World Day Against Cyber Censorship

World Day Against Cyber Censorship is a worldwide holiday against cyber censorship. The Internet is a medium where you can find completely different points of view on the same problem. Its value lies in its diversity; if information unwanted by the state or some organizations is blocked, it would be impossible to objectively assess anything. Information would become one-sided and biased. It is annually on March 12.

History

World Day Against Cyber Censorship was established in 2008 with the initiative of two organizations: Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International. Censorship on the Internet does not allow people to perceive a lot of information objectively, and this approach blocks scientific and technological advances.

The ban on posting materials that might offend someone, etc., appeared in 1996 in the United States. The relevant law was passed, but most of it was not in accordance with the constitution. In 1998, the DMCA was passed, which strictly protected copyrights on certain designs and information.

To date, a particular problem with access to any information is observed in China. There, in 1998, a kind of firewall, the Golden Shield, was launched, strictly filtering out all information on the Internet that was offensive or, in the opinion of the state, dangerous to state integrity and likely to undermine unity in society. Much attention is paid to the banning of VPNs, so the Chinese are often unable to access public services and applications that are banned in China. World Day Against Cyber Censorship is designed to address the problem of excessive blocking of information on the Internet.

Interesting facts

• Of all users, at least 40% use VPN services regularly. This is the only way to access resources or applications that are banned in the country.
• Despite the initiative for freedom of access to information on the Internet by the creators of the holiday, according to a user survey in 2012, about 71% of all people surveyed agreed that Internet censorship should exist in some form. This is necessary, at a minimum, to prevent the spread of fraudulent sites and terrorist appeals.

How to celebrate

Learn more about the history of Internet censorship this day. Use VPN to access blocked sites in your country.

Spread the word on social media. Discuss with other users what they think Internet censorship should look like and what items it should include.

When is World Day Against Cyber Censorship in 2025?

World Day Against Cyber Censorship is observed on March 12 each year.

Observations