Off the Beaten Track - when Free Opinion collides with Censorship

One of the great things about the world wide web is that it has always been open to everybody and free to use. Because of this, the internet has become for millions around the world the venue to express themselves, share information and use as a versatile learning/research tool.

Being familiar with life in a country under staunch communist dictatorship, however, I also know very well what it means to not have that freedom and face censorship. It becomes ironic then, that in a society that preaches freedom of opinion and free press, websites should moderate reader feedback and enforce a policy of publishing only select information. Websites that by virtue rely on readership and depend heavily on page views for ad revenue.