Getting Started in Internet Repression
Greetings, fellow Autocrats and Internet Oppressors!
The rapid pace in which information can spread in this internet era makes activities by some hard to hide. This is bad news for the corrupt or repressive. Organizations like NDI support a free and open internet as part of a democratic society, and civil society is getting better at sharing the information you'd want no one to know.
You didn’t want people to talk about the bribes they’re forced to pay? NICE TRY. Thought citizens wouldn’t want news about ongoing protests? NOPE.
So if you’re a leader or a legislator that’s fed up with all this “transparency” and “good governance” nonsense, keep on reading! We’ll give you tips and tricks to make you wrestle back control of telecommunication to keep any criticisms and free expression at bay:
Use ambiguous wording: it’s very difficult to do what you want as a leader when you have the law of the land holding you back. Not to worry: make sure that the content of any telecommunications law is overly broad and uses generic language that’s open to interpretation. Take Cambodia: their new anti-cybercrime bill criminalises online activities which fall under the crystal-clear categories of: generate "insecurity, instability and political cohesiveness”, damage moral and cultural values, such as “family values”, and more. These nebulous phrases could include just about anything - leaving you free to dole out any punishments or criticisms as you see fit.
“Take that down”: website or social media platform hosting some content you don’t like? Get on the horn and have them take that content down. Sure, takedown notices can be used to deal with content that is illegal or violates the platform’s terms of service, but what’s the fun in that? Many governments and private actors are abusing the practice by threatening legal action and forcing the removal of material without a proper court order, like GoDaddy’s removal of the Mexican website 1dmx.org’s domain.
Make business work for you: all this content removal and ambiguous language work is nice, but you’re a busy person! You can't possibly do all that work alone. Pass that burden down onto internet intermediaries - ISPs, site hosting services, webmasters, or forum moderators - by making them legally liable for content posted by others.
And stay on the lookout for new techniques by other countries; there’s no better way to learn than by watching someone else!