Abstract
The article explores the extent to which the future of democracy in Morocco is healthier with the Internet as the primary means by which people create a public sphere where they communicate and form public opinion. A study on digital media in Morocco was carried out to examine the emergence of new media platforms and the impact of digitization on democracy and journalists’ activity. The study relies on in-depth interviews with digital activists and online journalists. The study found that the Internet had created a dynamic and networked public space where lively debates can take place on many issues still considered off-limits to mainstream media. It has also been used as a tool for nascent political movements to organize and mobilize supporters across the country, particularly in the context of the ongoing Arab Spring. Morocco was spared from the draconian measures used in other authoritarian countries and the Internet was relatively free. The February 20 Movement in 2011, the Amina Filali campaign in 2012, the Daniel Gate case in 2013 and the Free Ali Anouzla campaign are all significant moments of victory that relied on social media for political mobilization. However, with the surveillance technology available and its use justified (since the most democratic countries such as the United States and France use it), the state is clamping down on Internet freedom. In the past, the government controlled the online information landscape through a series of restrictive laws that can be manipulated to serve political purposes. Today, activists and journalists identify surveillance as the most dangerous instrument in the hands of the regime. The regime has learned to use the empowering potential of the Internet to serve its own repressive agenda.
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