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By Julianne Pepitone

A censorship-free Internet is a priority for most people in emerging countries, especially the younger population, according to a new report.

Pew Research Center interviewed nearly 22,000 people in 24 emerging and developing countries between March and May for the report released Wednesday.

In 22 of those 24 countries, the majority of respondents think "it is important that people have access to the internet without government censorship." (Uganda just missed the cutoff, at 49 percent, and Pakistan was significantly lower at just 22 percent.)

The strength of censorship opposition varied by country, as well as other factors. Support of Internet freedom is prevalent in Latin American countries as well as Lebanon and Egypt, Pew said.

Unsurprisingly, anti-censorship sentiment tends to be strong in nations where Internet use is more common, such as Chile and Argentina. The trend is reversed in less connected nations like Uganda.

But two countries bucked that trend: Internet-freedom support in Russia (63 percent) and Pakistan (22 percent) came in low compared with the level of Internet penetration in those countries.

Age is also a major factor: In 14 of the 24 countries surveyed, people ages 18-29 are more likely than those 50 or older to think a free Internet is important. In nations including Russia and Lebanon, that age gap came in at 20 percentage points or more.

"These age differences suggest that support for internet freedom will only become more widespread with the passage of time," Pew said in its report.

First published March 19 2014, 2:04 PM

Continued here:
Developing Countries: We Want Internet Freedom!

AFP Support strong for open Internet in developing world

Washington (AFP) - Support is strong across emerging and developing countries for an Internet without government censorship, a US survey showed Wednesday.

The Pew Research Center found a majority opposed to government restrictions on online activity in 22 of 24 countries surveyed.

Support was especially high among younger people and in countries with a high percentage of people using the Internet.

Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed in Venezuela said they supported an unfettered Internet, as did at least 80 percent in Lebanon, Chile, Egypt, Argentina and Brazil.

The numbers were high in Mexico (79 percent), South Africa (77 percent), Bolivia (76 percent), Malaysia and the Philippines (both at 73 percent) and Nigeria (72 percent).

"Support for Internet freedom tends to be strong in nations with high rates of Internet penetration, such as Chile and Argentina, where roughly two-thirds of the population is online," the Pew report said.

"It is less common in nations with lower penetration rates, like Indonesia and Uganda," where 55 and 49 percent, respectively, said they oppose government censorship.

The report comes days after the US government announced it was giving up its key role in charge of the Internet's technical operations, handing over those functions to "the global multistakeholder community."

While US officials said they would work to maintain a free and open Internet, critics of the decision said the move opens the door to other countries to impose new controls on online activity.

Read this article:
Developing world wants free Internet

WASHINGTON - Support is strong across emerging and developing countries for an Internet without government censorship, a US survey showed Wednesday.

The Pew Research Center found a majority opposed to government restrictions on online activity in 22 of 24 countries surveyed.

Support was especially high among younger people and in countries with a high percentage of people using the Internet.

Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed in Venezuela said they supported an unfettered Internet, as did at least 80 percent in Lebanon, Chile, Egypt, Argentina and Brazil.

The numbers were high in Mexico (79 percent), South Africa (77 percent), Bolivia (76 percent), Malaysia and the Philippines (both at 73 percent) and Nigeria (72 percent).

"Support for Internet freedom tends to be strong in nations with high rates of Internet penetration, such as Chile and Argentina, where roughly two-thirds of the population is online," the Pew report said.

"It is less common in nations with lower penetration rates, like Indonesia and Uganda," where 55 and 49 percent, respectively, said they oppose government censorship.

The report comes days after the US government announced it was giving up its key role in charge of the Internet's technical operations, handing over those functions to "the global multistakeholder community."

While US officials said they would work to maintain a free and open Internet, critics of the decision said the move opens the door to other countries to impose new controls on online activity.

In the Pew survey, Pakistan had the lowest percentage of people expressing opposition to censorship -- 22 percent -- but 62 percent of people polled gave no response or were undecided.

More here:
Support strong for open Internet in PH, other countries

World Censorship A Russian fan with her face painted with the Russian flag watches the men's quarter-finals ice hockey game between Russia and Finland. Russia was eliminated from the men's ice hockey competition at the Sochi Games on Wednesday following a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Eric GaillardReuters

The Russia of President Vladimir Putin has not cultivated a reputation as a bastion of freedom, but a Pew survey out Wednesday suggests younger Russians may be more liberty-loving than the stereotype suggests at least when it comes to the internet.

In the Pew Research Centers study titled Emerging and Developing Nations Want Freedom on the Internet, surveyors found a wide chasmthe widest of all countries surveyedbetween how much old and young Russians care about Internet freedom.

Among Russians as a whole, just 63% say it is important that people have access to the Internet free from government censorship. Delving deeper into the numbers, however, reveals a stark generational divide. Among Russians 18 to 29 years old, eight in ten say an uncensored Internet is important to them, a position taken by 72% of Russians 30 to 49 but only 44% of Russians over 50.

The gap on that question between the oldest and youngest Russiansa difference of 36%is the widest of any country surveyed. The country also had one of the highest shares of people15% saying Internet freedom is not at all important to them.

Granted, this is just a single metric and part of the discrepancy may stem simply from older Russians being less interested in the Internet in general than the generations coming after them, or even a lingering Cold War mindset. But the wide disparity nonetheless reveals a divide in Russian society. The censorship gap, if you will, may signal a coming shift in Russian public opinion over the longer term, as the old guard naturally gives way to the new.

Original post:
Russias Youth Want Internet Freedom, Widening Censorship Gap

Twitter sets its sights on China. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo (right) arrives at Shanghai's Pudong Airport on Monday, March 17. Costolo will meet with Shanghai government officials, academics and students during his first visit to China, signifying Twitter's interest in cracking a lucrative but thorny market with 600 million Internet users. Reuters/Aly Song

The Pew Research Center found a majority opposed to government restrictions on online activity in 22 of 24 countries surveyed.

Support was especially high among younger people and in countries with a high percentage of people using the Internet.

Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed in Venezuela said they supported an unfettered Internet, as did at least 80 percent in Lebanon, Chile, Egypt, Argentina and Brazil.

The numbers were high in Mexico (79 percent), South Africa (77 percent), Bolivia (76 percent), Malaysia and the Philippines (both at 73 percent) and Nigeria (72 percent).

"Support for Internet freedom tends to be strong in nations with high rates of Internet penetration, such as Chile and Argentina, where roughly two-thirds of the population is online," the Pew report said.

"It is less common in nations with lower penetration rates, like Indonesia and Uganda," where 55 and 49 percent, respectively, said they oppose government censorship.

The report comes days after the US government announced it was giving up its key role in charge of the Internet's technical operations, handing over those functions to "the global multistakeholder community."

While US officials said they would work to maintain a free and open Internet, critics of the decision said the move opens the door to other countries to impose new controls on online activity.

In the Pew survey, Pakistan had the lowest percentage of people expressing opposition to censorship -- 22 percent -- but 62 percent of people polled gave no response or were undecided.

Continued here:
Support strong for open Internet in PHL, developing world Pew Research survey