Why The Government Should Monitor The Internet

"We live in a world where the internet and everything that comes with it is so readily accessible to everyone. Our whole lives are in our electronic devices. There are so many benefits that go along with it, such as open access to information, ability to have long distance connections, and virtually see places around the world that we might not have the opportunity to do. However, such immediate access to the internet comes to with its drawbacks as well. Due to the increased presence of social media, bullying has increased greatly. It has become so easy to harass people anonymously, leading to increased issues. Additionally, many people have become desensitized to horrific things happening in our world due to the influx of new at our fingertips. So, while this rather unlimited access to information and people has so many advantages in our lives, sometimes they are outweighed by the disadvantages. Navigating this is a tricky thing, so what is considered “too far” when it comes to the government monitoring the internet. At the end of the day, the government should only monitor internet content if it threatens the security of citizens, without compromising the integrity of their privacy.

Nowadays, the internet can be a huge threat due to everything we have access to. It is becoming increasingly easy for bad people to learn how to do bad things. For example, according to The Heritage Foundation, “[in] a July 2015 survey of Internet-using households, 19 percent of such households… reported that they had been affected by an online security breach, identity theft, or similar malicious activity during the 12 months prior to the survey.” The national government should and deserves the power to monitor that information. Not because they are supposed to be “big brother” but because it is their duty to their citizens to protect them from all preventable