The second kind of technology I want to talk about does not involve information on the national level. The sorts of technology we now take for granted, like photocopiers and videocassettes, make it hugely easier for individuals and groups to disseminate messages in a low-profile way. Although Internet access rates are in the low single digits in most Arab countries, an old technology like photocopying can bring Internet-derived information to thousands of people who have neither any access nor ability to use a computer. Combined with rising rates of literacy throughout the Arab world, the ability to pass large amounts of visual or written information from hand to hand and through networks is growing, and will continue to do so. The first victim of the new technology is censorship.
Technology helps skirt censorship, especially on issues of broad Arab interest.
Still, censorship is far from dead, however. It is increasingly easy to skirt such restrictions, however. Certainly, stories that are of narrower interest can be controlled more easily. Also, Saudi Arabia remains the 800-pound gorilla in the region. Saudi money directly bankrolls many of the media outlets in the region, and advertising directed at Saudi consumers provides crucial financial support for many others.