The Internet, as anyone who has ever experienced the wonder of going online would know, is a very different communication platform from any other that has existed before. People who would never have any chance of being published in a newspaper now have the opportunity to have a blog and provide their thoughts to the world. This also means that thoughts that many newspapers would decide not to publish can be published online since the Web does not, and more importantly cannot, have any editors to filter content. For many dictatorships, the right of people to freely express their thoughts is something that must be heavily regulated. Unfortunately, we are now faced with the situation where some democratic countries are also trying to do so by censoring the Internet.

Activists of the Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena hold placards and roses outside the residence of communications and IT minister Kapil Sibal in New Delhi on December 7, 2011. Sibal on December 6 asked Facebook and Google to screen content that is uploaded on various sites, triggering a major uproar against u00a0the move.u00a0Pic/ AFP Photo