Internet censorship

Internet censorship is censorship of the internet. In some cases, websites censor certain information. In other cases, governments censor entire websites, so nobody in the country can visit them.

The degree of Internet censorship varies between countries

Google is known for changing its search results to censor information. As more people use the Internet, online censorship has worsened, using increasingly sophisticated techniques.

Around the world

The motives, scope, and effectiveness of Internet censorship vary widely from country to country. Most countries with government-ordered censorship are located in east Asia, central Asia, and the MENA: Middle East & North Africa.

Democracies typically have moderate censorship, allowing citizens to access information and participate in public debates, but with some justified restrictions. (For example, a democracy might block websites which show child pornography.)

In contrast, totalitarian regimes severely limit Internet access. They do this for several reasons:

• To control the information people get
• To prevent people from seeing content that criticizes the government
• To restrict communication
• To prevent debates on political and social issues (especially during critical events like elections or protests)

Internet censorship and surveillance by country (2018)^[1][2]

Pervasive: Large and broad   Substantial: Medium   Selective: Small and specific

Little or no   Not classified / no data

Related pages

• Censorship
• Censorship by Google
• Censorship of YouTube
• Websites blocked in China