Ignorance makes the best mind control

The British computer news and tech site TechEye.net is reporting on a recent move by the Saudis to clamp down on publishers of Internet news sites, weblogs, forums, and even personal websites originating from within the country.  Site publishers are required, among other things, to be of good conduct and behavior and hold an appropriate license. The Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information, of course, would issue the license.

TechEye previously reported that China had banned VoIP providers not controlled by the Chinese government, including Skype; the largest and most popular of  the providers.

Keeping the flock in the dark has always been a popular authoritarian tool utilized to maintain order. Where once they burned books, censors around the world have now focused attention on the Internet. Free access to the truth tends to make controlling the flock sometimes very difficult .

Saudi Arabia and China are far from the first to employ censorship as a means of maintaining ignornace. Book burners in this country have been trying it for years, but a little thing called Freedom of Speech has sidetracked them.

Citizens of other countries are not always so fortunate.

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