Cyber-spying by Repressive Regimes Won't Need Help from the West Much Longer

According to the Reporters Without Borders 2006 Annual Report on Internet censorship, some of the world's most repressive regimes have shown determination and skill in monitoring Internet use within their borders and have been successful doing so thanks in large part to technology sold to them by Western, mostly US, firms. The report warns that such ethical lapses by these firms may not be necessary for very long. "China is now passing on its cyber-spying skills to other enemies of the Internet, including Zimbabwe, Cuba, and most recently Belarus. These countries will probably no longer need Western help for such spying in a few years time." Also from the report:

Traditional “predators of press freedom” - Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Libya, the Maldives, Nepal, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam - all censor the Internet now. In 2003, only China, Vietnam and the Maldives had imprisoned cyber-dissidents. Now more countries do.

[JH]