Countries across the globe have varying extents of media censorship, preventing them from accessing things such as global news, and leading to prosecution if these laws are breached. For example, media censorship is prevalent in the Middle East, with Egypt being the most censored country of them all, banning a number of news outlets and even keeping a wary eye on social media accounts (Miller, 2018). “This hunger for censorship is driven by the fear of rebellion, which has been sparked after the revolutions of The Arab Spring.” (Alhindi, 2020) In an attempt to keep civilians from rebelling against their governments, censorship has been put into place, so they do not have access to any reference of freedom and are not influenced by other countries. It’s also a tool used for countries to boycott other Middle Eastern countries if there is conflict between the two. This is not just news outlets, however, as social media has varying censorship in different Middle Eastern countries. Iran has banned Facebook and Twitter (Alhindi, 2020), Turkey has restricted access to multiple social media platforms, and anyone living in Egypt with over 5,000 followers on a social media platform is deemed a news outlet and faces the threat of prosecution (Miller, 2018). Media censorship in the Middle East is at an all time high and civilians are unable to share the truth about their country and government without the fear of harsh punishment.
This is where The Uncensored Library comes in, which is a project for those who live in this censored or restricted countries, that allows reporters to get the news to them…on Minecraft. The Uncensored Library, an initiative started by a collection of news reporters who go by Reporters Without Borders, has been described as a “virtual hub housing a collection of otherwise inaccessible journalism from all over the world” (Maher, 2020). Using Minecraft’s feature to create books in the game and write whatever you desire in them, Reporters Without Borders have created a server library full of custom books, each containing news articles. For a lot of countries, this is their only access to worldwide news (Maher, 2020). Minecraft is an example of unrestrained borders, with this project being the best use of this internet advantage. Anyone across the globe with access to Minecraft can access the Minecraft library and find news they may not be able to get in their hometown.
“…even where almost all media is blocked or controlled, the world’s most successful computer game is still accessible.” (The Uncensored Library, 2020)
However, this does not mean the future of the internet in general is looking less restricted, as more countries implement limited access to the internet. In 2020, there were twenty nine countries who, at some point in the year, shutdown internet access for a certain period of time, the reasons ranging from silencing protests against government, to religious holidays (Duggal, 2021). India was the most common offender of shutting down or limiting the amount of internet its civilians had access to, this occurring 109 times across the year (Duggal, 2021). This not only limited the amount of information citizens had access to, but it also interfered with work and school, especially due to COVID-19 lockdowns and the increase in online work and schooling (Duggal, 2021). Governments will go to any extent to prevent uprising and protests, even if it means disallowing people to work and be educated, and is a sign that welfare of civilians, including knowledge of what is happening in the world, is not a priority. This is a scary look into the future, also, as we have seen just how much power governments have over internet access, and how much we as humans rely on it nowadays, therefore how much power they have over us.
References
Alhindi, S, 2020. ‘Media Censorship in the Middle East: A Violation of Human Rights’.
Duggal, H, 2021. ‘Mapping internet shutdowns around the world’.
Miller, E, 2018. ‘Egypt leads the pack in internet censorship across the Middle East’.
Candace 