Internet Censorship: Setting Regulations on Users

1851 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is the impact of the internet on society

Most people today live their lives online, absorbed in a digital world. When the World Wide Web first immersed and casted its perplexed essence upon wide-eyed spectators, people could only unknowingly predict where the doors of the internet would take them from that point on, welcoming them with open arms to a modernized world and introducing them to a new life of advanced technological opportunity. Many years have passed since the unveiling of our cyber-world, and authorities now worldwide are forcing their way to implement rash laws while having differing views on how to approach the increased access of information and online interaction. Some governments believe the flow of technological information should be regulated by their involvement to the degree of internet censorship by restricting various forms of online content and information distribution, as there are now issues of trade, online safety and copyright laws. The World Wide Web came with no laws, so why should we abide to a government whose aim is to revoke our online realm of freedom as they see fit? Our digital world is the way of the future and we are entitled to endure this movement. The government should not force their ‘moral duty’ upon us and impose new preposterous laws to restrict our rights as Canadians; internet censorship should not be enforced.

With regards, currently there is “Internet filtering in 25 countries blocking content (Wikipedia 2013)” in almost all categories. Despite the occasional mention of foreign censorship, the media fails to disclose how critical global internet censorship is becoming. A trade agreement known as TPP exists and is run by the United States.” Members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership include 11 other countries and its ne...

... middle of paper ...

... easily be reported and we are able to choose what websites we visit. Children should always be strictly monitored by an adult and not left to fend for themselves online. We do not need a government suppressing websites to appease the general public as there are many tools we can download to filter out content we believe is improper as an individual.

In conclusion, governments are realistically on the brink of tearing down our social structures, sabotaging future innovation and threatening our freedom. If we allow this to happen, we will not be moving forward as a modern nation. Those who value freedom must act to protect our rights and privacy, or we will become under surveillance and censored. As Canadians, we need to scrutinize the situation, and fight against this topic. Censorship has no place in Canada, and would violate a basic principle of our country.

Show More
Related

  • The Use Of Censorship In Ray Bradbury's Books

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    The type of content usually censored is sexual or violent things but Ballaro states, “Some bans (and the filtering software used to enforce them) eliminated access not only to pornographic materials but also to legitimate health and medical information” (Ballaro 1). If someone were to become sick, looking up symptoms on the internet is not the most efficient way to go about finding out what sickness they have, or what kind of treatments there are. Going to a professional would ensure that they get the correct diagnosis and treatment. Everything on the internet can be changed and not knowing the accuracy of a source is going to make the search more or less accurate. Children are also a big part of why things are censored. In the same passage, it is explained,“Opponents of Internet Censorship argue that education, not censorship, represents the best means of protecting children…” (Ballaro 1). Telling someone not to do something will just make them want to do it more. Educating kids on the dangers of the internet will not stop them from going on the internet. Protection children from all scammers and hackers, not just to mention explicit material, would also be challenging considering the internet is changing rapidly each day. Why not just block websites that are bad so even if children are tempted, they can not go to

    Read More

  • Essay On Internet Censorship

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    When we look at the internet censorship we can see that it affects modern day politics a lot. The internet is a tool which can destroy an oppressive regime. Now I consider the three countries I am going to talk about have oppressive regimes. If we are to list them from most to least it would be, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China and Republic of Turkey. If we look at the governing regimes in these countries we can see that North Korea is governed by communism, where China is go...

    Read More

  • Internet Censorship

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Internet Censorship." What does this mean to us? What is restricted? Censorship is summarily defined as the suppression of objectionable material. That means that material such as pornography, militant information, offensive language, anti-religion, and racism would be restricted in use. Freedom would not only be restricted to material placed on the web, but also what you could access, and where you could explore. Should the right of Freedom of Speech be taken away from us on the Internet? Having stated this, should there be any restrictions and if so, what's the limit of censorship?

