Blog censorship silences free speech around the world

November 7, 2008
Blog censorship silences free speech around the world

Internet censorship and surveillance are contentious issues around the world.

In Malaysia, blogging remains one of the few ways to exercise free speech, although the government has begun to crack down on sites and bloggers, blocking malaysia-today.net (since redirected) and jailing its publisher.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad joins his country’s bloggers in criticizing the government under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his chosen successor.

The EU recently criticized Turkey for its free speech violations, when the government blocked 850 sites, including Blogger and YouTube. The blockage of wordpress.com last August met a firestorm of criticism, as documented by “Global Voices” blogger Sami Ben Gharbia.

Australia is making headlines for its new Internet censorship legislation, which is being criticized by both bloggers and traditional journalists. Blogger “Stilgherrian” leads a discussion about the new laws that includes a direct reply from a member of Parliament defending the laws.

Egypt faces its own free speech struggles, as explored by a Worldfocus signature story and an interview with blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy, who claims that online free speech rights are severely limited by the government. He also started a debate at Flickr, where he feels his photos of Egyptian political demonstrations have been censored.

Bi Yantao of the “Fool’s Mountain” blog reports that China — perhaps the country most famous for Internet censorship and its “great firewall” — tightened its Internet censorship as the Beijing Olympics finished and foreigners left.

Fred Stopsky of “The Impudent Observor” shares a Finnish report stating that older Finns accept Internet censorship to prevent the spread of violence and “certain ideas.”

British blogger “Charlotte Gore” responds to member of Parliament Hazel Blears’ attack on political bloggers by insisting that “the blogosphere does not answer to the government.”

“DailyBits” provides a succinct top-ten rundown of Internet censorship, and the OpenNet Initiative provides in-depth tracking and analysis of Internet filtration and censorship around the globe.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user wolfcat_aus under a Creative Commons license.

For more Worldfocus coverage of Turkey, visit our extended coverage page: Turkey between East and West.

Tags: 21st century Africa, Australia, bloggers, Blogwatch, Canada, free speech, internet censorship, media censorship, Turkey, Turkey between East and West

Comments

14 comments

#14

02/25/2010 :: 08:51:23 AM
rasheed Says:

greerting to every one it is a bad image to nigeria,nobody knows how well our president his,and we have been in silent for this while i urge the united state of america president(barrack obama) to please saves us from this ask me how?we want to see the president in a life broadcasting it obvious something is wrong.

#13

02/18/2010 :: 09:12:59 PM
Carl A. Patton Says:

INTERNET FREEDOMS & THE WORLD
(By Carl A. Patton, 23 January 2010)

http://www.freedomjournalpress.com

carlapatton@comcast.net

Part 9: Apathy Vs. Hope Among The Poor

IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO BE REMOVED FROM THIS LIST PLEASE REPLY WITH REMOVE IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

Greetings Brethren,

Peace be unto you. Much of the world basks in a lowly sun that has no grounding in the Creation or the Creator as they see wicked and evil in things pure and simple. The people are often held in bondage as Niccol Machiavelli looks on as his quotes live on in their actions for example:
“Politics have no relation to morals.”
This is a fact of life for those that seek to control what people read and how they think? What does this attitude produce? This brings to mind another quote by Machiavelli:
“It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.”
The registration of fear that has to be controlled while love is unbridled and flows free as the rain is dangerous.

Also what of that intriguing man Voltaire and his thoughts on Free Speech? Voltaire was formally known as Francois-Marie Arouet. As the heart and soul of the 18th century Enlightenment he is remembered as a great crusader against tyranny and bigotry. With a World View that moved him to be a great critic of the Church he was also great champion of Free Speech. So when did morals take over from religious persuasion? What was the Church and was it the same as the Church established by Christ and the Apostles when Voltaire wrote? A look at the history of the church may give us some idea as to why Voltaire was so critical of those that controlled the Church in his day.

So for your thought and mediation from the Essay on Epic Poetry, 1727:
“Liberty of thought is the life of the soul.”

The Morality of Free Speech

Therefore Free Speech is not always exclusive to
those that see God. But is one’s speech limited
in not knowing God? Will man first embrace God
given rights and then abide by man and his laws?

Many beloved wander not knowing that many
things have already been fixed. Thus they know
not what God has to do with all things as they
are moved by the “Prince” and only see his kingdom.

There is no way for the Freedoms enjoyed over the
Internet in Cyberspace to be removed from the basic
Freedoms that embody the First Amendment to the
United States Constitution.

But many far off lands could care less about our
laws and the rights of citizens that God sanctioned
first. But does any man that believes that all people
should eat have God in them?

Did Machiavelli and Voltaire each have a relationship
with God and were lost as to the connection? Did all
come with parity on their minds? Did they only believe
in the Free Speech for the privileged?

The world has no exclusive hold on the denial of
Free Speech. Many challenge democracy as special
interests and big-headed men come to believe that only
what they believe should be protected.

Gone with the wind is the right to an opinion and
facts have little meaning in a dogmatic unpractical
world. Big Banks and Big Companies have more pledging
power and will back what Freedoms they believe they can,

Thrive on. The morals left to the greedy are those that
register the bonuses and compensations thus received
for doing an honest day’s work while on vacation
as high places allow low places to work for them.

So will man take up his God ordained right to talk?

Peace and Paradise,
Dr. Carl A. Patton writing for the FreedomJournal Press 29 January 2010 in the year of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

#12

11/05/2009 :: 11:25:47 AM
PromoPenCollector Says:

I can’t wait until censorship becomes a thing of the past. Did anyone see the blacklighter promo for freedom of press (www.promopencollector.com). I thought that was a great idea to get the world out about reporters’ rights.

#11

08/21/2009 :: 11:42:06 AM
Andri Vista Medina Says:

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS, While entrepreneurs in the business sector identify untapped commercial markets, and gather together the resources to break into those markets for profit, social entrepreneurs use the same skills to different effect. For social entrepreneurs, untapped markets are people or communities in need, who haven’t been reached by other initiatives. But while they may read from a different (triple) bottom line, social and business entrepreneurs have a lot in common. They build something out of nothing. They are ambitious to achieve. They marshal resources to meet their needs. They are constantly creative. And they are not afraid to make mistakes

#10

08/15/2009 :: 12:35:36 PM
Andri Vista Medina Says:

Indonesia’s economy is expected to grow between 4-5 percent this year in the face of weaker demand for its commodities, central bank governor Boediono told a parliamentary hearing on Thursday.The central bank’s forecast is in line with the government’s figure, although Boediono, a former economic co-ordinating minister, added that the downside risk was quite high.

“We still stick to the 4-5 percent economic growth forecast, while the downside risk is quite high,” Boediono said. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Jan. 15 that economic expansion in 2008 might have reached 6.2 percent.

When asked about the rupiah, Boediono said that Bank Indonesia (BI), the central bank, expects the currency to strengthen, with the exchange rate at 11,000 rupiah per dollar or stronger by the end of this year.

The rupiah (IDR) was quoted at around 11,800 per dollar on Thursday, down almost 7 percent so far this year.

06/22/2009 :: 10:08:05 PM
Carl A. Patton Says:

THE HOME, CHURCH, SCHOOL: IMPACT ON CHRISTIANITY
(Carl A. Patton 19 June 2009)
http://www.freedomjournalpress.com
Editors Note: We are still unable to Post the On-Line FreedomJournal. See our web pages: http://www.freedomjournalpress.com for updates and our on-going writing and teaching ministry. See our Web Pages for contact information.

Editors Note: Beloved we come feeling that the weak of mind feel threatened by information and knowledge, especially the keys to better understanding all that exists. Meanwhile those with heads and tails in the sand have a limited understanding of intellectual thought and action. We pity not Fools however we pray for the foolish and those with hearts and minds filled with simplicity that is as shallow and deep as frogs bottom.

Greetings Brethren,

In the name of God, Master of the Universe, Ruler of the earth

Peace be unto you. To the Church and believing Christians everywhere. To those that believe in the Bible as the supreme authority that governs all of humankind. In this we give thanks to God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit that leads and guides us the straightway.

Beloved stirred once more than once while we slumbered we became awake with a thought placed there by the power that has been sent to lead and guide us the straightway. There is no other way to go or went for the devout the righteous. However we also come in the flesh as did Paul asking for the prayers of the righteous as we also pray without ceasing giving thanks as we confess our faults seeking repentance.

So as the Spirit came upon us, as it is always there we heard these words. The home a place of training for all that liveth, as it is the first place they know. Then comes the school or the church house as these are the three basic institutions in the world, the society in which we live. All three have an impact of what a person comes to believe and know. However there is the general environment we see as a fourth component as it takes in all three institutions.

So as we ponder these sources of life for those that liveth what has become of the people? What then do these institutions have to say about Christianity which is the dominant religion in the Western Hemisphere?

WHERE HAS THE TRUTH GONE?

There is a way as the Spiritual Scientist liveth to see
where man is going and where he has been and talk
of those that went. Here as not to trivialize this discussion
is a basic way to look and ponder not only this but anything
that has impacted on human development.

John pondered this as he considered the sad state of
the belief in God and Christ and the willful disobedience
of the people. He was also amazed time and time again
at the wayward and cavalier attitude of those in the Church.
So he set out once more than once to cogitate, to mediate,

And investigate these questions. Something somewhere had
to be, not to blame but the cause and outcome of the refusal
to follow God’s laws His commandments. As to follow them
means love and Jesus Christ and God are the ultimate in
love messages for all that liveth. So we look, see and watch.

The theory of non-conformity (T=ss²) surely is upon us as this
is the key to all understanding not just the absence of true love in
the hearts and minds of many that walk and crawl the planet earth.
Meanwhile we salute mothers and fathers as they have a great responsibility
toward the development of the children they bring into the world.

So in the home the child the human being first has an opportunity
to see the Light of day. However homes absent of Christian love
go with the foul wind and not the Freedom of the Wind. There are
also homes where there is a tainted version of Christian love that
excludes some people and lifts up some that feel superior.

Meanwhile custom, tradition and the world has so penetrated
the hearts and minds of so many households that lessons in
Christianity are often shallow and filled with erroneous teaching
when there is any teaching at all. Thus the homes also miss the boat
as do the school house as prayer has been chased from the schools,

And religious freedoms have come under attack as Christian love
has never been a respecter of persons. Christianity has also never
sought to insult those that believe in other religions. But as morals,
principles and values take a back seat many things in the world take
on academic freedoms while freedom of religion is swept in a corner.

An outsider meanwhile thought that the Church would naturally take
up the slack and teach the reality of Jesus as the saving grace for all
of humankind. Count the church houses on many streets and they
often appear on almost every corner. However the church has failed the
people and has sent a disloyal message to God.

John now considered the environment and the peer pressure and
all the things that impacted on man as he ventured from the home,
school and church. Here was an even greater turmoil and often big
chaos as man and women just went. Materialism that had been a
great factor in the home and even in the church saturated the world,

Landscape and soaked up everything in sight. Many things thus that
contradicted the Wisdom of Solomon and the teachings of Jesus was
felt by many men and women, boys and little girls. There was no
firm foundation for the righteous as most that stood and prayed as
devout and fervent in their belief in God were frowned on.

Many genes of the crucifixion people were passed down through the
ages and Freedom of Religion came not to those who truly embrace
Christ although they are accused of being not in the Spirit. Meanwhile
those that try to rule and make-over God and Christ claim the Godly
preach and teach another Gospel.

But where has the Truth gone? Where has the Truth been? How can
you have Truth among unbelievers? Truth is found in those that are
obedient and loyal toward God’s laws. These laws are found in the
Bible. Man cannot make up his own laws and say they come from
God. The Salvation Road is a way of prayer and sacrifice.

Where there is no prayer and no sacrifice there is no real peace.
Also there is and will be no Peace and Paradise. Therefore the
saints of God relish in our free gift of salvation and the time we will
spend with Jesus in the third Heaven. Glory to God, Hallelujah.

Peace and Golden Paradise, Carl A. Patton a willing slave and servant of Almighty God and Christ Jesus writing for the FreedomJournal Press a God Fearing Free Press 19 June 2009 in the year of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

06/17/2009 :: 07:43:24 PM
Carl A. Patton Says:

FREEDOM OF RELIGION: NOT OLD, NEW OR CONTEMPORARY
(Carl A. Patton, 17 June 2009)
http://www.freedomjournalpress.com
carlapatton@comcast.net

Editors Note: We are still unable to Post the On-Line FreedomJournal. See our web pages: http://www.freedomjournalpress.com for updates and our on-going writing and teaching ministry.
WHO CAN HELP US TRACK THOSE THAT ARE TAMPERING WITH OUR EMAIL SERVER?

Greetings Brethren,

As the Spirit of God count the days we liveth we give thanks. As the Book is recorded with every deed every confession and non confession of the saints and the lost we pray. Many challenges to our God given right to live in peace and harmony with other human beings is forever here a reality. Thus we are grateful, for the Heavens declare the glory of God and His creation and in all He made we give thanks. For without the green of the field, the wild and tame of the forest and the wet of the rivers, creeks, Native American Springs, lakes, seas and oceans we would be forever lonely and without a friend.

Religion never saw a style or a time period. But what is religion? Do many people only believe that the religion they embrace is the one and only? Are there many roads to Heaven? Religion is the service and worship of God or the supernatural. It is also a devotion to a religious faith. Thus it is a belief in God or gods. Hence it is a system of religious beliefs. Meanwhile a religious person is one that is devoted to the divine he is thus fervent and zealous.

But religion is not defined as a particular religion. Therefore is Freedom of Religion the Freedom to worship any kind of religion that you choose to worship? We come embracing Christianity as it is one of the “Three Great Religions.” Judaism, Christianity and Islam in order of their origin all believe in the One God concept. However there is a transition from the first to the second as noted in the Bible. However we also as the Spirit guides us see a merger of the third religion with the one in the middle as Jesus Christ is the Savior of all of humankind.

FREEDOM IN THE WIND

Beloved Brethren I can see the first people that walked
and crawled the earth free in Jesus. Yes free to roam
and plant crops upon the land and fish in the waters of
the streams that came to nourish the land. Although some
were chosen to carry a message none were left out as we
see the Patriarchs and Jews and Gentiles.

Although the heathen gods sulked upon the land and idols
reeked black smoke as their altar fires died in the air the
religion of God Almighty the Father reigned supreme.
Eventually the days passed to the New Testament times
and the times of Jesus and the Gospels. However it still was
not new as this was the same religion that had been passed,

Down by the Great Prophets Jews and Gentiles to the saints of
God and eventually the door was widely opened with the
ascension of our Savior for all of humankind as the Gentiles
embraced Jews and Gentiles embraced Jews as all humankind
man and woman, boy and girl could now be saved based on the
blood of Jesus directed and guided by the Holy Spirit sent
back as our company keeper when He went back to the Father.

Looking back I can see John and the words of the righteous spell-binding
“Precious Lord Take My Hand,” comes to mind. The people have thus
fled oppression from Egypt, kidnapped from “The Land of the Blacks,”
as a Holocaust Black and White has come and went and to some
summer, fall, winter and spring will never end. Many songs were sung
in the hearts of the oppressed especially those that knew God.

But the world as the Book has warned with a fore meaning has come
to the head table. The wretched of the earth are still despised. As the poor
are left out the rich and poor forsake the commandments as the world of
beggars, paupers and land barons the executives of paradise lost and
gained die in infamous immorality as the wicked seek counsel with Fools
who frown and spit on Truth and God’s people.

However we testify again more than once that it is written that there
would be flesh and blood along the way to Peace and Paradise. The
strong will survive as there is strength in prayer. There is also a consolation
in the “Last and Final Day” and the Glorious Home-Going of the saints.
What do we have to look forward to? Beloved once more I see and feel
the breath and heart of the Wind.

This is the master of the universe the ruler of the earth. In this there
is an earthly reward while we look in the telescope toward our
future as the confirmed destiny of the all the earth is realized as
good in those that truly accept the Gospel. The hate burned not my heart
as I was able to bear witness to our prayer for our enemies and those
that stood as blessing missionaries in unconscious slander.

We thus will forever pray for the Peace of God.
We cherish the salute of Jesus our Savior, Peace be unto you.
Thus we pray with an everlasting testimony of love that
is a part of our every existence as we liveth. Hallelujah, Glory to God.

Peace and Golden Paradise, Carl A. Patton a willing slave and servant of Almighty God and Christ Jesus writing for the FreedomJournal Press a God Fearing Free Press 17 June 2009 in the year of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

http://www.freeedomjounralpress.com

06/17/2009 :: 07:42:38 PM
Carl A. Patton Says:

UPDATE FREEDOMJOURNAL PRESS 16 JUNE 2009

IS THE POSTING OF THE ON-LINE FREEDOMJOURNAL SUSPENDED, DETAINED, CENSURED, POSTPONED OR BLESSED?

In the meantime see our Web Pages for updates on our on-going articles on ProVerse and the Bible: http://www.freedomjournalpress.com
carlpatton@freedomjpress.com

Greetings Brethren,

Peace be unto you. It is written it is documented that the FreedomJournal and this writer has experienced an on-going challenge to our God given right to Free Speech, Free Expression since we came to write seriously about the life and times of God’s people. Our first encounter came in an academic setting during the first challenge to our academic freedoms in 1971 as a graduate student. However recently as we changed Internet service providers to hopefully be able to post our On-Line Journal we were moved to remove all writings on our Historic Censorship from our web pages found at: http://www.freedomjournalpress.com . Why did we do this? Yes, why would we remove several hundred pages on our Historic Struggle with Censorship since 1971?

