Studying 40 countries including Palestinian territories, Internet censorship and surveillance group OpenNet Initiative has concluded that at least 25 countries exert extra effort to block Web sites catered to political, social, and pornographic topics. This is a clear indication of Internet’s increasing importance in shaping culture and trends worldwide.

However, the study did not observe the effectiveness of these blocking efforts. Additionally, it did not cover countries like US, Western Europe, North Korea, and Cuba.

Top Countries Blocking Political Sites
China
Iran
Myanmar,
Syria
Tunisia
Vietnam

Top Countries Blocking Porno, Gay, and Lesbian sites
Iran
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

Conversely, researchers discovered there is no filtering in Russia, Israel, and Palestinian territories notwithstanding the political tension surrounding these countries.

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