    Read More

  • Internet Privacy

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    It has become a sad and upsetting fact that in today’s society the truth is that the right to one’s privacy in the I.T (information technological) world has become, simply a joke. In an electronic media article “No place to hide”, written by James Norman, two interesting and debatable questions were raised: ‘Are we witnessing the erosion of the demarcation of public and private spaces brought on by the networked economy and new technology?’ Also, ‘What roles do government, industry and citizens have in regard to censorship and privacy?’ These statements ultimately end with the fact that it is impossible for Net users to expect privacy online, because online privacy doesn’t exist. However, one must ask, ‘What will be done about the problem?’ while keeping in mind that yes, the thin line between public and private spaces has been severed as a result of new technology. It is vital that everyone as users of the internet, be it government, Internet Service Providers (ISP’s), or individuals, need take the issue of internet privacy very seriously, while basing all actions towards the issue with the moral statement of, ‘Rights aren’t free, they’re earned’.

    Read More

  • America Needs Internet Censorship

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tears begin to fall down a child’s face. Her body goes into shock out of fear. Her mother warned her about watching inappropriate content, and there it was, right on her computer screen. This could not have happened though. All she was doing was casually browsing the internet before a pop-up appeared. Although it may seem hard to believe, the major cause of events such as this is the lack of censorship on the internet. Internet censorship relates to the removal of offensive, inappropriate, or controversial content published online. The current problem with the internet is that there are few restrictions on what can be published or viewed. Several sites on the internet only offer a warning about inappropriate content that can easily be bypassed by agreeing to the terms. Other websites provide access to private or military information. More dreadfully, however, are websites that use their explicit content as a promotion. These factors bring the conclusion that anybody of any given age can view and publish inappropriate or dangerous content. The current problems with the internet serve for clarification as to why the United States should create a nonpartisan assembly to censor the internet in order to protect its citizens from the mental, emotional, and physical harms the internet creates.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Internet Censorship

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Internet is a powerful tool that allows users to collaborate and interact with others all over the world conveniently and relatively safely. It has allowed education and trade to be accessed easily and quickly, but all these benefits do not come without very taxing costs. This is especially true when dealing with the likes of the Internet. Countries in the European Union and Asia have realized this and have taken action against the threat of net neutrality to protect their citizens, even at the cost of online privacy. Internet censorship is required to protect us from our opinions and vices. Every country should adopt Internet censorship and regulation since it improves society by reducing pornography, racism/prejudice, and online identity theft.

    Read More

  • Essay on Internet Privacy - Ethical Issues Raised by Privacy Service Providers

    2877 Words  | 6 Pages

    Abstract:  This paper examines the use of Internet technologies (specifically SafeWeb.com) to counteract invasions of personal privacy and censorship.  The paper begins by exploring the methods by which governments, corporations, and commercial agents invade personal privacy.  It also discusses Internet censorship on the corporate and governmental levels.  It then proceeds to discuss SafeWeb.com, a technology that allows Internet users to surf the Web privately and view censored content.  The paper finishes by exploring some of the ethical issues raised by Internet privacy and censorship in specific relation to SafeWeb, concluding that the application of SafeWeb in circumventing the authority of governments and corporations is inherently unethical.

    Read More

  • Internet Censorship

    3788 Words  | 8 Pages

    Another reason for not censoring the internet is the psychological effects that it can have on a child. The filtering of the internet can tell a child that adults do not trust them to surf the net on their own. This can lead them to believe that they can not make their own decisions, and that a computer determines what right and wr...

    Read More

  • Easy Access For Children on Pornography Sites

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...pornography with such ease, parents are going to have to figure out a way to keep their children off these sites. The only other option is coming home and finding them looking at something they shouldn't. Because some children, given the opportunity, are going to seek out these sites, even if you ask them not to. After all, children will be children.

    Read More

  • Censorship is Necessary to Protect Children from the Internet

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Censorship is Necessary to Protect Children from the Internet Do you want our future generations being exposed to violence, hate, sexuality, illegal substances, and false information, and then one day think it would be cool or alright to try these things? The internet is filled with dangerous information, that children should never have the freedom to access. Children learn from example, and if they search, watch, or read something on the web that could be potentially dangerous, they could be influenced or curious and think that it would be alright to imitate one day. If our children now are viewing these things, it could mean that future generations could grow to be more violent and our world could become more dangerous than it already is today. Censorship is necessary if we plan on having our kids grow up in the safest environment possible.

