• OPINION
  • October 10, 2012, 7:35 p.m. ET

The Conceit of Internet Control

Governments that treat the Web as a threat may be putting economic development at risk.

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BY CHRISTOPHER M. SCHROEDER

Amid all the recent news from the Middle East, here's some you might have missed: Jordan last month amended its already restrictive press-and-publications law to include Internet firms and organizations. The move risks chilling business development in what had been a promising site of economic progress in a changing region.

Jordan's new legislation (passed by parliament and signed by the king) will, among other things, hold online news sites accountable for comments left by readers, require the sites to archive all such comments, and force them to obtain licenses from the government or risk being shut down. This for a ...

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