PH not (yet) on enemies of the Internet list

Now, for some good news for Filipino netizens.

Despite worries about attempts to clamp down on their right to free speech, they dont have to deal with some really brazen, even shameless, forms of Internet censorship.

In fact, the Philippines is not on the list of the worlds notorious Enemies of the Internet compiled by a prominent international journalism organization.

Well, at least, not yet.

The list is in the Enemies of the Internet report by Reporters Without Borders and includes countries like China, Tunisia, Somalia, Bangladesh and even the U.S. where the government data-gathering operation was exposed last year.

Filipinos are wrestling with politicians who are trying to use an anti-cybercrime law as a way to intimidate them. Netizens of other nation face bigger problems.

Reporters Without Borders offers some stunning examples.

Take Chinas efforts to help Iran create a national version of the Internet that would be disconnected from the World Wide Web and under the governments complete control.

In Syria and Iran, according to the report, Internet speed is often reduced drastically during demonstrations to prevent the circulation of images of the protests.

Some cases border on the ridiculous, the report continues. In Somalia, for example, the Islamist militia Al-Shabaab banned using the Internet in January 2014. As it did not have the required skills or technical ability to disconnect the Internet, it ordered [service providers] to terminate their services within 15 days. Ironically, to ensure that the public knew of the ban, it was posted on websites sympathetic to Al-Shabaab.

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PH not (yet) on enemies of the Internet list