Online Censorship and Privacy

Online Censorship

The countries that come to mind when I hear online censorship are China and Russia. I researched online censorship in China near my country. According to the Citizen Lab, a research institute at the University of Toronto, which monitors online censorship, Chinese government censored information about new viruses on the Internet. That has been the case for weeks before the Chinese authorities officially acknowledge the scale of the new coronavirus. It is common in China for social media companies to remove content that is politically sensitive, including criticisms and protests against the government. Citizen Lab revealed that more than 500 words and phrases were blocked in the message app (WeChat) used by many Chinese from late December to mid-February. In conclusion, online censorship is now known to be used in a national conspiracy. Online censorship should be done by other organizations, not the government.

Privacy

As I said before, some countries are stepping up online censorship. The concern for the public is the issue of privacy. When I checked the websites to be browsed in China, I found that most SNSs are browsed. When I looked up the terms that were subject to censorship, many words were listed. With so many words, I thought they could accidentally use them. I felt that the government could see the message every time, and I felt there is no privacy. I don't think there should be such a situation. I think that people's privacy should be protected.