Disadvantages of Mandatory Internet Filtering - Essay Example

Disadvantages of Mandatory Internet Filtering researchers, business establishments or almost anyone nowadays rely on the internet for information. The society uses it to cope up with the neverending changes in our lives and today’s fast paced life. The internet has been very efficient and helpful in providing information in just a few seconds. We can imagine what will happen with limited information around. Downloading videos, images or text documents can be very helpful for further studies. Materials like these can also mean a great deal in public awareness. In order for the government to minimize unwanted situations and negative issues, they should let the people be aware of what’s going on and how the act is being performed. Through this, the people will know what they’re dealing with and will be able to create preventive measures on their own. Filtering of information can be considered as taking away a person’s right to get knowledge and learn from that information. With the filtering act, getting materials and information needed for studies and prevention, say for example child pornography and terrorism, will be limited, or even restricted. Access to the sites related to these extreme actions, including violence and sex, will allow people to figure out how to deal with these social problems and even eliminate it. Everyone has the right to know and learn, but if the public can only access limited information, people will crave for more to get the information and might result to more law violations and criminal acts. Even the rarest of the law that has ever been passed or implemented had violations on record, and since almost every person on earth is aware about the existence of internet and how materials for any reason can be accessed through it, people would still try to find a way to access it and obtain that information. With the technology nowadays, there are always means and ways to hack accounts. And the more restriction put into accessing certain websites would result to more incidents of hacking and infiltration. Aside from this, since the filtering act is a government project, the government may and can actually restrict information that would expose the bad side of the government. (Australia to Implement, 2008). Aside from television, radios and newspapers, the internet is also a reliable source to get information in current events. A lot of things happen in the government everyday and words spread faster in the internet. With the filtering act, the government can actually sort out information that they don’t want the public to know. The act may say that it only aims to filter unwanted sites like pornography and sites that may contain acts of terrorism but the possibility of the government filtering information that may bring public awareness can also be restricted (Australia to Implement, 2008). The public always has a need to know. And the public would always want to know and find out things that are kept hidden from them. Expression of one’s self is important. This is associated with one’s right to freely express themselves through speech and thoughts. With the filtering act around, the government may also filter blog sites where people can speak freely and say what they have in mind, where people share their personal opinions and suggestions on an issue or topic that may concern the government, community, families, people and even the world. Not everybody gets to be heard, and with the filtering act implemented, who knows how people can tell what they have in mind. This may even limit freedom of expression. The filtering act is limited to banning websites and links related to child pornography, graphic visualization of sex and violence and terrorism. However, it doesn’t take into consideration file sharing and similar forms of getting information from someone else at the other side of the globe, like personal emails and traditional letters. Given all of these, the filtering act has its limitations, and the spread and access of information to these areas is still not completely eliminated. Advantages of Mandatory Filtering of Internet Content However, the filtering act also has upsides. With the continuous flow of information in the Internet, the act of filtering sites that carry violent and pornographic content is a caring way for the interest of the children and women. Sites that carry these kinds of materials can also lead to prostitution and other illegal activities. As the years go by, law violators also coped up with the change taking their actions and transactions through the internet. And one good example is prostitution. Everyone, nowadays, know how prostitution is made possible through the internet. Paid sites provide pornography entertainment that often leads to child pornography and child prostitution. And a large number of poor families and women are abused and exploited on these sites. The filtering act is one big leap for the government to protect women and child rights from exploitation and abuse. A lot of these sites have an option for visitors to upload materials. And with it, countless lives and families around the world have been ruined because of people who intentionally upload videos or images that results to shame and embarrassment of the individual in the uploaded material. The filtering act limits and restricts access to information that the government deems to be potentially dangerous. This can be used greatly for monitoring people’s access to immoral and suggestive materials that may cause a person to destroy himself, his environment or other people around him. With filters on these kinds of information, the Internet will be a safer place. Each person will be provided with a sense of security that international