Censoring Electronic Communications

[From article]
"When the Egyptian secret police can purchase Western technology that allows them to eavesdrop on the Skype calls of dissidents, it seems unlikely that American and European intelligence agencies have no means of listening the calls of, say, a loner in Norway.

We tolerate such drastic proposals only because acts of terror briefly deprive us of the ability to think straight. We are also distracted by the universal tendency to imagine technology as a liberating force; it keeps us from noticing that governments already have more power than is healthy.
[. . .]
After violent riots in 2009, Chinese officials had no qualms about cutting off the Xinjiang region's Internet access for 10 months.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903918104576502214236127064.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_Top

AUGUST 13, 2011
Repressing the Internet, Western-Style
As politicians call for more online controls after London and Norway, authoritarian states are watching
By EVGENY MOROZOV