The Potential (and Pitfalls) of Free Expression Technology

Each year, Reporters Without Borders awards a Netizen prize (sponsored by Google) to a blogger, online journalist or cyber-dissident who has helped to promote freedom of expression on the Internet. This year, winners, are the Tunisian founders of the independent collective blog Nawaat.org.The Internet isn’t going to magically transform the world into a democratic wonderland. Indeed, the battle for Internet freedom is far from won. Some 40 governments now practice some form of Internet censorship, up from about four in 2002. And this number is growing. Reporters Without Borders counts 113 journalists currently detained for expressing their views freely online, mainly in China, Iran and Vietnam. This is an exclusive editorial for the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers for World Press Freedom Day on 3 May.