No one should ever be prevented from posting news online or writing a blog, but they are in the 13 countries singled out by Reporters Without Borders for a 24-hour online protest against Internet censorship. Worldwide, 61 people are currently in prisonfor posting "subversive" content on a blog or website. Reporters Without Borders is compiling a list of 13 countries whose governments are "Internet enemies" because they censor and block online content that criticises them. The Internet scares. Censors of every kind exploit its flaws and attack those who pin their hopes on it. Multinationals suchas Yahoo! cooperate with the Chinese government in filtering the Internet and trackingdown cyber-dissidents.
Everyone is invited to support this struggle by connecting to the Reporters Without Borders website between 11 a.m. (Paris time) on Tuesday, 7 November, and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 8 November. Each click will help to change the "Internet Black Holes" map and help to combat censorship. As many people as possible must participate so that this operation can be a success and have an impact on those governments that try to seal off what is meant to be a space where people can express themselves freely. Protests will also be staged by Reporters Without Borders bureaus around the world to condemn Internet censorship and ethical misconduct of the Internet giants when operating in one of these countries.
