The Importance Of Internet Censorship

1079 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of censorship

Censorship is used throughout American history, and has increased more throughout this century. It has been used against literature, conversations, film, foreign boycotts and even the internet. Censorship is the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive”. Internet censorship is the control of what can or cannot be accessed, viewed, or published on the internet. Censorship can be delegated by not only the government, but also private organizations both by their own discretion and at the request of government. The question is whether or not censorship, specifically internet censorship is a violation of the First Amendment. The First Amendment states:
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. (U.S. Const. Am. 1)
Meaning that the constitution blocks congress from making any law that prohibits us from saying what we think of feel. The biggest interference is with children. Many policymakers are looking to censor the internet to keep children innocent. However there are different ways to protect children without censoring the internet of everyone. Internet Censorship is a problem because it goes against our constitutional right of the First Amendment; and as much as the government tries to put regulations on the internet, the internet is too massive to try to control. Instead of trying to control the internet by cohesion and fear, we should look into the many solutions that can be used to protect this country and its children.
Free Speech vs Online Speech
What is the difference between free...

... middle of paper ...

...wn home. Net Nannies are a parental control system that distinguishes good and bad web pages within a site it also can flag dangerous IM conversations, as well as provide detailed activity reports. There are many types of parental control systems that can help keep children safe from predators, adult images and conversations. Although they are mostly used on children, adults can use them for themselves. Some adults do not wish to see some of the things the internet my present, so all they have to do is set the controls for what they would like filtered out. Another suggestion is for the internet controllers. Instead of censoring adult content from everyone, we could change any adult contents domain name from .com to .xxx. Changing all adult pictures, videos and other content will make it easier for parental controls or school systems to block all adult information.

Show More
Related

  • Examining the Modern Day Relevance of the Bill of Rights

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    Congress will make no law that restricts people’s religious beliefs, right to express themselves in public and private peaceably, or ability to petition the Government for settling of grievances.

    Read More

  • Modern Interpretation of The First Amendment

    1663 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first Amendment of the United States Constitution says; “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.”[1] Our fore fathers felt that this statement was plain enough for all to understand, however quite often the United States government deems it necessary to make laws to better define those rights that are stated in the Constitution. Today the framers would be both encouraged and discouraged by our modern interpretation the First Amendment the United States Constitution.

    Read More

  • Book Banning and First Amendment Right

    1699 Words  | 4 Pages

    The First Amendment 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 to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (First Amendment Oct. 20, 2013). But "the First Amendment does not protect all speech from government censorship, and it does not prevent private non-government entities from censoring. Years of US Supreme Court decisions have identified exceptions to the general rule that the governments in the United States cannot censor" (Censorship Copyright © 2002). American citizen's right of freedom of speech should be held in the highest integrity and any kind of censorship of free speech should not be allowed because it take away those rights. However, censorship has been going on for centuries.

    Read More

  • Symbolic Speech Should Be Protected

    2507 Words  | 6 Pages

    “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” (U.S. Constitution).

    Read More

  • Reflections On The First Amendment

    1819 Words  | 4 Pages

    “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.” (First Amendment Center, 2008)

    Read More

  • Hate Speech is the Price We Must Pay for Freedom of Speech

    2303 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • 1984 by George Orwell: The End of Freedom of Speech

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    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. (First Amendment, Bill of Rights)

    Read More

  • Changes to the Bill of Rights

    4341 Words  | 9 Pages

    Amendment I 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.

    Read More

  • Censorship

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    Censorship “Congress shall make no law.prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right to petition the government for a redress of government. ”(Ravitch, 118) As stated in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the people of this nation have the right to exercise their beliefs out loud, or in writing. With this in mind, does the government have the right to undermine the foundation of our nation, and censor what we read, watch, and listen to? Many people think not, but there are those who believe that censorship is better for the people. Some Americans believe that censorship is a benefit to society.

    Read More

  • Easy Access For Children on Pornography Sites

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    You just finished a day's work, have arrived home, unlocked the door, step inside, and just as you are about to yell, "anyone home," you hear hooting and hollering coming from the family room. As you enter the room you see your children and their friends glued to the computer screen, which is covered with explicit images not intended for the eyes of children. According to an article written by P.J.Huffstutter, "Yahoo, MSN Criticized for Offering Easy Access to Pornography," (C1) these two large Internet companies, have made it possible for everyone of all ages to access these adult communities. They require no proof of age, making it far too easy for under-age children to freely view the pornographic pictures and videos of their choice While adults may find leaving a site easy if they are uncomfortable, trying to restrict children from accessing these sites is a different issue. To watch your kids every moment is unrealistic and would not please anyone. According to Net Nanny, "Kids need to learn Internet safety practices and differentiate between right and wrong, because their parents won't always be there." There must be some sort of compromise. We, being responsible adults, need to take charge of what our children are doing when online, since little effort is required to gain entry to pornography sites. I used Microsoft's MSN search facility to look for "porn," and the only warning I received was that I had entered a search term that was likely to return adult content. While that may be more warning than in the past, it still isn't enough to keep children away. Then I was directed to a related link entitled NightSurf, and within two minutes I was presented with images of nudity...

    Read More

  • Censorship is Necessary to Protect Children from the Internet

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    The internet is a wonderful learning tool. Of course, like any good thing, the Internet comes with its ups and downs. There are several things that aren’t suitable for any child on the internet, such as pornography, violent material, adult chat rooms, and racist or hateful sites, there are even websites about cheating in schools.

    Read More

  • The First Amendment and its Impact on Media

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    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. The first amendment to the United State's constitution is one of the most important writings in our short history. The first amendment has defined and shaped our country into what it is today. The amendment has constantly been challenged and ratified through literature, court cases, and our media. In fact, media is driven by the first amendment. Without it, we as citizens wouldn't be able to view or listen to what we want, when we wanted. As you can see, the first amendment is not only a free pass to say and do what you want, but in contrast, a great limiter to certain types of speech and behavior. This duality of the amendment is what makes it so special. The duality is especially evident in the field of media. The media is constantly being challenged by the first amendment on the following topics:Defamation suits, obscenity and sex on the net, and free speech rights. It is those issues that are constantly changing and redefining our media today.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects of