WASHINGTON (AP) — A State Department report notes how the revolutions of the Middle East have been aided by the Internet, but points to another trend occurring simultaneously: governments fighting the power of the Internet.
The department’s annual human rights report says governments around the world are “spending more time, money and attention in efforts to curtail access to these new communications outlets.”
It says more than 40 governments are blocking their citizens’ access to the Internet through regulatory restrictions and technologies “designed to repress speech and infringe on the personal privacy of those who use these rapidly evolving technologies.”
The report released Friday singles out countries such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Vietnam and China as egregious examples.
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