Internet Gives New Possibilities

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       • Many people don't think that you can get the whole truth from the media. In dictatorships (when someone rules through violence or the threat of violence) you can be sure that you can't!
       • Many people believe more what they hear on the BBC or read online than the information in their own country's media.
       • People living in dictatorships whisper about powerful men's mistakes. If the wrong person hears what they say, they are sent directly to prision.
        • Even in democracies, power has its secrets. Earlier this year, Edward Snowden was in the news. He made public a massive amount of information which the USA wanted to keep secret. (To avoid prision, he fleed to Russia — a land where you reveal Russian secrets at risk to your life.)
       • There is a long tradition of people fighting for free speech. As early as the 18th century, French philosopher Voltaire's thought was:
         I may not agree with you, but I am ready to fight to the death for your right to say it.
       • Nowadays the Internet makes it easier to reveal information that the powers that be want to keep secret, but some countries block sites which spread critical information.