On December 14, the people of the United States found out the hard way how fragile a free and uncensored internet can be when the Federal Communications Commission repealed the rules governing net neutrality. In spite of the fact that polls stated eighty-three percent of the population supported net neutrality, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his fellow Commission members decided to repeal the legislation in a 3-to-2 party-line vote. Of course, the United States isn’t the only country dealing with an attack on internet freedom. Throughout the world, people are forced to use internet that is — at best — heavily censored. Here are some of the worst offenders.
1. Burma
The authorities of Burma are playing a kind-of whack-a-mole with what they perceive to be nefarious threats on the internet. While the people have access to internet, it’s extremely regulated. The government routinely blocks access to sites that voice opposition to the government. Those people daring enough to send emails in Burma can count on having them filtered through a government checker before they find their source.
