Censorship of the Internet - Essay Example

Censorship of the internet Name: Instructor: Date: Introduction Internet can be defined as the fastest growing form of mass communication and spreading of info globally. It is used in the distribution of large amounts of information at a relatively cheaper cost. Censorship can be defined as any action relatively taken by a particular society in order to control full access of crucial ideas and info. Restriction of access to important data is a move that can greatly benefit the entire society. Through control of pornographic contents in the internet, children are less probable to get ruined by this content. By restricting particular content from reaching people through the internet, many are protected from vulgar information and materials. For instance, some individuals would debate that the entire society must restrict various materials that might be insulting to particular religion or race in order to maintain harmony in the society. Therefore, censorship of the internet is viewed as a method of protecting fragments of the society or rather the entire society from offensive materials or information found in the internet. Many people do not find it possible to acknowledge the fact that revolution in technology (Internet) has led to emergence of freedom in information systems. It ranges from freedom of expression to freedom of information delivery online. Actually, this is a true and real radical transformation that has assisted in knitting various societies, communities and races- worldwide- into one being. However, in various societies, the free movement, or rather exchange and flow of information is viewed as a thorough threat by the governments of a number of nations. Therefore, these countries have imposed an intensive internet censorship that regulates or limits the free flow of information through jamming, filtering, tracing and monitoring the info that is being spread online. Censorship of the internet has reached the heights where many individuals who use the internet are subjected to scrutiny by authorities that have exposed their privacy with an excuse of official coercion. The intensive response to the cyberspace limitations has made internet censorship to become the most debatable topic in a number of discourses in academics, legislations, media and political concepts. More of these debates have pushed many scholars into investigating the censorship of the internet from two different perspectives, the libertarian and regulation perspectives. This article is going to discuss a number of issues related to how the cyberspace control activities is some places whereas in others it seems to be detrimental. It focuses on various facets that are important to the society. These factors include morals that guide pornographic materials that are extremely important in protection of children and minors from perverse exposures ( Kahin & Nesson, 1997). Similarly, this paper elaborates the context of criminals and unregulated use of the internet in leaking of sensitive data. It portrays how restriction of internet content can be a key to getting rid of or rather controlling this. Many individuals have been asking whether it is sensible or not for a government to protect sensible and useful information from reaching the unauthorized hands. A part from that, this article attempts to deeply explain how internet censoring is utilized by authorities to trample freedom of speech and expression in the society. Moreover, this encourages many repressive governments to deny the citizens their democratic rights. This debate will not come to any ultimate conclusion but this paper weighs both sides of the debate in order to enable a good resilient response by the citizens that are crucial in regulations of cyberspace and censorship. Benefits of Internet Censorship to the Society Control of unregulated freedom believers (cyber-libertarians) One principal reason to why authorities must enhance censorship of the internet is that this facet is extremely critical and debatable when it comes to the idea of internet privacy and national security. Those individuals who believe in complete freedom of internet information state that protocols in internet communications and online networking of a number of social sites creates various challenges in the societies in form of political factors. Moreover, they also argue that since the internet smears the perception of a given place or location, the nation remains in not stable position to exercise control in line with full legitimate terms. Thus, cyber-libertarians argue that whenever there is a free flow of some sensible information via the internet, the result will be creation of obsolete traditional and political institutions (Dyson, 1994). The ideals of cyber-libertarians’ foundation of argument attempts to shade some light on the revolution of the internet that is beyond full regulation of the governments and various political organizations. The base of the entire argument is an assumption of threats from the relevant or rather national authorities and the contention that the national sovereignty is based on the country’s physical boundaries that make the cyberspace be exempted from jurisdiction. Full internet freedom implies that internet users are free to move from one place to another and make choices on the rightful and most appropriate regulatory regimes that go in line with their needs and motives. So, it is extremely crucial for nation’s security or authorities to try and modify their local regulatory bodies in order to completely curb the internet freedom that is open to users. This ensures that there are no threats to national integrity and securityauthorities. It requires some stable command to come up with a functional regulatory system that practices full control over the internet information traffic or rather the cyber space. Such conventions that work on the crimes in the internet provides the country with the appropriate control via censorship, for example tracing and monitoring, so as to protect sovereignty of the nation and stabilize the security. Protection of minors from unreasonable exposure In the current society, young people or rather minors have access to the information displayed on the internet. The internet restriction for young children is always criticized by the followers proposing laws for free speeches and expression. Other individuals favor internet regulations considering the fact that it is very immoral to let young people get exposed to obscene or unreasonable content. For instance, USA government together with the States’ authorities, have censored a number of materials (pornography) to young people (Miller, 2000). Easy and quick access to the porn content from the internet is a principal concern where stable regulatory practices such as censorship works best for the interest the youth and minors. These materials are all over the internet, not only via the global webpages but also through various platforms such as the Usenet Newsgroups. Moreover, a number of online channels enable visual live sexual acts together with more unreasonable indulgence. With this wide dissemination of networks, the internet has a tough basic challenge for regulation and governance of its contents (Gollies, 2012). Therefore, censorship via thorough legislations deal with particular problems such as circulation of pornographic content and assists in addressing diverse challenges of worldwide cyberspace that lack borders. For example, in the United Kingdom, there is an act or rather a law that works as a chief regulator in the suppression of online pornography. In the first section of the ACT, it is stated that whichever content that tends to corrupt or rather deprave the mind of persons likely to make use of that information, would be believed to be obscene and it will be denied the right to be disseminated or published. In Australia, the government has come up with a system referred to as “clean feed” that is compulsory for every home, learning institutions and public places. This move is aimed at implementing internet censorship. It works in a way that the service providers filter