If you've been following social media you know that throughout the last few days, the Middle Eastern powerhouse Iran has been consumed in protests centered in some of it's biggest cities and capitol of Tehran. These protests have brought back into light many issues surrounding Iran such as the national funding of terrorism abroad or the strict dressing laws on women. While any violation of human rights is a concern for all humans, one of the biggest takeaways for Americans, should be the observation on how the government has reacted to these protests online.
Censorship Amid Protests
One of the greatest powers social media has to offer is it's ability to connect thousands of individuals simultaneously for a common purpose. It was the presence of social media that allowed the Arab Spring of 2010 to occur and overthrow many regimes in the Middle East for the benefit of their people. It's social media that makes peaceful protests in the United States today much easier to organize. One can only imagine what the civil rights movement in the 60s or the Vietnam protests in the 70s would have looked like had social media been available for mass communication. Indeed, social media allows for political accountability to be a much more common thing.
For an unethical regime, this kind of power is horribly frightening. That is why the Iranian Government has opted to restrict connection to many online platforms amid these protests. The thought process is a pretty simple one to understand, limit communication and in turn, limit turn out. If less people show up to protests it allows for easier international explanations and easier dispersement procedures.
As these public demonstrations continue to take place, we will see how these actions by the government play out. It is possible that these restrictive plays only further the enragement of the Iranian people, causing more protests. It is also equally as possible that these actions prove effective and the protests are subdued. In the mean time, it doesn't hurt to ask the question of what would happen in the U.S. under similar circumstances?
Watching out for U.S. Internet Censorship
One might be surprised to know that the United States has seen a level of censorship in it's internet access already. Reports have come out of private entities like YouTube censoring "inappropriate" content and even recently creating a "limited state" status that restricts content to certain audiences if deemed inappropriate. (Hamill, Sept 1, 2017) In addition to private entities, both the House and Senate are looking at bills that would further pave the road for more internet censorship. (Harmon, Nov 29, 2017)
Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit founded in 1985 dedicated to defending the freedom of information, ranks the U.S. 43 out of 180 countries in regards to information freedom. While 43 isn't nearly as bad as Iran's rank of 165, it's none the less alarming for a country who is supposed to be prioritizing the freedom of speech.
Some of these statistics and facts are proving to be quite frightening for the internet community. For now, we seem to be alright, but if protests reach the scale of possible shifts in power today, what would they look like? Would the government allow these mass organization to occur, or attempt to block them? How far do our first amendment rights truly go anymore?
Further Information Can Be Found At:
Hamill, Jasper. “YouTube accused of CENSORSHIP over controversial new bid to 'limit' access to videos.” The Sun, The Sun, 3 Oct. 2017, www.thesun.co.uk/tech/4372177/youtube-accused-of-censorship-over-controversial-new-bid-to-limit-access-to-videos/.
“2017 World Press Freedom Index | Reporters Without Borders.” RSF, rsf.org/en/ranking/2017.
Harmon, Elliot. “House Internet Censorship Bill Is Just Like the Senate Bill, Except Worse.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, 29 Nov. 2017, www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/house-internet-censorship-bill-just-senate-bill-except-worse.
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