The Uncensored Library, a Refuge for Press Freedom

Minecraft, the game where nearly 130 million players log in every month to create worlds out of blocks, has joined forces with Reporters Without Borders to fight against media censorship.

Jamal Khashoggi, Yulia Berezovskaia, Nguyen Van Dai, Javier Valdez, these are the names of the journalists who have been "banned, imprisoned, exiled or even killed" for doing their job. But on the World Day Against Internet Censorship, Reporters Without Borders joined forces with Minecraft to create a secure virtual place where the younger generation can freely obtain information. More than three months of work, 24 developers from 16 different countries, and 12.5 million blocks were needed to build this "Free Library". Each person who connects to it can have access to more than 200 censored articles in their country of origin.

The NGO has chosen to work with video games, on the one hand to thwart the surveillance technologies of different governments, but also to get closer to young people. "In many countries, there is no free access to information", said Christian Mihr, director of Reporters Without Borders (Germany). "Websites are blocked, the state bans the independent newspapers and controls the press. Young people are growing up without the possibility of forming their own opinions. Through Minecraft, the world's most popular video game, we give them access to independent information."

Objective achieved: This XXL operation to raise awareness of the importance of a free press made a great buzz in the gaming community. 

^{To join the free library online.}