TY - JOUR
T1 - Push-button-autocracy in Tunisia
T2 - Analysing the role of Internet infrastructure, institutions and international markets in creating a Tunisian censorship regime
AU - Wagner, Ben
PY - 2012/7/1
Y1 - 2012/7/1
N2 - Internet censorship and control have been commonplace in Tunisia since the Internet became available to then public in 1996. It was not until the last days of the Jasmine revolution in January 2011 that the Tunisian government shut down the censorship regime, raising numerous questions about Internet censorship in Tunisia. This article will look at how former Tunisian president Ben Ali was able to shut down the Internet censorship regime within a matter of hours. In order to answer this question, it looks at the history of the Tunisian Internet and its Internet censorship regime, before analysing Internet architecture, Internet institutions, functional differentiation between elements of the regime and the role of international technology markets. Each of these factors contributes to the overall censorship regime and helps understand how former President Ben Ali was able to shutdown Internet censorship within a matter of hours. In conclusion, tracing the genesis of the Tunisian censorship regime may contribute to understanding the role of institutional, architectural and market-based factors in enabling other censorship regimes across the world.
AB - Internet censorship and control have been commonplace in Tunisia since the Internet became available to then public in 1996. It was not until the last days of the Jasmine revolution in January 2011 that the Tunisian government shut down the censorship regime, raising numerous questions about Internet censorship in Tunisia. This article will look at how former Tunisian president Ben Ali was able to shut down the Internet censorship regime within a matter of hours. In order to answer this question, it looks at the history of the Tunisian Internet and its Internet censorship regime, before analysing Internet architecture, Internet institutions, functional differentiation between elements of the regime and the role of international technology markets. Each of these factors contributes to the overall censorship regime and helps understand how former President Ben Ali was able to shutdown Internet censorship within a matter of hours. In conclusion, tracing the genesis of the Tunisian censorship regime may contribute to understanding the role of institutional, architectural and market-based factors in enabling other censorship regimes across the world.
KW - Arab Spring
KW - Freedom of expression
KW - Internet censorship
KW - Internet Freedom
KW - Internet governance
KW - Tunisia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84862182058&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.telpol.2012.04.007
DO - 10.1016/j.telpol.2012.04.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84862182058
SN - 0308-5961
VL - 36
SP - 484
EP - 492
JO - Telecommunications Policy
JF - Telecommunications Policy
IS - 6
ER -