Ways in Which Censorship is applied by the United States Government - Article Example

Ways in Which Censorship is applied by the United s Government? The Outline Thesis: The current rise in social mediaand population censorship in The U.S. come from recent terrorist attacks, cyber-attacks, government’s need to control what the population sees and hears on the media and the Internet 1.0 Introduction There have been security lapses and information compromise in the United States in the recent past. These two major issues have given the terror groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda advantage over the United States military and other states security agencies like CIA and FBI. 2.0 The state of the United States security Several terror attacks have been launched on the United States soil including the September 11 terror attack. These terrorist attacks have caused government to monitor for any signs of future attack in the following areas; Entrance ports The Airport security is strict to ensure that items and personal boarding planes go through inspections in and out of the state. Cyber security The rising level of terror attacks like cyber scams which comprise hacking classified government information and releasing it to the public and banks malware have led to maximum surveillance on cyber and the Internet traffic by the United States security agencies. 3.0 Government’s need for control through the use of censorship The United States in a bid to cope with the above security challenges, has made enactments in the national law relating to the freedom of press and public freedom of speech and expression. This move has affected the following areas; 1. Social media 2. Internet 3. News 4. Radio 5. Television 6. Movies Introduction The United States has witnessed terrorism encroached into the land using various mechanisms. Some of this emanate from security lapse and compromise in the military and other state security agencies. The most powerful tool the terrorist employ is information access and manipulation. The United States government has in the recent past been able to enact regulations and censorship as a move to cope with the rising instances of insecurity and terrorism. This paper discusses the state of the United States security and the measures the government is putting into place to contain the situation as well as the areas of communication and information conduits where censorship has been enacted in the quest for a secure and terror-free state. The United States Security The recent terrorist attacks in the United States including the September 11 attack has caused the Government intensify its vigilance on security by monitoring for any signs of the future attack. This is the rationale for stringent regulations and censorship that have been witnessed lately by the government in the public interest. Though, human rights activists and media agencies view this as a means of curtailing freedom of expression and speech. As discussed below, the United States government has put forward several measures to contain the situation. Measures by the United States Government to enhance security The United States government through the relevant security agencies has in the recent past been working on the security of its citizens following the unprecedented attacks on the United States soil including the September 11 terror attack (Serena 2011). Consequently, a number of measures have been put forward to contain the situation especially in the entrance points and communication conduits that for the past years suffered the problems of porosity and compromise. In this paper, entrance ports and cyber security are briefly discussed. Entrance ports security The government has intensified Airport security in order to make it strict and semi-permeable to entry. The relevant airport security agencies ensure that passenger items and personal boarding planes go through inspections in and out of the state. Most terrorists use such entrance ports to smuggle in explosives, bombs and other war equipment into the United States. Cyber Security The United States is prone to cyber-attacks due to the ubiquitous reliance on in information technology. Cybercrime is among the most serious threats in the United States owing to its adverse implications regarding economy, security and safety. Priorities like forensics, intellectual property and computer hacking and the Internet stalking are being put on top gear by the department of justice. Cyber-attack can take different forms like paralyzing crucial segments of the Internet with constant cyber scams and flooding commercial websites with numerous connection requests. This consequently results to deadly viruses being planted to infect computers worldwide extending to military systems (Syngress 13). Classified Government information The computer Internet hackers have put several attempts to view classified government information and release them to the public for the purposes of compromising government information and database (IBP, Inc. 2013). This has extended to the military and state defense agencies computer systems. The people behind this are the terrorists whose intention is to gain access to top secrets of the government agencies. That is why the government has put forward several enactments and regulations on the Internet in its bid for a secure state. Banks The bank records, credit cards and daily transfers have always been under attack by hackers using malware. The result is impersonation of the bank officials and consequently wiring billions of dollars. This is a move by the terrorists to acquire sufficient money to fund their terror attacks. Government’s need for control through the use of censorship The United States government employs censorship in its attempt to cope with the rising insecurity and in the wake of terrorist attacks. It therefore generally assumes that some forms of expression and ideas pose a serious threat to the welfare of a society, individual or organization and must, therefore, be prohibited (Hamm 2005). The government thus, presumes absolute standards that ought to be adhered to without violation whatsoever. There are a number of conduits through which crucial and classified information can reach the terrorists who may be planning to launch an attack in many ways like detonating a nuclear bomb on the United States soil. The government is therefore ensures that there is no security compromise or security lapse at any given time through any conduit that is deemed as porous in one way or another. Censorship Censorship with respect to communication applies to complex and large societies in the modern sense and encompasses highly sophisticated and centralized means of reaching a target large audience effectively. In entails finding out what to or what not to be released to a mass audience with respect to the prevailing religious, political, artistic and cultural standards. In the light of this, existing information can be edited or withheld. In some cases it may involve preventing the creation of given information. In a broader sense, content that is anticipated or believed to be harmful or offensive in nature with respect to the public wellbeing is regulated or suppressed accordingly. Censorship can take many forms in the modern society ranging from customary rules, codified rules, suspension and surveillance of any form of personal