Thanks to an anonymous source in Pakistan, this blogger author has learned of the country’s determined efforts to win an Orwell award.
Although officially, Pakistani authorities only censor blasphemous content, critics accuse the government of filtering some sites for purely political reasons.
The most recent example is www.rollingstone.com, which was recently blocked because of a small blog post, barely more than a tweet, which makes vague references to Pakistan’s extensive military spending.
Interestingly, this page, which does contain blasphemous content, including caricatures of Muhammad, is totally accessible in Pakistan. This page has been in fact the main driver behind the government’s efforts to block Wikipedia since 2006.
Swing and a miss, Pakistan.
In recent months, conservative forces within the country have moved to intensify internet filtering for reasons ranging from blasphemy and obscenity to national security. However, to date the government has not articulated a clear set of rules regarding internet censorship. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to determine the source and motivation for blockings, and leaves the door open for just this kind of political filtering.