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Navigating Government Censorship as a Web Publisher
Explore government censorship as it relates to web publishing. Find out what it is and where it's happening. Then, get strategies on how to navigate it.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and isn’t meant to be used in place of professional legal advice. Since laws can vary considerably by country, it’s best to consult a local lawyer if you have questions.
As a web publisher, effectively navigating government censorship of content can be crucial to finding success online. After all, one of the main goals of content creation is to reach as many people as possible and hopefully redirect them back to your site for more.
If the government is censoring or otherwise restricting your content, though, then there’s a good chance that your target audience isn’t seeing it, let alone acting on it. And what’s the point of creating and publishing content if no one’s consuming it?
Of course, you don’t have to agree with it (and you wouldn’t be alone — nonprofit organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation are actively fighting for free speech online).
Explore government censorship as it relates to web publishing. Then, learn about what it is and where it's happening. Finally, get tips and strategies for effectively navigating censorship and respecting regional laws in your work.
Government censorship occurs when those in political power restrict or regulate information and ideas that they find objectionable, often in the name of the greater good.
But with bloggers publishing an astounding 116 posts per second, you may be wondering: how? How can they keep up with the amount of content coming out each and every day?
Well, there are a few strategies the government can use to block online content. Some of the most common ones include:
There is no shortage of ways for government officials to censor online content, and they may go about it for various reasons.
Since what’s considered “objectionable” can depend on both the country and the political party in office, there is a wide range of subjects that may be banned or restricted by the government.
Some of the most common topics that may result in government censorship include:
If content falls under one of these categories, whether it’s censored depends on the policies of the country where it’s published. What a particular country’s government is more likely to take issue with varies.
So, where is your content most likely to be censored? Freedom House produced an annual “Freedom on the Net” report to look at the level of internet freedom in 70 countries worldwide. It ranks them on a scale of 1-100, where 1 is the lowest level and 100 is the highest.
Here are some of the highest and lowest scoring countries according to their latest report.
China tops this list. Their score includes a total of 2/35 points when it comes to limits on content. They are known for their Golden Shield Project, commonly called the “Great Firewall.” The purpose of the project is to monitor and censor online content (censored topics include gambling, violence, and political resistance).
Curious how the United States scored? It received 76 points.
With a high level of internet freedom, Iceland doesn’t block religious, social, or political websites and scores 34/35 with its limits on content (they block some file-sharing sites with copyrighted material).
You have more online freedom if you’re publishing out of the US or Canada. However, your content could still be subject to government censorship.
Here are strategies you can use to help prevent that from happening:
The most important thing you can do to avoid restrictions on your content is to know the local laws. For a US audience, the First Amendment to the US Constitution gives you the right to freedom of speech, but not all speech is protected.
Unprotected forms of speech include obscenity, defamation, and false advertising, so content containing these elements could be subject to censorship. Content may also be blocked if it violates copyright laws.
Artificial intelligence tools have taken the world by storm and are often used to moderate and create content. In either case, the limitations of AI remain the same.
AI technology:
This means it could generate text that’s full of sensitive keywords or ideas that could lead it to be blocked or otherwise restricted. So, if you or your writers are using AI to enhance the content creation process, then it’s important to exercise caution to avoid government censorship.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is to run content through an AI checker. The Originality.ai AI checker highlights AI-generated sections for you. Then, you can closely analyze and modify any problematic words or phrases that could trigger censorship.
You may also want to run it through a plagiarism checker while you’re at it to identify issues to address and avoid violating copyright laws.
If you are passionate about protecting your right to free speech and preventing cases of unnecessary government censorship, consider supporting organizations that are fighting to do just that.
Here are some organizations that are working to defend free speech:
These websites are also great resources for keeping up-to-date on the latest legislation and news surrounding free speech, so they may be worth bookmarking.
It’s important to be aware of the possibility of government censorship when you’re publishing online content.
Your content should be SEO-friendly and respectful of government regulations. Then, to boost its impact, aim to make it engaging and relevant to your audience.
Overall, do your best to strike a balance between quality and compliance when creating and publishing content. You never know — you may just end up with your most successful piece of content yet!