Turkmenistan

No independent media exists. As in Cuba and North Korea, the regime takes a radical attitude to the Internet and keeps virtually all citizens away from it, with home connections not allowed.

There are no Internet cafés and the Web is only accessible through certain companies and international organisations. Even when connected, it is only to a censored version of the Internet.

Uzbekistan
President Islam Karimov proclaimed the “era of the Internet” in his country in May 2001. Online facilities have expanded rapidly but so has censorship of them. The state security service frequently asks ISPs to temporarily block access to opposition sites. Since June 2005, some Internet cafés in the capital have displayed warnings that users will be fined 5,000 soms (4 euros) for looking at pornographic sites and 10,000 (8 euros) for consulting banned political sites.

Vietnam
The country closely follows the Chinese method of controlling the Internet, but though more ideologically rigid, the regime does not have the money and technology China has to do this. It has Internet police who filter out “subversive” content and spy on cybercafés. Cyber-dissidents are thrown in prison and three have been in jail for more than three years for daring to speak out online in favour of democracy.

1. True or false?

1. 15 countries mentioned in the text are “enemies” of the Internet because usually attack different sites and crash bloggs and e-mails. 2. In most countries the regime uses its monopoly of the communications system to block access to the Internet. 3. In Belarus,China and North Korea governments dislike criticism so block

access to opposition websites.

4. China is the world’s biggest prison for cyber-dissidents.

5. In Cuba to go online one must have a special permission.

6. An access to the Internet is limited in Iran, Saudi Arabia to protect citizens from content that is offensive or violates Islamic principles and social standards.

7. In Tunisia people have some prohibited sites but have great opportunities in e-mailing.

8. In Turkmenistanpeople can use the Internet only at home asthere are no Internet cafés and the Web is accessible only through certain companies.

9. A lot of cyber-dissidents are thrown in prison in Iran, Libya, the Maldives, Syria and Vietnam.

10. Some countries follow the Chinese method of controlling the Internet.

2. There are not only” enemy-countries” but there are also “countries to watch”. The “countries to watch” do not have much in common with the "enemies of the Internet." The plight of a Chinese Internet user, who risks prison by mentioning human rights in an online forum, does not compare with the situation of a user in France or the United States. Yet many countries that have so far respected online freedom seem these days to want to control the Internet more. Their often laudable aims include fighting terrorism, paedophilia and Internet-based crime, but the measures sometimes threaten freedom of expression.

Go on http://www.rsf.org/The-15-enemies-of-the-Internet-and.html and find the information about these countries. Make a report.