The Government Should NOT Censor Internet Pornography

It goes by many names, from "smut" to "erotic art." It's as old as civilization itself, and is present in all cultures, with or without the approval of those in authority. It takes many forms, finding expression in literature, music, painting, sculpture and theater, as well as in the more modern media of photography and cinema. Its creators range from the anonymous scrawler to the likes of Catullus, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Titian, and Wagner; and their talents run the gamut from childishly crude to supremely eloquent. As with any other creative genre, pornography indulges a wide variety of tastes from the brutish to the exotic, and covers themes from humorous to sublime to tragic.

Pornography is an age-old phenomenon that has been under much modern-day scrutiny. With the recent proliferation of online pornography, possible social ramifications of sexually explicit material on uncontrolled mediums have become the subjects of intense debate. Proponents of a liberal approach toward pornography argue that access to online smut is a constitutionally protected freedom and "a harmless diversion that serves to satisfy curiosity and relieve sexual tensions.5" Opponents of this view are particularly concerned with the social effects of online pornography and its effect on the values and morals of minors who can access pornographic images. I will argue for the liberal side and argue that porn in both print form and electronic form should be constitutionally protected.

Since their founding, computers and the Internet have become a tool that nearly every man, woman, and child in the World have been able to use. E-mail has become one of the Worlds fastest growing ways of communication and the Internet has become one, if not the largest source of information available today. You can find just about everything you wanted to know about anything with the stroke of a few keys on the keyboard. However, along with these positive aspects of the Internet, there lies much negativity surrounding the internet and its use. Access to teenage pornography, bestiality, brutal murder pictures, XXX stories, and other un-ethical sites is extremely easy. In fact, the pornography industry has grown 63% since the Internet was first available for use.(Bishop 91) It is one of the leading industries on the Internet and has become quite a controversy in the United States. Censorship of such sites has done very little due to the fact that most parents feel that these sites are not accessed by their children. We have currently found no solution that has worked and many government officials see the problem only getting worse. Pornography on the Internet though should not be banned, but rather better controlled and censored due to its availability and graphic nature.

You hit enter, waiting patiently for some information about the White House to come up so you can begin your report for Social Studies. The next thing that comes up isn't exactly what you're looking for. Naked women, horses, whips, and other devices commonly used for sexual acts of dominion and bestiality pop up on your screen. You know your not supposed to see that, but there's just a little bit of curiosity that makes you look around to see if anyone is watching. You continue on to see what else is behind that screen. This is a commonly found scenario of Internet Pornography.

The foundations of America and of its citizens' individuality were built over 200 years ago with the creation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  The First Amendment, ratified December 15th 1791, is probably the most important Amendment as well as the most difficult one to interpret.  It states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (National Archive Constitution Ammentment#1).  Thus, this Amendment grants Americans specific inalienable rights and allows them to be at least somewhat separate from the government.  Still, it is this Amendment that is under particular scrutiny in today's information age.  It is through the interpretation of this statement that we must assess the rights of the Internet surfer, determine what responsibility the government has to censor any or all explicit pages from innocent under aged children and evaluate if that censorship violates our inalienable rights as American citizens. Yet, no matter what censorship rulings the government passes, the responsibility of monitoring Internet use must ultimately fall in the hands of the parents.

The Controversy Over Internet Censorship For many people, using the Internet has become practically a new way of life, especially for college students and the like.   Various types of information can be accessed at the touch of a button: anything from encyclopedias, to surveys and essays, to articles from magazines, and adult sites.   Anyone who pays for their Internet service is usually offered space for his or her own web page, and even many free services provide space for personal web pages.   All of this available space can be used for any number of reasons: posting newsletters for community groups, advertising for businesses, or just voicing one’s opinion.

In Support of Internet Censorship Censoring the Internet would keep children and adults from obtaining harmful materials. Online there are all kinds of information on horrible things such as pornography, alcohol, drugs, guns, bombs, credit card fraud, etc. Censorship is needed. People say it takes away freedom from their lives but if there were not laws inhibiting freedom we would live in a world of chaos and anarchy. Why should we censor the Internet?

Introduction The Internet as we know it is based upon the principles of being “free and open”. No single government, company, person, or entity known to man has complete and absolute control over the web (Google - Take Action). However, as with any medium of knowledge, there will always be those who wish to censor it, for better or worse. Censorship can be defined in many ways. In the context of the Internet, censorship may be defined as the act of suppressing or controlling the access and flow of information to achieve a means.

Internet censorship: thumbs up or thumbs down? “He sat on his laptop as he started surfing the internet. Going from one website to multiple ones. His dad came in on him every 5-10 minutes checking what he was doing in case he was on the wrong website.” What is the reason behind the dad having that kind of behavior?

There are certain areas of a person's life that should be kept private. One of those is the internet. The people of America should be able to keep their internet use to themselves. The government should not regulate citizens internet use because it takes away peoples freedom of speech, it would cost the government more money, and it is an invasion of citizens privacy. The government regulates many situations in citizens life and this should not be one of them.