communication and information database is safe from prejudice, discrimination and similar derogatory materials that may damage a person’s dignity and self-respect. The filtering act also minimizes the possibility of fraud since there are (banned) sites that asks for the information of the person, including credit card numbers, for them to be able to view the entire site. Personal information, nowadays, is a valuable information anyone can obtain. Aside from fraud, personal information, when misused, can also destroy a person’s credibility. Personal information like sexual preference, educational attainment, family background, credit standing and more may lead to discrimination when published without consent. The filtering act manages to make a great deal in minimizing the possibilities of these information to be used in illegitimate and illegal acts. We all know that children can be easily be influenced with the information around them. Due to the advancement of development and technology, even kids these days can access the internet. War and acts of terrorism videos, images, audios and text are all available in the internet. And being exposed to these materials at a very young age may have a great impact on how they respond in the future. They can be amused and get in to it. And they may think that that war, violence or acts of terrorism is just another day-to-day activity and that it’s natural that someone results to rage when misunderstood. The filtering act minimizes the access of these said materials for children, young adults and adults alike. The information filtered is a restraint from having ideas on how to implement these acts. Another advantage of filtering sites is minimizing the chances of virus spreading to networks that these sites carry and may affect households and businesses. There are hoax sites or links that when you click on it, would result to an activation of a virus. And with the use of the World Wide Web, the virus can travel fast, affecting other websites and eventually may lead to an international chaos. Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Mandatory Filtering There are various organizations and individuals that protest and agree to the mandatory filtering act. It has been a national issue throughout the years. Since the Internet is the primary source of information and form of communication in this fast-paced, technological world, it has become a need of the people. Individuals and organizations alike create websites for their own interests, whether it be good or bad, immoral or just. The Internet is a wide library and source of information and income. It serves to the various purposes of human advancement and development. In today’s fast-paced world, having an internet access is one big advantage for communication and development. It serves a personal and private use and it also serves for public use. It is also serves in the management and development of many companies and business worldwide. With the restrictions and limitations created by the filtering act, people have either adapted to it or tried to find ways around it. People trying to elude the act will be committing an act against the government. Since there is a law against it, it is considered a crime to access these sites, to include links to those banned sites and to create these kinds of sites. And as a government action, of course, they have action plans on how to deal with the people and organizations not abiding by the law. It is a two-edged knife. Without access and even knowledge that certain sites exist, they would more or less forget there are sites like that. But with the knowledge that there are certain sites that are banned by the government, people would try to get around and try to find ways on how to infiltrate information. Each pros and cons are pitted against each other. For example, banning child pornography sites will make the Internet a safer place but it will not clean the country of child pornography. The restriction placed on the site may even be a hindrance in addressing and eliminating the issue because blocking the sites will prevent people from knowing if their loved ones are already victims of pornography. Or the organization that started the site must be caught but will never be found out because of lack of information and material to research to work on. As it creates a safer place to gather information and to communicate with others, the filtering act made the Internet a dangerous tool as it contains these limited and restricted materials. Since it is international and the entire nation uses it for information and communication, the Internet has become a big part in the improvement and development of all nations. The filtering act can only restrict and ban sites, they cannot destroy it, not unless it is a website created by an individual or organization from Australia. People have their own ways of expressing themselves and wanting to know more about things. And whether there is a filtering act in place or not, regulations can still be placed on the access of certain sites through proper awareness and teaching of the public. There should always be a consideration of the levels of awareness needed by various kinds and types of people. References October 29, 2008. Australia to Implement Mandatory Internet Censorship. The Herald Sun. December 19, 2008. The Great Porn War. The Sydney Morning Herald. Matthewson, James. Online Porn Panel Gets It. Computer User. Retrieved May 18, 2009 < http://www.computeruser.com/articles/daily/8,6,1,0921,00.html> October 23, 2008. Green’s Senator Quizzes Conroy on Filtering. Somebody Think of the Children. Retrieved May 18, 2009 < http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/greens-senator-quizzes-conroy-on-filtering/> Read More