reaction 2 - Internet and democracy in Morocco: A force for change and an instrument for repression

Dr. Zaid Bouziane’s article suggests that the media is an essential part of the process of democratization. Part of what constitutes a democracy is transparency, meaning that citizens have complete access to information on how the government works in order to be held accountable by them. The way that citizens are able to get information is through the media, which confirms the important role it plays in a democracy.

In Morocco, the fact that the traditional media is state-controlled, or at least state-regulated, prevent media in Morocco from being the tool of democratization.

The Internet in Morocco is another story. It is not heavily regulated, or at least not as strictly as regular media, which means that Moroccans can enjoy a certain degree of freedom and access to information that they would never get on television or on the radio. The Internet has thus made it easier for Moroccans to be activists and express their opinions online. As far as being a tool for change, it is successful, but on a small scale. As Dr. Bouziane says, the internet was useful to Moroccans in creating a debate and movement after the Arab Spring, which succeeded in implementing new reforms in the country. But these reforms did not really change the status quo, and did not reduce the power of the King in any way, meaning that in reality activists on the Internet have made much less impact than what was hoped.

The Internet is heavily surveyed by the Moroccan government. Bouziane mentions that the Moroccan government is in possession of powerful spy software that are capable of surveying encrypted data online. Whether they use it actively or not is in question, but Bouziane mentions that a prominent Moroccan activist, Hisham Almiraat, was the victim of a cyber attack that could have only been orchestrated through an expensive, top-of-the-line software much like the owns that Morocco owns, and that are too expensive and sophisticated for the general public. For all these reasons, I think that the Internet is never going to be free and democratic as long as Morocco remains a non-democratic state and continues to use non-democratic repression tactics.

But on a positive note, the Internet continues to be an effective way for most Moroccans to enjoy a significant amount of freedom and flow of information that is free of government interference.

Bouziane, Zaid. “Internet and democracy in Morocco: A force for change and an instrument for repression”. Media and Democratization: Global Media and Communication. 2016. P.1-18. Web.