Blogging can be a bit of fun, it can be a way to express yourself, it’s a way to disseminate information. But for some it’s a dangerous path. A path that can lead to imprisonment and torture.
While we all might have gripes about our country of origin and about those we have put in a position of power, at least we have the opportunity to openly express our opinions. A lot of people don’t have that freedom.
We have a free press. A press that can state the truth and not have to worry too much about the repercussions. But if you live in a country that doesn’t have a free press and you have a blog that tries to speak the truth, then you can suddenly find yourself in a whole world of trouble.
In those circumstances, a blogger has two options, either they can close up shop, or they can continue to spread the truth and protect themselves with a mask of anonymity.
To help bloggers who want to continue their mission, Reporters sans Frontières have written a handbook for bloggers who wish to remain anonymous and to get around censorship imposed by their governments.
For those that cannot access the RSF website, you can download copies of the handbook from here [PDF]. There’s also a printer-friendly version available here [PDF].
Tags: anonymity, Blog, bloggers_handbook, censorship, Internet, rsf