every prohibited website and deny access. This has functioned effectively in terms of protecting young children from accessing inappropriate material online (Barlow, 1996). Therefore, censorship is an effective way to protect the society from exposure to unreasonable and obscene materials in the internet. Self- regulated steps in restriction of obscene content often do not work in the interest of the society, thus more strict and stable measures such as censorship works best in regulation. Detrimental Impacts of Internet Censorship Censorship Impacts Negatively on Human Rights This is very much pronounced in countries such as Iran and China. In these nations, different censorship measures are implemented in order to regulate internet access. These measures might include extreme exercises such as surveillance to thorough harassment and conviction of individuals found using the internet. In addition, these nations involve various external internet providers to assist them apply this kind of censorship measures. The service providers do this in line with the governing law of these States so as to maintain their clients. For instance, Yahoo has been highlighted as one of the companies that have been assisting China in identification of information about various users so as the government can track them down and make arrests of individuals who make or post inappropriate information on the internet. Besides, Human Rights have charged two large internet companies (Google and Yahoo) for getting rid of sensitive information from their search engines (Addis, 2011). Regimes that repress their citizens, with an excuse of censorship, are said to be practicing alteration of information and enhancing propagandas in the internet. Nations such as Saudi Arabia and China are grouped under one umbrella that uses inappropriate filtering of information from the internet in an extremely strict manner in circumstances such as unrests among civilians. The filtering occurs on major blogging cites such as Facebook, Twitter and other famous and most used social websites. All these are moves to totally suppress agitation and revolutions that are against authoritarian and repressive leadership globally through the internet. A good example of a country that engages in such is Syria. Civilians got used to opposing the world of Arabs through the internet. Analysis according to statistics indicates that one out of every three to five peoples are restricted from the access of information from the internet. More than fifty nations globally have been engaging in censorship through tools such as filtering and harassment of civilians (Reporters Without Borders, 2011). Censorship tampers with the right of free speech Since time immemorial, the internet has been evolving as a tool or rather a place that provided a platform for free and unregulated expression of ideas across the world. Thus, it is among the most valuable and efficient technological innovation that has been operational in bringing individuals together from diverse races, backgrounds and professional bodies, with an aim of effecting communication. However, the increased dissemination of information in the internet spread lots of indecent materials that made various governments to come up with censorship strategies that would deny people access or rather use of internet sources. In the process of this move, authorities hampered the interests and general rights of people whose information was decent and rightfully deserved display in the internet. Hence, this damaged the freedom and exclusive rights of expression for individual with educative and clean motives (Leatherman, 1999). Internet censorship used as repression tool Many countries suppress decent revolutions for freedom through various repressive measures. This is achieved by blocking all the possible avenues that can be used by persons to express themselves freely. Internet evolution has enabled many persons to post their opinions about issues and reviews on statements and activities in their countries. Thus, many governments keep a track of internet traffic on exchange of information and establish surveillance of the internet users. One chief reason for censorship in the entire context is to avert extremely critical data from reaching the public. Here is where the users of the internet are arrested, punished and imprisoned because of exercising freedom of expression (Amnesty International reports on cyber-dissidents, 2004). Precisely, governments are using the internet as a tool for repression through censorship by restricting and monitoring information, thus placing some limitations to the basic rights of individuals. This not only prevents civilians of a given country of accessing particular information, but it also restricts other countries from sourcing some relevant data about specific nations. Conclusion In conclusion, human rights body globally suggests that there should be an establishment of a basic right that offers individuals with an opportunity to receive and post information on the internet. Moreover, this exclusive right is going to be applicable in not only to the data or ideas received by people, but also to the bit of offensive expression aimed at opposing or compromising the morals or laws of the nation, society or a selected population. In the current world, the internet is one of the biggest, easiest and cheapest modes with diverse or intensive information that can be access globally regardless of physical borders. Therefore, introduction of censorship to the information in the web would simply lead to suppression of the human’s most fundamental right. This would easily promote repression of individuals or rather civilians in countries (Farid, 2012). However, when we consider the other side of censorship, it tends to protect young children from exposure to unreasonably dirty materials or content, curbs crime existing online and sustains national security and integrity. It is extremely important for security bodies to be transparent in this process of sieving the information that is destined to reach the internet. This is only possible when the words, expressions and phrases that are being filtered and monitored are made public in order to provide an open and a fair argument on the implication. Hence, the users of the internet will neither be repressed nor harassed by authorities. References Addis, C.L., (2011). U.S. Initiatives to Promote Global Internet Freedom: Issues, Policy, and Technology. Congressional Research Service Report for Congress. United States.  Barlow, J.P. ( 1996). “One Man’s Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.” February 8, 1996. Bradbury, D. (2011). Routing around Censorship. Network Security, Volume 2011, Issue 5, May 2011, Pp 5-8. Dubin, C., (2001). Censorship and Transgresses Art. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001, Pp 1588-1592. Dyson, E., Gilder, G., Keyworth, G., and Toffler, A. (1994). Cyberspace and the American Dream: A Magna Carta for the Knowledge Age. Gillies, A., (2012). Internet regulation and censorship, Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics (Second Edition), 2012,Pp 752-759. Hunter, P., (2004). BT's bold pioneering child porn block wins plaudits amid internet censorship concerns . Computer Fraud & Security, Volume 2004, Issue 9,September 2004, Pp 4-5. Farid, S., (2012). Free and Open Source Software versus content filtering and censorship: A case study. Journal of Systems and Software, Vol 85, Iss 4,April 2012, pp 920-931. Kahin B. & Nesson, C., (1997). (eds) Borders in Cyberspace: Information Policy and the Global Information Infrastructure, (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1997). Leatherman, B. (1999). Internet Censorship and the Freedom of Speech. American University. Washington, DC. Miller, C.T.,( 2000). Censoring the Internet. Individual Research Project.Cambrodge. Osen, J,( 1997), Something there is that doesn't love a wall: censorship and communications decency act — part 1. Computer Fraud & Security, Vol 1997, Iss 6, June 1997, Pp 15-19. Reporters without Borders, (2011). Internet Enemies. For Press Freedom. Oxford University press.   . Read More

