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Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of free speech, public communication or other information which may be considered harmful, sensitive or politically incorrect as determined by governments or other groups or institutions.

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All Content on this topic

Cinema in Saudi Arabia with a statue holding a historic camera

Saudi Arabia's film industry: Between glitz and censorship

Since the country reopened movie theaters, a whole new sector emerged, benefiting Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" roadmap.
PoliticsMarch 14, 2021
Bloggers in the TikTok house in Moscow

Is the Kremlin scared of TikTok bloggers?

Politics suddenly flooded TikTok during recent opposition protests. The Kremlin fears it could be there to stay.
SocietyMarch 12, 2021
A caricature by Sergey Elkin showing a prisoners chained to a facebook like-button

Bypassing censorship with VPNs ― is that safe?

With VPNs, you can still access the free internet through a tunnel. But can you trust the provider?
ScienceMarch 11, 2021
Film still The Great Wall, man in armor

China's new rules of conduct for artists

Impeccable morals, always in the service of the party: that's what China's expects of its performing artists.
CultureMarch 8, 2021
Icons of Facebook and Twitter

India tightens grip on social media through new rules

Under the new rules, firms will be forced to remove content and reveal the source of "mischievous tweets or messages."
PoliticsFebruary 26, 2021
A farmer holds up a candle

World in Progress: Defying censorship

The many forms of censorship — and the people defending free speech.
Human RightsFebruary 24, 202130:00 min
Demonstration in Caracas, Venezuela Journalists demonstrate on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day

World in Progress: News from a balcony

Attacks on critical media are part of everyday life in Venezuela. A group aims to counter censorship.
Human RightsFebruary 24, 202104:17 min
A man takes a photo of a tank in Yangon, Myanmar

Myanmar military clamps down on online activism

A new cybersecurity law would permit officials to arrest the military's online critics.
MediaFebruary 15, 2021
Clubhouse Drop-in audio chat app logo on the App Store is seen displayed on a phone screen

Clubhouse shows Chinese people's willingness to talk taboos

The popularity of Clubhouse shows the willingness of citizens to question China's politics.
PoliticsFebruary 10, 2021
A phone screen showing the Clubhouse app.

China blocks Clubhouse app, users say

The app became a safe space for Chinese-speaking users, who expected that authorities wouldn't leave it uncensored.
Freedom of SpeechFebruary 8, 2021
Journalists in Wuhan interview patients

China muzzles citizen journalists

Chinese journalists who uncovered the early truth about the coronavirus fear their press credentials will be stripped.
SocietyFebruary 8, 2021
The logos for TV channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne und ZIK

Ukraine bans pro-Russian TV stations

Ukraine's pro-Western president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has signed decrees banning pro-Russian media outlets.
PoliticsFebruary 3, 2021
Pakistani vendors use computers to upload music and video files onto their client's mobile phones at a market in Faisalabad

Pakistan's digital economy faces grim future amid censorship

Pakistani imposed new restrictions on online content. Content producers are worried about their negative impacts.
PoliticsFebruary 1, 202102:17 min
An archive photo of Pakistani journalists protesting against censorship

Pakistan criminalizes criticism of the military

Journalists are being targeted for flimsy offenses under a beefed up "electronic crimes" law.
SocietyJanuary 18, 2021
Ebbighausen Rodion Kommentarbild App

Donald Trump's Twitter ban is no Chinese-style censorship

Rodion Ebbighausen
The schadenfreude in Beijing and among other authoritarian governments about Trump's Twitter ban misses the point.
PoliticsJanuary 15, 2021
Zehn dringendsten Fälle von Verletzungen der Pressefreiheit im Januar 2021

Journalists under threat in 2020: Ten urgent cases

The One Free Press coalition highlights the wide range of threats faced by journalists throughout the past year.
Press FreedomDecember 30, 2020
A vlogger shoots a video in Lahore

Waiting to tell a story

Pakistan's filmmakers have a million stories to tell, but there is little support for artists with alternative views.
SocietyDecember 7, 2020
Vladimir Putin speaking to the Duma in March 2020

Could Russia label many of its citizens 'foreign agents'?

Russia aims to protect itself from any meddling from abroad, and new laws could isolate the country even more.
PoliticsNovember 22, 2020
In the movie "All Quiet on the Western Front, German soldiers surrender during the First World War

How Nazis censored 'All Quiet on the Western Front'

When the anti-war film premiered in Germany in 1930, no one had ever seen anything like it — and some were not happy.
CultureNovember 20, 2020
A Tanzanian voter has his finger marked with ink after casting his ballot during the presidential and parliamentary elections

Tanzania restricts social media during election

Twitter said it was seeing 'some blocking and throttling of Twitter" ahead of the Tanzanian election.
PoliticsOctober 29, 2020
A bookstore in China

Chinese censors target German publishers

German publishers are starting to feel the long arm of Chinese censorship, as DW has learned.
LiteratureOctober 25, 2020
Joe Biden with his son Hunter

Twitter reverses policy over blocked Biden report

The social media giant has been accused of election interference after it blocked a report about Joe Biden's son.
PoliticsOctober 16, 2020
USA Joe Biden mit Sohn Hunter

Facebook, Twitter block links to story critical of Biden

The platforms said the move was to reduce the spread of misinformation, while conservatives called it censorship.
PoliticsOctober 15, 2020
Genghis Khan statue near Ulan Baator

Genghis Khan exhibit postponed over China row

China tried to censor the words "Genghis Khan" from an exhibition on Genghis Khan in France, says museum chief.
ConflictsOctober 13, 2020
TikTok Logo displayed on a smartphone screen

Pakistan bans TikTok over 'immoral' content

Video-sharing platform TikTok is now blocked in Pakistan after the authorities ordered it to filter "obscene" content.
Digital WorldOctober 10, 2020
Russland Irina Slawina

Death of Russian journalist: Who was Irina Slavina?

Russian journalist Irina Slavina died after setting herself on fire. DW spoke to people who knew the late journalist.
PoliticsOctober 6, 2020
A peron's eye with the Turkish flag and theTwitter symbol superimposted upon it

User safety or censorship behind Turkey's new digital rules?

Turkey has taken drastic action against social media platforms — and cited Germany as an example in the process.
PoliticsOctober 4, 2020
Globales Internetverbindung

Good journalism must be accessible.

On UN's Access to Information Day, DW Internet freedom expert O. Linow looks at the importance of access to information.
MediaSeptember 28, 2020
The TikTok app installed on a smartphone

TikTok, WeChat & Co: How does spyware get into smartphones?

TikTok, WeChat and thousands of other apps from China look harmless but are actually malware, experts say.
ScienceAugust 27, 2020
DW Kiswahili | Mohammed Khelef

Tanzania's media law muzzles free speech

Mohammed Khelef
Tanzania's strict new rules for foreign press enforce the government view that any differing opinion should be punished.
MediaAugust 11, 2020
Zeitung Zensur Schwärzen

'SLAPPs are a threat to freedom of expression'

'Media Defence' CEO Alinda Vermeer explains risks and dangers so called SLAPP suits pose to media freedom
Freedom of SpeechAugust 5, 2020
Christian Mihr (Reporter Without Borders)

Turkey closing window on press freedom

Christian Mihr
Turkey is expanding its already strict regulation of social media sites, the latest move to silence critical voices.
Human RightsJuly 30, 2020
A woman in Turkey using a smartphone

Turkey: New law tightens hold on social media

The Turkish parliament has approved a law that will allow stricter monitoring of social media content.
Human RightsJuly 29, 2020
Ungarn Budapest Index-Agentur Amtsenthebung Chefredakteur Szabolcs Dull

Hungarian news journalists resign en-masse  

Thousands of protesters marched to Viktor Orban's residence at a subsequent press freedom rally.
PoliticsJuly 24, 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission

China detains professor who criticized President Xi

Xu Zhangrun has been detained after making critical comments of the Chinese government’s handling of the pandemic.
PoliticsJuly 6, 2020
A Russian court on Monday found journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva guilty

Russian journalist found guilty of 'inciting terrorism'

Svetlana Prokopyeva, who says she was doing her job, was placed on a list of "terrorists and extremists."
MediaJuly 6, 2020
Türkey: YouTube

Erdogan targets social media in Turkey

Activists and dissidents in Turkey have long avoided official censorship by using social media.
Press FreedomJune 13, 2020
A 3D printed Twitter logo is seen in front of a displayed cyber code in this illustration taken March 22, 2016.

Twitter cull slammed in China, Turkey, Russia

Ankara accused the platform of a "smear" campaign, while China said that it was "the biggest victim" of disinformation.
PoliticsJune 12, 2020
external

Is Pakistan moving towards Chinese model of internet censorship?

Rights activists in Pakistan fear that the country is rapidly moving towards a China-like model of internet censorship.
PoliticsMay 22, 202003:55 min
A collage of the word HATE in memes and images

France passes disputed law on hate speech

A new French law calls for online platforms to remove illegal content quickly or face large fines.
PoliticsMay 13, 2020
A Chinese police officer holds out his hand in front of an EU flag

EU defends agreeing to China censorship

EU officials have backed a decision to accept China's censorship of a letter that ran in a Chinese newspaper.
PoliticsMay 7, 2020
A woman browses a magazine in a newsstands

Russian business newspaper fights to survive amid censorship

The staff at "Vedomosti" are defying the paper’s new editor, who they say is toeing the Kremlin line.
MediaMay 4, 2020
A photo taken on June 10, 2019 in Moscow, shows the front pages of Kommersant, Vedomosti and RBK dailies newspapers reading "I am (we are) Ivan Golunov".

Russian journalists defy boss over censorship

Reporters at the Vedomosti newspaper have said their new editor-in-chief is taking cues from the Kremlin.
MediaApril 24, 2020
A man with a laptop and a muzzle

OONI: An app for detecting Internet censorship

If as many users as possible install the app OONI, it will come to light who is censoring where.
ScienceApril 23, 2020
Malta Gedenken Daphne Caruana Galizia

Journalists under threat: April's 10 most urgent cases

Every month, the One Free Press Coalition draws attention to unresolved cases of crimes against journalists.
Freedom of SpeechApril 2, 2020
Internationaler Tag der Pressefreiheit - Symbolbild

Journalists under threat: March's 10 most urgent cases

Every month, the One Free Press Coalition draws attention to unresolved cases of crimes against journalists.
Freedom of SpeechMarch 20, 2020
Former Chinese property mogul Ren Zhiqiang

Chinese tycoon missing after Xi 'clown' comment

The influential Communist Party member vanished weeks after criticizing China's response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Human RightsMarch 15, 2020
Minecraft (RSF)

Reporter Without Borders builds uncensored Minecraft library

By releasing it on the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, Reporters Without Borders is sending a defiant signal.
Press FreedomMarch 12, 2020
Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin 2020 | Preisverleihung | There Is No Evil, Bester Film

Iranian filmmakers: Successful despite censorship

Directors from Iran face strict state restrictions, but they nevertheless manage to creatively bypass them.
FilmMarch 1, 202010 images
Pakistani conservatives protesting Facebook in 2010

Pakistan passes strict social media regulations

Pakistan has passed news laws to curb social media "extremism", but critics say the rules really target free speech.
Law and JusticeFebruary 24, 2020