Pros and Cons of Freedom of Speech on the Internet

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Since the Internet burst free of academic cloisters into the public domain during 1990s, it has been thoroughly debated whether the individual’s remarks and comments on the Internet should be restricted. Also this has drawn increasing attention due to popularity of the emerging social net like Facebook and Twitter in recent years. While some advocate that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, others argue that an uncontrollable medium of anarchy may occur owing to the freedom of speech. This paper examines both the arguments for and against of the freedom speech in Internet and provides suggestions based on these arguments.

The Internet freedom provides capable and appropriately universally accessible tools to create a new platform to gather voice from the citizens. Habermas (1989) indicates that with greater access to information approaches greater improvement of the democratic process. For the reason, this opportunity could foster the democratic development. In addition, the result of Michael and Keegan’s (2005) study corroborates a significant correlation between Internet freedom of speech and a common indicator of a nation’s level of democratization. In this information age, the liberty of speech on Internet can break the monopoly of traditional mass media about the political issues. Also this is the guarantee of the development of democracy.

While the liberty of speech on Internet strengthens the democratization, it also provides political dissidents with channels and arranges to undermine. McLaughlin (2007) reveals that in Middle East, the Internet offers non-state dissident actors a potentially potent tool to accomplish their political objectives. Consequently, without the nation-imposed constraint...

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...ool, the public even the nation might suffer inestimable disasters.

Taking these arguments into consideration, I believe that citizen do have the right freedom speech and expression through any media, besides, the freedom speech on the Internet has been examined on the promotion of democratization and civilization. However, these benefits based on the basis of rational, considerate and unmalicious remarks on the Internet. The liberty of speech is not the privilege to raise any comments, include those attribute negative influence to the public. Therefor, the only ladder to assure the effective management of Internet is a nation-impose censorship. It is also the guarantee of the constructive improvement generated by the Internet. The constraint is neither an autocratic tool nor a deprival of the right freedom speech, and will profit public while surfing the Internet.

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