xerocracy
n. A society in which censorship is so pervasive that the only way to disseminate information is via photocopied documents and newsletters that have be written clandestinely; rule by whoever feels like doing the photocopying.
Etymology
Examples
1994
The latest group to practice 'Xerocracy' are 153 Iranian writers, poets, filmmakers and dramatists who have just published a letter calling for "a total, immediate and unconditional end to censorship."
—Bizhan Torabi, “Dissent in Iran finds an ally in photocopying machines,” Deutsche Presse-Agentur, October 25, 1994
1993
CHRIS CARLSSON, Bicyclist: We call it a xerocracy, and anybody who wants to make a point of view or tell a story or get a map out of where they want us to go, is in the same position to just make it and [copy] it, 150 copies, 250, 500."
—“Critical Mass Takes Over Streets of San Francisco,” CNN, August 30, 1993
1988 (earliest)
The Shah's censorship turned Iran into a Xerocracy of underground broadsheets, which set the tone for the press after the revolution that removed the Shah in 1979.
—“The Persian news that's fit to print,” The Economist, October 15, 1988
Notes
Xerox® is a trademark of Xerox Corporation.
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