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Leader: Who wants to test bloggers' new 'dodge jail' measures?
Do this and you won't go to prison... (maybe)

By silicon.com

Published: Friday 23 September 2005

Free-speech advocates at French organisation Reporters Without Borders have compiled a booklet to inform bloggers and journalists in countries with heavy-handed censorship how to get their message out safely.

The booklet details ways to blog anonymously and technical tricks that can be used to get around issues of censorship.

This is undoubtedly useful but concerns over the safety of even those individuals who follow the guide remain. On the one hand, there are people who value freedom of speech within strict regimes such as China and Iran and who would take risks regardless. For those people, some tips on operating more effectively will hopefully help them to avoid detection.

But Reporters Without Borders also have their own agenda. And like other activist groups they want to see it pushed to extremes. Sat in the relatively liberal surrounds of Paris, it could be argued they're onto a no-lose situation. If their guidelines prove effective they strike a blow for good against evil. If their guidelines fail - and let's face it this booklet tips off governments as to what they're looking for - then they have a new martyr or a new poster-child for free speech advocates everywhere.

It's not to say we should sit back and accept the web will never overthrow such censorship. But what Reporters Without Borders may not be counting on are the tools already at the disposal of these governments to find people breaking the law and, to an alarming degree, the willingness of the likes of Yahoo! to help them - as was witnessed recently.

The danger is that such a guide gives a false sense of security and encourages others to jeopardise themselves in somebody else's fight - in this case the battle being waged by Reporters Without Borders. And what's to stop the booklet itself simply being branded unapproved and ownership of it becoming a stick to beat the dissidents?

Don't misunderstand. We're not advocating press censorship.

But this is a battle which should be fought globally and by any organisation and government which itself has realised the value of the internet in disseminating information. Reporters Without Borders may well have realised waiting for that fight to kick off is futile and should be praised for doing what it can.

Typically it is smaller activist groups who don't see the wider picture and step into these battles, while the likes of the EU spend more time talking to China about bras and pants than blogs and the press.

Countries that have themselves realised the power of the internet should be bringing to bear what pressures they can on governments who attempt to control the spread of free speech online.

Despite some criticism we applaud Reporters Without Borders. Certainly information does need to get out of countries such as China and Iran but we'd urge more people to realise at what price that has happened to date, rather than simply finding a way around the problems and not challenging the larger issues.