Egyptian blogger Mohammed Sharkawy, freed after his arrest and torture in 2006. Photo: James Buck Blogging has become an essential tool for campaigners, activists, and social commentators, especially in countries that haven’t traditionally encouraged outspokenness. People who once struggled to get a chance to speak now have a voice. Or at least a platform from which they can shout. But that doesn’t mean the authorities have to like it, and in countries where public protest is actively discouraged, so too is digital dissent. Some, like North Korea, Kazakhstan, and Cuba, have suppressed blog