    Read More

  • Internet Filters

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    The invention of the internet has been one of the major advances of the modern world. It has allowed people from all over the globe to communicate with each other and ideas to be shared. In addition to this it is a free platform. Unlike television and radio it doesn’t cost anything to put your idea on the internet, making it a base of personal expression. This freedom coupled with the global access attracts around a billion users worldwide. Unfortunately, just as easily as the information is produced it is abused. The internet, although mostly used appropriately does harbour all manner of illegal activities. These range from phishing scams, trying to steal someone’s personal details, viruses, malicious code that attacks a person’s computer and websites that are morally questionable or illegal under Australian law. To combat this, the Rudd government has started action to impose an internet service provider level internet filter. An internet service provider is any company that provides internet services to its customers. Most notable of these is Telstra which is one of the top internet service providers in Australia. This filter will prevent a list of websites, the blacklist, from being accessed in Australia. In theory this is an excellent plan, but in reality, once implemented it will have little effect on preventing the illegal activity which occurs on the internet. The major arguments against the proposed filter are, cost of the filter, the ineffectiveness of the filter to stop illegal activity and the possibility of the blacklist expanding to block anti-government websites.

    Read More

  • Freedom of Speech in Cyberspace

    2103 Words  | 5 Pages

    As the Internet has become more widely recognized and used by people all over the world, it has brought a new medium in which information can very easily be broadcast to everyone with access to it. In 1995 there was a projected 26 million Internet users, which has grown to almost 300 million today. One major problem with this is that everyone represents different countries and provinces which have different outtakes on certain types of freedom of speech as well as different laws about it. This proposes a new type of law that would need to be written in order to determine whether or not something is illegal on the Internet. A person in one country can express what they want to, but that expression may be illegal in another country and in this situation whose laws are to be followed? What I propose to do accomplish in this paper is to discuss the freedom of speech laws of the United States of America and those of France, China, and Canada. I will examine what about them is similar and what about them is different. The bringing of the Internet has brought many new types of businesses as well as ways in order to communicate with the world, but as with each new endeavor or invention, there needs to be a way in order to govern its use and policies. There must also be ways in order to punish those not following the new laws and policies of use, since that the country that the person is in may allow what they did, but it may not be allowed on the Internet or in a different country. In other words, there is the need for international laws governing the Internet.

    Read More

  • Regulating the Internet

    2312 Words  | 5 Pages

    The internet has been one of the most influential technological advancements of the twenty-first century. It is in millions of homes, schools, and workplaces. The internet offers not only a way of communicating with people around the world, but also a link to information, shopping, chatting, searching, and maps. This freedom to be anyone and to "go" anywhere right from the comfort of home has become a cherished item. However, there is always a down side to every up. Because of the freedom to post anything and access anything on the internet, the issue of regulation has arisen; for example, what should and should not be allowed on the internet? Who has the right to regulate this space that we cherish for its freedom?

    Read More

  • Internet Regulation

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most of the Internet regulation is imposed by the Government in an effort to protect the best interest of the general public and is concerned with some form of censorship.

    Read More

  • Freedom of Speech in Cyberspace

    2593 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Internet provides a gateway for an individual to speak freely and anonymously without being targeted to what he or she said. With this said, one of the biggest issues concerning the Internet today is freedom of speech. The issue of free speech on the Internet has been a topic of discussion around the world within the past years. It is a unique communication medium and is powerful than the traditional media[2]. Because the Internet can not be compared equally to other mediums of communication, it deserves the utmost freedom of speech protection from the government. The restriction of speech on the Internet takes away from individual's rights and freedom from experiencing the Internet's benefits and uses. Information found on the Internet is endless and boundless and this poses the question, "should the government be allowed to regulate the information and content being transmitted or posted online?"

    Read More

More about Internet Censorship: Setting Regulations on Users

Open Document