Internet Restrictions Growing Worldwide Governments around the world are starting to limit free speech on the Internet, the New York Times reports in its online newspaper, CyberTimes. Singapore requires its few Internet service providers to place strict controls on the content they admit into the country.
German prosecutors challenge sites that carry hate speech.
Whatever the motivations, free speech advocates fear that the restrictions will shackle a communications technology that, if left unfettered, would bring unprecedented free expression to every corner of the globe. The action of one government can affect the ability of Internet users around the world to get access to information. The service, Helsinki-based Penet, had helped people who wanted to remain anonymous while discussing topics like suicide or controversial political ideas. But Johan M. Helsingius, the operator of the site, decided to close it down in late August after what he described as a recent change in Finnish law that could have forced him to reveal the names of the remailer's users. And the shutdown of the service diminished the ability of Americans, for example, to speak anonymously.