Internet Censorship Essay Research Paper Internet Censorship

Internet Censorship Essay, Research Paper

Internet Censorship

For centuries governments have tried to regular materials deemed

inappropriate or offensive. The history of western censorship was said to have

begun when Socrates was accused “firstly, of denying the gods recognized by the

State and introducing new divinities, and secondly of corrupting the young.” He

was sentenced to death for these crimes. Many modern governments are attempting

to control access to the Internet. They are passing regulations that restrict

the freedom people once took for granted.

The Internet is a world wide network that should not be regulated or

censored by any on country. It is a complex and limitless network which allows

boundless possibilities and would be effected negatively by the regulations and

censorship that some countries are intent on establishing. Laws that are meant

for other types of communication will not necessarily apply in this medium.

There are no physical locations where communications take place, making it

difficult to determine where violations of the law should be prosecuted. There

is anonymity on the Internet and so ages and identities are not known this makes

it hard to determine if illegal activities are taking place in regards to people

under the legal age. As well, it is difficult to completely delete speech once

it has been posted, Meaning that distributing materials that are obscene are

banned becomes easy

The American Library Association (ALA) has a definition that states

censorship is .the change in the access status of material, made by a governing

authority or its representatives. Such changes include: exclusion, restriction,

remove, or age/grade level changes.. This definition, however, has a flaw in

that it only recognizes one form of censorship-governmental censorship.

Cyberspace, a common name for the Net, has been defined by one author as

being “made up of millions of people who communicate with one another through

computers. It is also “information stored on millions of computers worldwide,

accessible to others through telephone lines and other communication channels

“that” make up what is known as cyberspace.” The same author went on to say ”

term itself is elusive, since it is not so much a physical entity as a

description of an intangible.”

The complexity of the Internet is demonstrated through its many

components. The most readily identifiable part is the World Wide Web (WWW).

This consists of web pages that can be accessed through the use of a web browser.

Web pages are created using a basic programming language. Another easily

identified section of the Internet is e-mail. Once again it is a relatively

user-friendly communication device. Some other less publicized sections of the

Internet include: Internet Relay Chat (IRC), which allows real time chatting to

occur among thousands of people, Gopher, which works similarly to the WWW but

for a more academic purpose, and File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Which allows the

transfer of files from one computer to another. Another service that is not

Internet but is carried along with it in many instances is Usenet or News. In

Usenet there are many newsgroups which center their conversations on varied

topics. For example, rec.music.beatles would focus the discussion on the

Beetles. This would be done through posts or articles, almost like letters sent

into a large pot where everyone can read and reply. Many controversial

newsgroups exist and they are created easily. It is possible to transfer

obscene and pornographic material through these newsgroups. There is no

accurate way to determine how many people are connected to the Internet because

the number grows so rapidly everyday. Figures become obsolete before they can

be published. “[The Internet] started as a military strategy and, over thirty

years later, has evolved into the massive networking of over 3 million computers

worldwide.. One of the most prominent features of the young Internet was it had

freedom. It is . a rate example of a true, modern, functional anarchy…there

are no official censors, no bosses, no board of directors, no stockholders”. It

is an open forum where the only thing holding anyone back is a conscience. The

Internet has “no central authority” and therefore it makes it difficult to be

censored. As a result of these and more, the Internet offers potential for a

true democracy.

The freedom of speech that was possible on the Internet could now be

subjected to governmental approvals. For example, China is attempting to

restrict political expression, in the name of security and social stability. It

requires users of the Internet and e-mail to register, so that it may monitor

their activities. In the United Kingdom, state secrets and personal attacks are

off limits on the Internet. Laws are strict and the government

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