In recent years, debates about freedom of expression have become increasingly common, both on social networks and in the mainstream media. In the Western world, this type of discussion seemed to have been outdated a long time ago. Any democracy has included in its basic rights the freedom of expression by all its inhabitants. But there are always limits, which have to do with insults, grievances, offenses and defamations against the good name of other people, groups or associations. For example, it is common for there to be a special crime of offense against religious sentiment, which can affect those who criticize the faith of other people. In Muslim countries, this crime can even cost life. Freedom of expression is, on paper, absolute, and is also protected by the highest courts. However, when push comes to shove, censorship is the order of the day, especially in certain regimes. Content censorship can be used as an ideological, political or even religious weapon.
Those in power have the opportunity to stop certain types of statements, or to skew the content, to prevent their dissemination. It happens with those publications that can hurt feelings, or also with pornography, a content that, according to some countries, can be harmful to their traditions and customs. The porn industry has not stopped growing since it was definitively established at the end of the 60s, and with the Internet it has experienced a new golden age. It has never been so easy to access so much different content, for all tastes, from any electronic device. However, there are countries that see this type of scene as something dangerous, and censor it by blocking web pages. Internet censorship is a serious problem in certain nations, as Amnesty International has pointed out in numerous reports. This bias has to do with information contrary to the regimes that censor it, but also with this type of content that can be considered subversive. The most surprising thing is that among the countries that have come to prohibit porn web pages there are also some Western ones and supposedly very advanced ones.
Egypt
We start with north Africa, an area that has experienced turbulent times in the last decade. Egypt has been one of the countries most affected by political and ideological changes in recent years, from failed revolutions to changes in government. Currently, like many other Muslim-majority countries, Egypt prohibits the dissemination of pornography, but also its possession in certain cases.
In fact, most of the big porn platforms are blocked in the country, with Internet censorship that is very worrying. As is often the case in these cases, Egyptians turn to VPNs and other alternative systems to bypass such blocks and be able to access censored content. In Egypt, moreover, the production of pornography is a serious crime that can carry very heavy penalties.
Iran
Another of the countries where religion has managed to impose its own law is Iran. After the fall of the previous regime and the arrival of the United States, the situation seemed to become somewhat lighter, but in a few years everything has gone backwards again. In fact, Internet censorship is a more than proven fact in the Middle Eastern country, with sites like Youtube, Facebook or Instagram blocked for years.
Pornographic pages have also been among the first to fall under this censorship, since the Iranian government considers them contrary to Islamic morality. The Internet is, in fact, a thrown weapon of the government towards its people, generating cuts and blackouts when Iranians take to the streets to protest. The control of information through these tools is essential for power, thus safeguarding a regime that does not hesitate to ignore human rights day in and day out.
North Korea
Probably the most hermetic country in the world, where the Internet is directly a luxury that almost no one can access. In fact, many North Koreans are not even up to date with what this technological advancement entails. The most curious thing is that within the law itself, the possession of pornography, in any format, is strictly prohibited in North Korea.
The military regime of this republic is in charge of filtering all the information that reaches the population, and skews any type of stimulus that goes beyond what they control. The situation remains the same as a few decades ago, even though the country itself speaks of a certain openness. Most of the population lives in a bubble of ignorance regarding the outside world, and those who manage to get out of that bubble try to cross the border to South Korea, where the real world begins for them.
Cuba
A nation that is reluctant to abandon its principles of the middle of the last century. A country that is experiencing progress, but not enough to stop being a dark place where the locals starve because of their government. The authoritarianism of the Cuban government is unquestionable and is reflected in the censorship and persecution of opponents, who on many occasions have no choice but to flee the country.
Cuba has Internet connections, but censors and even punishes the distribution of pornography, although not its possession. This means that there are ways to get to that erotic content, both online and in physical format. In fact, the latest studies suggest that young Cubans are consuming more and more pornography, despite the fact that the country is trying to eliminate it. In fact, there are people producing amateur porn on the island, both local and foreign, although always behind the back of the regime, to avoid reprisals.
Iceland
Probably the most surprising country to see on this island. Far from all of the above, both due to its democracy and its own geographical location, Iceland is a very special case within the censorship of porn. It is a practically isolated country, with six months of darkness a year, where barely 300,000 people live and where there is practically no crime. In fact, the growth in crimes of sexual violence has led the government to test certain laws that include the censorship of erotic content on the Internet.
By blocking pornographic sites, the Icelandic authorities try to prevent young people in the country from accessing explicit content too early. They are measures of authentic censorship, although covered with concern for a more serious situation. Currently, blocking pages only works in certain cases, but it is true that the precedent of Iceland could be a turning point in Europe. In the European Parliament, suggestions of the same type have already been heard for the entire Old Continent, although for now they have always been dismissed.