Skype.) The regime has jailed bloggers and carries out regular raids of cybercafes. Reporters Without Borders says that Facebook was blocked after Syrians began to make friends with Israelis. Surfers have since turned to proxy servers to gain Internet access.

Tunisia

During more than two decades in power, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced from power earlier this month, extended his repressive policies to the Internet. Tunisia's 12 Internet access providers (both public and private) were under the regime's thumb. Filtering and censorship were common. It's still unclear whether the change in power will lead to looser rules.

Turkmenistan

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov came to power in 2007 promising reforms and truth be told, he is doing slightly better than his predecessor Neparmurad Nyazov, Turkmenistan, when it comes to the Internet. Under Nyazov, the country prohibited Internet cafes and home connections to the Web. Still, it's estimated that only 1% of the country's population has access to the Internet. Cybercafes are now allowed, but they remain scarce and relatively expensive. An ultra-censored version of the Internet nicknamed "the Turkmenet," exists and strict filtering prevents the viewing of opposition websites or publications critical of the regime.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's constitution guarantees free access to information. The truth, however, is that a grim landscape exists when it comes to free media or a free Internet. The government prevents opposition websites or independent news sites from publishing and the list of topics off limits for discussion range from criticism of government officials to human rights. Cybercafes, email and chat rooms are closely monitored.

In 2006, an online reporter by the name of Djamshid Karimov wound up in a psychiatric hospital after denouncing corruption. The fact that he was the President's nephew didn't make a difference. The takeaway here, in one respect, at least, all Uzbeks are judged equally before the law.

Vietnam

In the last decade, Internet use in Vietnam has soared - especially the use of cybercafes. But it's not a free ride: users are often required to detail the list of sites they accessed. Cyber-freedoms have flourished in the lead-up to the country's entry into the WTO but the regime began a takeover of the Internet in 2009. New measures have since passed handing out stiff penalties for anyone engaging in "hostile" behavior on the Internet. As such, Vietnam now ranks No. 2 behind China for the number of people behind bars for publishing writings on the Internet that the government finds objectionable.