Around the globe, every government knows that the control of information is the key to their power. Although it’s understandable, there is an infringement of human rights which creates this power that governments have. Especially when this control effects the everyday lives of average citizens.

The power harnessed from secrets comes from the sense of doubt that it creates. Should citizens be less doubtful of current ongoings and the future, they would have more power. This has been shown to be true throughout history. From Ghandi, to Martin Luther King, to Jesus of Nazereth, it has been proven how major differences can be made from a less doubtful population. And, our history also states clearly, that governments see this as a major threat.

With the explosion of interest in the internet, governments are trying to get a handle on the readily available abundance of information it contains. Many new media and current event sites have gone online since the start of this year. Also, the addition of bloggers and forums have allowed individuals to spread their ideas, opinions, theories, and verifiable sources of information. Such websites are giving everyday citizens an opportunity to shed light on topics important to society as a whole.

Take uPressed.com for example, a new website which clearly states it’s purpose is for the empowerment of all citizens around the globe. When speaking of governmental control of information, Kristie Lattrell, a spokeswoman for the site, said “When governments operate in secrecy or in violation of true justice, the population should be able to hold them responsible for their actions. A main problem is that the violations(which may seem small) are limited to particular communities, and filtered from the global community. Part of uPressed.com’s theme is to show these ‘smaller’ violations occur far too often, any every citizen can help before it effects yourself or someone close to you.”

Not only are are citizens rights violated by local and federal governments, but local and federal agencies make it a point to prevent this information from being widely known. China, for example, prohibits certain websites and sources of information from being accessed by it’s citizens. Countries which support more of a democratic society, goes to less of an extreme but, controls information to keep individuals from forming social communities. This is the main promoter of doubt, and lack of trust, by citizens for their governments.

And this lack of trust in our government is not unwarranted. Lattrell mentioned the Delta County case where a homeless mother was sentenced to jail for, failure to reimburse the court for her son’s stay at a juvenile detention center. Lattrell said “We need a community that will battle these violations of constitutional and civil, rights. We hope that uPressed.com will be the easily accessible place where all citizens can feel confident that they have support when governments, or anyone, infringes on their rights. Stories such as this should be heard, and each individual can make a difference” to ensure their governments abuse of power is in the open for all to see.

Lattrell made known that this in not the full purpose of the website, but it is what she hopes to be a major part.

Citizens not trusting their government is a global dilemma. It hinders progression and is a direct reason for the recent spur in new media and current event websites. Governments around the globe are harming themselves by keeping citizens in the dark.

Control, Governments, harmful, Information