Benefits of Internet Censorship to the Society Control of unregulated freedom believers (cyber-libertarians) One principal reason to why authorities must enhance censorship of the internet is that this facet is extremely critical and debatable when it comes to the idea of internet privacy and national security. Those individuals who believe in complete freedom of internet information state that protocols in internet communications and online networking of a number of social sites creates various challenges in the societies in form of political factors.

Moreover, they also argue that since the internet smears the perception of a given place or location, the nation remains in not stable position to exercise control in line with full legitimate terms. Thus, cyber-libertarians argue that whenever there is a free flow of some sensible information via the internet, the result will be creation of obsolete traditional and political institutions (Dyson, 1994). The ideals of cyber-libertarians’ foundation of argument attempts to shade some light on the revolution of the internet that is beyond full regulation of the governments and various political organizations.

The base of the entire argument is an assumption of threats from the relevant or rather national authorities and the contention that the national sovereignty is based on the country’s physical boundaries that make the cyberspace be exempted from jurisdiction. Full internet freedom implies that internet users are free to move from one place to another and make choices on the rightful and most appropriate regulatory regimes that go in line with their needs and motives. So, it is extremely crucial for nation’s security or authorities to try and modify their local regulatory bodies in order to completely curb the internet freedom that is open to users.

This ensures that there are no threats to national integrity and securityauthorities. It requires some stable command to come up with a functional regulatory system that practices full control over the internet information traffic or rather the cyber space. Such conventions that work on the crimes in the internet provides the country with the appropriate control via censorship, for example tracing and monitoring, so as to protect sovereignty of the nation and stabilize the security. Protection of minors from unreasonable exposure In the current society, young people or rather minors have access to the information displayed on the internet.

The internet restriction for young children is always criticized by the followers proposing laws for free speeches and expression. Other individuals favor internet regulations considering the fact that it is very immoral to let young people get exposed to obscene or unreasonable content. For instance, USA government together with the States’ authorities, have censored a number of materials (pornography) to young people (Miller, 2000). Easy and quick access to the porn content from the internet is a principal concern where stable regulatory practices such as censorship works best for the interest the youth and minors.

These materials are all over the internet, not only via the global webpages but also through various platforms such as the Usenet Newsgroups. Moreover, a number of online channels enable visual live sexual acts together with more unreasonable indulgence. With this wide dissemination of networks, the internet has a tough basic challenge for regulation and governance of its contents (Gollies, 2012). Therefore, censorship via thorough legislations deal with particular problems such as circulation of pornographic content and assists in addressing diverse challenges of worldwide cyberspace that lack borders.

For example, in the United Kingdom, there is an act or rather a law that works as a chief regulator in the suppression of online pornography. In the first section of the ACT, it is stated that whichever content that tends to corrupt or rather deprave the mind of persons likely to make use of that information, would be believed to be obscene and it will be denied the right to be disseminated or published.

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