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O
ne of the most important things that the
Internet has
fostered or strengthened
has been freedom of speech and
freedom of expression. The Internet is a very large
common public area that is shared by people all
around the world. Due to the diversity of the Net’s
users, no one standard
can be applied to govern
speech on the Net. Furthermore, the Internet technology itself prevents complete
blocking of access to information.
The Internet has helped to promote political freedom in many cases and
allowed protesters a way to express their discontent. In 1990,
the Internet
allowed Chinese dissidents to bypass government censorship and inform the
world Chinese community of the rebellion in Tiananmen Square and its tragic
outcome. Similarly in 1991, people both in the Soviet Union and around the
world were able to access eyewitness accounts of the attempted coup against
Mikhail Gorbachev in spite of an information blackout. During Iraq’s invasion of
Kuwait, Internet users got up-to-date information through
Internet connections
with Kuwait even though radio and television broadcasts had been cut off.
In the late 1990s, many countries became alarmed at the freedom of speech
accessible on the Internet and tried to restrict it. Singapore mandated that
political and religious sites must register with the government. China ordered
that all Internet users register with the police.
And Saudi Arabia restricted
Internet use to only universities and hospitals. However, due to the nature of the
Internet, none of these efforts has had much lasting effect.
