Topic: Censorship of the Internet
Country: Morocco
Delegate Name: Kevin Phillips
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Morocco position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
In such an age of technological growth, the plethora of information made available is simply astonishing. By simply utilizing the internet one has a nearly unlimited access to online materials. This is both a blessing and a curse.
The Kingdom of Morocco recognizes the importance of information made available for personal and educational means. With the help of the government, headed by King Mohammed VI, the government has made great strides in making reforms within Morocco's social and political sectors. Regarding internet, Morocco is considered to maintain one of the highest degrees of connectivity in Africa. Internet service is overall becoming more reliable and accessible to Moroccans with Morocco now offering the cheapest DCL access in Africa. The amount of internet users in Morocco is growing considerably with about 10.3 million users in 2008. The blogosphere in Morocco continues to flourish with over 10,000 blogs posted.
The Kingdom of Morocco continues to push for freedoms within the newly founded internet system. This information is vital to the growth and education of future generations. However, this freedom needs to also be guarded in order to protect the sovereignty of Morocco. With the unfortunate buildup of terrorism since the major terrorist attack in Casablanca in May 2003, it is become a necessity to filter the internet. Potential terrorist threats have become prevalent within recent years, and the threat of these events now utilize the internet to fulfill their destructive means. It is necessary then to monitor and censor potential threats to Morocco at large. The anti terrorism law helps decrease these threats by censoring websites that "disrupt public order by intimidation, force, violence, fear or terror." This legislation allows the government of Morocco to successfully monitor and quench potential threats.
In addition to terror threats, the internet must be monitored in order to safeguard the positions and policies of Morocco. Such derogatory statements regarding Morocco's monarch and Morocco's occupancy of Western Sahara undermine the government's authority and effectiveness within Morocco.
The Kingdom of Morocco would recommend the information within the internet to be readily available to citizens as long as the information is monitored to ensure it doesn't incite violence or defile the sovereignty of nations. Should the ability to censor cease, slanderous and otherwise destructive content would become a prevalent danger to Morocco's government and Moroccans themselves. Morocco strongly favors each sovereign nation's ability to censor the internet for security purposes.
