If recent uprisings in the Middle East have taught us anything, it's that people will defend their right to free speech until their dying breath. No one likes to be gagged. However, that hasn't stopped many nations from trying.
China and Iran are among the world's most heavily censored nations, with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain not far behind. Meanwhile,internet access is virtually non-existent in North Korea.
So, why are an increasing number of nations attempting to block out whole chunks of the online world and which sites are topping their list of targets? We reveal all in our list of sites they tried to ban...
Website: Wikileaks
Reason: Wikileaks made public top-secret US government files that unearthed sensitive information about the US military's presence in Afghanistan.
Country: US
Website: Georgebush.com
Reason: The decision to block George W Bush's re-election website from users outside the US was taken for "security reasons" according to a spokesman at the time.
Website: Georgebush.com
Reason: The decision to block George W Bush's re-election website from users outside the US was taken for "security reasons" according to a spokesman at the time.
Country: Pakistan
Website: Facebook
Reason: The Pakistani government blocked Facebook after cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad surfaced on the social networking website.
Website: Facebook
Reason: The Pakistani government blocked Facebook after cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad surfaced on the social networking website.
Country: China
Website: Google
Reason: Various ( a desire to prevent access to online pornographic material, attempting to restrict the flow of anti-government material into the mainland.)
Website: Google
Reason: Various ( a desire to prevent access to online pornographic material, attempting to restrict the flow of anti-government material into the mainland.)
Country: Australia
Website: Johnhowardpm.org
Reason: No official reason was given, though the ban came shortly after the site published a spoof speech by the then Australian prime minister, John Howard.
Website: Johnhowardpm.org
Reason: No official reason was given, though the ban came shortly after the site published a spoof speech by the then Australian prime minister, John Howard.
Country: Russia
Website: RuLeaks.net
Reason: The site was apparently blocked following its publication of photos of what is allegedly the secret $1 billion palace of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Website: RuLeaks.net
Reason: The site was apparently blocked following its publication of photos of what is allegedly the secret $1 billion palace of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Country: Turkey
Website: YouTube
Reason: Turkey took offence at videos insulting the republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Website: YouTube
Reason: Turkey took offence at videos insulting the republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
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