Editing Telecommunications in Peru (section)

===Internet censorship and surveillance===

In 2011 the [[OpenNet Initiative]] reported no evidence of Internet filtering in all areas (political, social, conflict/security, and Internet tools) for which it tests.<ref name=ONISS-Sep2013>[http://opennet.net/research/data "Summarized global Internet filtering data spreadsheet"], OpenNet Initiative, 20 September 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.</ref>

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or credible reports that the government monitors [[e-mail]] or Internet [[chat rooms]] without appropriate legal authority.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Peru>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2013&dlid=220465 "Peru"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 11 March 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.</ref> Individuals and groups engage in the free expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail. The chief impediment to Internet access is a lack of infrastructure.

The constitution provides for [[freedom of speech]] and [[Freedom of the press|press]], and the government generally respects these rights. Generally, an independent press and a functioning democratic political system combine to promote freedom of speech and press. A number of journalists and media outlets report experiencing threats or intimidation. Some observers claim that media outlets [[self-censorship|self-censor]] for fear of harassment or violence. The Press and Society Institute (IPYS) reports that the aggressors are often government officials (e.g., mayors, heads of government offices, regional presidents). The penal code criminalizes [[libel]], and officials reportedly use it to intimidate reporters. The law designates all information about national security and defense as secret. Press freedom activists and local NGOs, such as IPYS, criticized the law as an attack on [[Transparency (behavior)|transparency]], [[freedom of information]], and freedom of the press.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Peru/>

In October 2013 the government passed a cybercrimes law designed to combat [[data sharing]] and the illegal access of information. The Press and Society Institute (IPYS) and other local NGOs criticized the law as legally ambiguous and argued that it could be used broadly to target journalists and limit freedom of the press.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Peru/>