Jordan’s media censor themselves and avoid subjects that are implicitly off limits. It is not unusual for stories to be written and then get spiked by wary editors. Journalists are subject to close surveillance by the intelligence services and must be affiliated to the state-controlled Jordanian Press Association. The authorities have stepped up control, especially over the Internet, since 2012, when the press and publications law was overhauled. Hundreds of websites have been blocked since 2013, mostly on the grounds that they have no licence. Under the 2015 cyber-crime law, articles published in online newspapers and social network posts by citizen-journalists can be punishable by jail sentences and can constitute grounds for pre-trial detention. Security grounds are often used to prosecute and sometimes jail journalists under an extremely vague terrorism law. Gag orders issued by the media commission restrict the public debate and limit journalists’ access to information on sensitive issues.