1
As long as there has been information, there have been individuals and organizations who have tried to limit the access or even censor that information. This, unfortunately, will continue. With the Internet, we have seen a boom in not only the number of people learning and discovering new things, but also those producing and sharing. It’s a wonderful piece of technology that makes our lives richer and more diverse. It has also been a leading force in bringing the world closer together. Events from distant areas around the globe don’t stay there anymore. They are in our living rooms, our offices and our pockets. It has revolutionized the way we communicate, create and consume. It can really be considered the backbone of globalization.

Censorship and propaganda are blatant attempts to rob enlightened world citizens of their rights. Deutsche Welles’ values are based on openness, tolerance, diversity and respect – a set of democratic principles that have helped define civil society over centuries. By giving people – everyone – the right to access information, we are giving them the right to choose. The right to form their own opinion, mobilize, and participate. The Internet and digital communication has simplified how we operate. There is more active participation, community involvement and interest in political decision-making processes. And this is a good thing – it’s what will ultimately make democracy a richer and more encompassing process.

It is more important than ever to deliver uncensored information to those who don’t enjoy the freedom of opinion and freedom of the press at home. Outernet strives to provide this open access to everyone around the world. We share those values. As a partner, we will accompany Outernet over the next few months and provide them with practical support in their test phase. This undertaking by Outernet could represent one of several ways to combat limited net neutrality and Internet censorship – for example in Africa and parts of Asia. Only time will tell, if this will be successful, but we are happy to collaborate along the way in this grand experiment in global information equality.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://blog.outernet.is/2014/07/deutsche-welle-announces-content.html
2

Needless to say, we are very excited to have Deutsche Welle as a launch partner.

3

This is great news!
As Germans we have created and seen more than our fair share of information manipulation/blackout.
Outernet is a worthwhile endeavor to continue the road of freedom, democracy and world wide connectiveness!