Censorship has been used by governments and influential groups throughout history as a tool for political and economic gain since ancient times. The Romans believed that censorship was necessary to shape the morals of society to match the ideals of the government. During the 1500s, the Catholic Church prohibited the reading of certain texts contrary to the established religion. At that time, the idea of ​​censorship was viewed differently than it is today. With powerful organizations limiting information, it was often impossible for the average person to obtain literature or hear ideas that deviated from the ideals of the state; she probably didn't even know her information was censored. We live in different times today, information is more easily available and censorship is often seen as a negative practice that limits freedoms. That said, it still exists today and can be considered an obstacle to true democracy. Even some of today's most authoritarian regimes allude to the fact that democracy is desirable. In the EIU's 2012 Democracy Index, North Korea is ranked 167th in terms of the level of democracy (the lowest ranked country in the index). Yet they mention democracy in their country's official name, "Democratic People's Republic of Korea." Those outside of North Korea might view this as some kind of sick joke, but it highlights people's desire for a fair and democratic process across the world. North Korea is an extreme case of lack of democracy, as well as an extreme case of government-imposed censorship, but censorship is not limited to the low end of democracy. It comes in many forms and exists at some level in the majority of countries around the world. This article will describe and analyze......middle of article......urity Numbers in order to participate in online communities. Anonymity is considered one of the fundamental principles that make an open Internet such an important tool for democracy. People at the lowest of the social structure can express their opinions in front of the same audience as someone of high social standing, in short, it's the words that matter more than who they are on the Internet. Internet censorship has played a significant role in politics since the 2002 presidential election. South Korea has strict rules on what can and cannot be said regarding elections and when election campaigning can begin . Fish notes that public figures show that the number of takedown requests and investigations involving Internet censorship has increased over the past 10 years. In his conclusion, Fish attempts to reconcile these conflicts involving one of Asia's most successful democracies.