Report: China holds seminars to teach other countries how
to restrict online speech
BY STEVEN MELENDEZ November 1, 2018
Internet freedom is in decline across much of the globe
as various governments crackdown on dissent and so-called fake news, according
to an annual report from Freedom House, a nonprofit that receives much of its
funding from the U.S. government.
Among the group’s observations:
China is not only continuing to restrict online speech
within its own borders, but also providing seminars and tours to delegations
from other countries, where it promotes its restrictive techniques and tools.
“While it is not always clear what transpires during such
seminars, a training for Vietnamese officials in April 2017 was followed in
2018 by the introduction of a cybersecurity law that closely mimics China’s own
law,” according to the report. “Increased activity by Chinese companies and officials
in Africa similarly preceded the passage of restrictive cybercrime and media
laws in Uganda and Tanzania over the past year.”
Other countries and multinational companies have
previously found a lucrative opportunity in exporting censorship tools.
The U.S. saw a decline in internet freedom as FCC net
neutrality rules were repealed and broad surveillance provisions were renewed
by Congress.
“Despite an online environment that remains vibrant,
diverse, and free, disinformation and hyperpartisan content continued to be of
pressing concern in the United States, particularly in the run-up to the 2018
midterm elections,” according to the report.
More countries are restricting online speech in the name
of combating “fake news.” The Philippines has proposed a law to criminalize the
malicious spread of fake news, countries including Bangladesh and Rwanda have
cracked down on live streamers and bloggers, and more countries are requiring
website operators and high-traffic social media accounts to register or receive
permits from the government.
Several countries are restricting VPNs and require that
citizen data be stored locally, reversing the international nature of the
internet. This trend is sometimes referred to as a growing “splinternet.”
On the bright side, Europe’s General Data Protection
Regulation is serving as a model for privacy regulations around the world.
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