communication like mails and phones. In some cases in may involve proscription of forms of self-expression like body adornment, nudity, and language and hair style in order to cope with cases of disguise or impersonation. In this paper, we majorly focus on the efforts supported by the state in curbing mass communication and these efforts are normally justified by the state with the aim of the interest of the public although this measure contravenes the democracy of the society. Social media Global jihad and terrorism activities are fueled by the interactions on the social media such as WhatsApp, Microsoft, Skype, Instagram, Tumblr, Yahoo and YouTube among other popular social media platforms. The terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda make good use of these sites to launch attacks on the United States soil as if these networks are command and control in nature (CBS News 2004). These social media platforms serve as their venue for recruiting new members worldwide and act as their funds mobilization conduits because a lot of money is needed to execute such attacks. In addition, they also take advantage of them to train and indoctrinate their new recruits on bomb building and detonation procedures. There is also high rate of traveling to the Middle East countries with the aim of joining a major terrorist network due to communication through these media platforms. It is against this background that the United States government is mounting censorship on these social media sites with the aim of curtailing online radicalization and violent extremism. There is however, remarkable resistance both from the journalism fraternity and the public. The argument is that their freedom of expressing themselves and speech are curtailed and infringed although the government’s intention is to guarantee states security by regulating and censoring such communication gateways. The Internet In the recent past, terrorists have made good use of the Internet to communicate with the rest of the world as they communicate among themselves. These range from posting propaganda images and videos on their own sites and subsequently releasing such information to the news networks of the world. The United States government has thus, intensified their surveillance on the terrorist sites with challenges such as inherent anonymity dawning on them among other prosecution bottlenecks. In most cases the terrorists raise funds, coordinate attacks, share information, recruit new members and spread propaganda using chartrooms and message boards. Some of the terrorist sites may also be virtually used as training grounds through tutorials on how to fire at United States Defense Force, build bombs among others. The United States government therefore, has a mandate to censor and regulate Internet traffic with the aim of protecting the citizens, even though, this move contravenes the right to expression and speech. The broader sense is to bring to a halt unintentional effect arising from specified expression or speech on the Internet. This is due to the fact that the Internet exudes interactive experience where the user has the will to choose what he/she would prefer to view. In addition, the Internet as a technology does not create room for users to control who receives the information they post. News Freelance and amateur news reporting has been seen to provide information on terrorists attack in the United States whether on a local or international magnitude. These include images and video links of the casualties and victims and the areas, buildings and premises that are under threat (Eid, Mahmoud and Jenna 2012). The government, however, views this as a way of instilling fear among the public since some of the content may be traumatizing to the public. Fear is the greatest weapon that terrorists employ on their target region because it causes panic and disorientation. It is upon this background that the United States government advocates for a patriotic approach to journalism so that even in the wake of terror attack, news reporting is undertaken within the framework of positivism in a manner that promotes coherence and patriotism among the citizens. In addition, International news coverage has since increased after September 11 terror attack in the United States with an aim of boosting international terrorism awareness among the citizens as a way of positive information. In order to regulate and censor news content and reporting, the Pentagon has some crucial military reporting. This entails accrediting the journalists so that they observe military press regulations like the ban to visit military premises on an individual capacity except in a situation where they are operating in a press pool. Other measures include entering the military premises under escort as a press pool and ban on military personnel interview unless under escort Radio The United States government has stepped up its laws and regulatory enactments pertinent to radio broadcast news content both local and international it its quest to allow for the release of patriotic broadcast contents only. Any content that is aimed at undermining state security or aiding the terrorists in getting confidential information is curtailed even if the media fraternity views this as a move to gag their freedom of speech and expression. Television Television as a mode of relaying information has myriad advantages. That is why it is one of the terrorist’s top priorities. These include images and video links of the casualties and victims and the areas, buildings and premises that are under threat. The government, however, views this as a way of instilling fear among the public since some of the content may be traumatizing to the public. The attorney general through the department of justice is currently regulating what is being aired via television in the United States. Movies Due to the escalating insecurity and terrorism in the United States, the government has in the recent past introduced strict regulations and censorship of the motion picture industry regarding their liberty to release any content, whether adult or junior rated (Handman 2010). The violation of these measures attracts punitive consequences. This is because some films or movies fuel criminal activities based on their themes in a manner that undermines the states security department. Works Cited CBS News. “ISIS recruits fighters through powerful online campaign”. CBS News. 29 August, 2014. Web.13 March 2015. Eid, Mahmoud, and Jenna B. Slade. "A Triad of Crisis Communication in the United States: Social Networks for Social Change in the Obama Era." International Journal of Technoethics (ijt). 3.4 (2012): 1-21. Print. Hamm, Mark S. Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups: Theory, Research, and Prevention. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, 2005. Web. Handman, Gary. Movie Censorship in the Us and Uk: A Bibliography of Materials in the Uc Berkeley Library. , 2010. Web. IBP, Inc. US National Cyber Security Strategy and Programs Handbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments. Washington: Lulu.com, 2013. Serena, Chad C. A Revolution in Military Adaptation: The Us Army in the Iraq War. Washington, D.C: Georgetown University Press, 2011. Web. Syngress. Scene of the Cybercrime: Computer Forensics Handbook: Computer Forensics Handbook. Massachusetts: Syngress, 2002. Print. Read More