As far as the “ethics” of accessing restricted sites, I say go for it! As the samizdat pamphlets were the catalysts for the fall of the Iron Curtain, internet freedom will lead to the eventual decline of current totalitarian or authoritarian regimes. We have a responsibility to promote free information sharing — especially within countries and among people without that freedom. Use common safety sense of course, but spreading free speech is the number one way to help people for whom freedom is nothing more than a word in the dictionary. During your travels to restricted countries, we should all tell at least one local how to use a proxy.. even if it’s as simple as leaving an anonymous index card with local-language instructions under the keyboard at an internet cafe. While I’ll respect nearly every local law — some laws deserve no respect. I speak from experience, especially here behind The Great FireWall of China. I’m not posting or writing anything that would be considered “dangerous” here in China, but the danger of surveillance, harassment, deportation or even prison always looms as a possibility.

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and concerning following the rules: in China the censorship is there to create sheep. plain and simple. if you are downloading porn and passing it out in cairo, may the lord have mercy on yer soul, but if yer spreading knowledge, then may the lord light yer path.

peace
sascha (i am not a religious dude, i just love biblical language)

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Thanks for your use of my software application in your tips you offered. I’m happy to see people are recognizing it and recommending it to others!

However, I would like to suggest to not download PortableTor from torrent sites. As the developer of this package, I can only guarantee PortableTor is a safe package if it comes from the project’s main Sourceforge site, http://portabletor.sf.net.

I recommend people go there for PortableTor if they are interested, instead of using torrent sites for it.

Thanks for your understanding, and thanks for the article!,

Steve Morley
Silivrenion
Developer of PortableTor
http://portabletor.sf.net

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I think the key difference here is, internet censorship is pure, modern state control. It has nothing to do with a place’s traditions, whereas dress codes – arguably, though you could make an argument for them being pure patriarchal control – are more culturally grounded.

Not that I’d necessarily have the guts to do it, but bypassing these controls to bring the truth about these sorts of places to the world via your blog, or to access the truth about the rest of the world while you’re there via the BBC or whatever – that’s quite likely a good thing.

Anyhow, I don’t think there should be a rule about not checking the news when you travel. The world continues to turn… There’s no point becoming ignorant about it just because you’re on holiday.

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I don’t like censorship, but I’m lucky to be in a country where I can get riled about it. (For example, if we had more access to other ways of looking at pre-war Iraq, we may have a more manageable situation instead of what we’ve got now…) But you’re right, you can’t assume when you go someplace else that you have the same liberties.

You take a big risk when you break some of these laws: Midnight Cowboy comes to mind, and it’s mild compared to Sharia law. If you decide certain laws cramp your lifestyle – and everyone does, or should – you invite the consequences. Still, it’s your life. Just be careful…

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