On World Press Freedom Day, Asian countries top the list of worst offenders. China detains the unenviable first place in internet censorship.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Governments in Asia are considered among the world's worst "enemies" of internet freedom, censoring websites and jailing people who express online views that are deemed dangerous.
Ahead of today's World Press Freedom Day, experts said countries including China, Vietnam and Nepal were feeling increasingly threatened by cyberspace, as internet use booms and more people turn to the Web.
Of a list of 15 "enemies of the internet" named by Paris-based rights group Reporters Without Borders, seven are in Asia.
Experts warn that, with less freedom of information, Asian societies risk seeing more corruption and abuse of government power, while public discontent will grow, leading to more social instability.
"These countries are among the most politically backward countries, that's why they are afraid of the internet," said formerly imprisoned Chinese journalist Gao Yu, who won Unesco's Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom award in 1997. "They fear the internet will spread western ideas of freedom and democracy which will lead to an overthrow of their power."
Using sophisticated filtering technology, forcing internet cafes to register users and internet service providers to reveal user information, the governments are trying to rein in a medium they realise they must also embrace to spur modernisation and economic growth.
China, the world's biggest jailer of journalists, now has more cyber dissidents in jail than reporters.
Vietnam has employed internet police to filter out "subversive" content and spy on internet cafés.
Myanmar blocks not only foreign news sites but also Web-based e-mail services like Yahoo! and Hotmail, and forces internet cafés to monitor their computer users.
North Korea only allows the privileged to have access to a heavily censored version of the internet with sites praising the regime.
In Nepal, despite restoring internet access that was initially cut off when King Gyanendra seized power in February last year, his regime continued to block opposition publications to try to subdue an uprising that has now forced him to relinquish power.
This tight control over the internet in Asia has removed an effective check on government powers and will fuel only more political discontent, experts say.
"They'll only have economic development, but how about political [development]?" said Mr Gao. "People will become even more dissatisfied ... This will only encourage more people to go online."