The Information Age and Dictatorships

It used to be that all a dictator had to do to prevent information about atrocities committed in their country from getting out was to control the local media outlets and keep outsiders out. That way only the government's views and opinions were disseminated to the populace. Any information they didn't like was brutally and effectively silenced. Now, with the widespread use of social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc., it's becoming extremely difficult for them to contain said information. Anybody with a cell phone, computer or tablet can be a reporter and let the world know what's going on in their country. Repressive regimes hate social media because it exists outside their country where they can't control it. They can't send secret police squads to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc. and co-opt them or shut them down. In Orwell's book 1984, all information was controlled by the Ministry of Truth. It controlled every form of information and could even alter the historical record to serve its ends. Become an unperson and all record of you and your life gets erased. You not only cease to exist, you never existed in the first place. That's pretty much impossible to do in the real world now. There is no way someone could erase all trace of your existence and make you an unperson. There's also no way anyone can completely contain the flow of information anymore. They can install all the Internet filters they want in order to block searches they don't like. People will just find a way around them. Information wants to be free.