Censorship Of The Internet : Censorship

Internet Censorship- Research Paper

By Lyle Tamlyn (43669182)

Throughout the world there has been an increase in discussions regarding “Censorship of the Internet”, explain how Censorship can work in some instances but in others it can be a detriment to society.

According to Amnesty International (2014), internet censorship is the control and suppression of online information or services by government or other stakeholder institutions. It is enforced by monitoring chat rooms and forums, deleting blogs, blocking websites and re-routing search results. Throughout the world, discussion on the issue has been heightening in recent times, fuelled by arguments claiming its worth and infringement of liberty. In some circumstances, censorship can work to the advantage of the individual, protecting them against online theft, cyberbullying, and stalking, while ensuring dangerous or offensive content cannot be accessed. Further to these, in dangerous political circumstances censorship can help mitigate against terrorism and foreign aggression. It can also help business and the artistic community, assisting with the protection of copyright and intellectual property. However, these security advantages do come at the cost of civil liberty and can be abused to make censorship a detriment to society. Censorship can limit basic human rights, create ignorant and intellectually starved societies, and in some instances give governments absolute political control.

Protection from theft demonstrates that internet censorship can work for society in certain capacities. Through electronic mediums, individual users can be targeted by criminals seeking to steal their finances or identities. Information technology is particularly vulnerable when it ...

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...king, while ensuring criminals operating child pornography rings cannot access their markets. Additionally, dangerous ideologies and hate speech could have their spread stopped, bolstering national security and maintaining a peaceful, respectful society. Protection of intellectual property could also be implemented to help protect businesses, such as the recording industry. However, these benefits to security can come at the cost of freedom. Countries such as China have been able to abuse censorship methods to limit basic human rights, put an end to free expression and create a situation of total political control, where the population is insulated from the rest of the world. In summation, censorship can indeed benefit society, but must be carefully regulated and weighed against basic human freedoms to ensure it does not become a detriment to society.

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