In many countries, the right to tweet is not inalienable, as outright bans, Internet censorship, and media laws restrict what is legally fit to post.
Around the world a specter is haunting governments — the specter of Twitter.
Robert Galbraith / Reuters
While many citizens of the world tweet without a care, the Twittersphere is not as unrestricted as it may appear.
Kacper Pempel / Reuters
In January 2012, Twitter announced that the global network would begin to restrict tweets in specific countries. Previously Twitter removed tweets that broke the network's general rules, or if a government issued a formal request. But this new policy, critics say, enables governments to more easily block access to tweets and Twitter accounts deemed unsavory. (Interestingly, the US, Brazil, and Japan rank among the highest in recent information requests.)
Now, as Twitter goes public, the company will be under greater scrutiny in how it balances a commitment to freedom of expression — and local laws that have the opposite effect.
Handout / Reuters