We find no peace or comfort brethren in documenting all aspects of Censorship. We would much rather be involved in our on-going study of scripture and the new series we hope to post on “The Power and Miracle of Prayer. “

Meanwhile we report that we have had serious affronts to our posting of the On-Line FreedomJournal since February 2009. But with the change of Internet Service Providers we still experience problems. As of now we cannot send out our Journal. Are these problems insurmountable technical problems? Since signing on to a new service we have struggled since 4 June 2009 to correct any technical problems that we may have but we still cannot post the FreedomJournal. Something seems to be blocking our email messages that are sent to multiple addresses.

FEATHER WEIGHTS FLOAT IN A DYING DEADLY SEA

We come commissioned and called to look out upon
the landscape inspired to see what God will have us
to see. Beloved just what do we see this time? Can we
see rain? Can we see sunshine? Can we see the tears of
the righteous as they cry out for the unrighteous that fall
deeper into the holes and ditches that turn to valleys they
attempt to dig for the righteous.

I come also boldly proclaiming the messages from the Spiritual
Scientist we have previously written about and the theory
of non-conformity T=ss² that renders a revolutionary way to
look at good and bad, right and wrong and in this the three
Heavens are seen. This also renders us the distinction between the
haves and the have-nots. Here though we speak not of material
things as money is nothing in the walk the ride over.

The haves are those that know God, surely the have not’s are
those lost as feather weights upon a dead sea that floats among
the dung that will never sink but take down the lost who believe
that there exists a paradise that is manmade and one that can be
bought. Those that tamper with the earth paradise are frowned on
and many that believe that they have power attempt any manner
of things toward their demise.

But we know that God is in control. Nothing will befall us or fall
upon the wise head that seeks not the Fool that Proverbs and the
Wisdom Book speaks of but to know God is wisdom and to seek
otherwise is the way of a Fool. Thus we come detained, for a reason.
We come suspended because God wants to tell us something else. We come
Censured because God has a blessing for us in our so-called misery. Thus
for sure as we readeth the Word we see a blessing for those in His service.

Bless, Bless, Bless the wise as the foolhardy count up things never
realized. There is no heart monitor in the Godly. Just who can
count compassion embraced, enclosed in the heart? This heart of the Godly also
seeks mercy for the feather weights as they are nameless in the sight of
God and all should want a name that the Creator gave to all. However the
lost became nameless when they left God.

Peace and Golden Paradise, Carl A. Patton a willing slave and servant of Almighty God and Christ Jesus writing for the FreedomJournal Press a God Fearing Free Press 16 June 2009 in the year of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

http://www.freeedomjounralpress.com

04/10/2009 :: 11:16:46 AM
paul maleski Says:

Fred: When you have the platform, you can tell the goyim below, with tongue-in-cheek equanimity, that the freedom of speech is the most wonderful political phantasmagoria? What do you reckon Fred?

04/10/2009 :: 10:41:21 AM
paul maleski Says:

Is Fred a fraud?
Fred do you receive any financial/propaganda support from any Zionist organisation: namely, AIPAC, ADL et al? Fred you do not have to tell Paul Maleski anything but whatever you do tell me, must be the absolute truth!

04/01/2009 :: 11:47:34 AM
Nix Says:

I suspect that Australia’s centre-left Rudd government has been caught off guard by the vocal resistance to the plan, since it mostly began as a bargaining chip for Senate votes, where the balance of power is held by Senator Steve Fielding of Family First and independent Senator Nick Xenophon of… well, the planet Jupiter as far as I can tell.
Sell Digital Products

11/21/2008 :: 03:58:52 PM
Universal Declaration of Human Rights | Global Patriot Says:

[…] blatant campaign of violence and intimidation was used to commit election fraud in Zimbabwe. Blog censorship has also become a major problem, as many countries struggle with their citizen’s new found […]

11/08/2008 :: 02:11:57 AM
Stilgherrian Says:

Thanks very much for linking to my piece about Australia’s current attempts to set up a centralised Internet censorship mechanism.

I wrote about this aspect of the “filtering” (censorship) trials in the independent news site Crikey in the piece Cheap tricks not the right response on internet filtering.

The best place to stay abreast of Australia’s censorship news is somebodythinkofthechildren.com.

11/07/2008 :: 05:00:46 PM
D. Meneltarma Says:

China does have censorship but Mark Butler’s remarkable book about backstage action at the Beijing Olympics was transmitted out by e-mail and in print while the games were still in progress. It’s called “Beijing Journal” and it includes some little known facts about communication technology in China, as well as sports. Highly recommended.

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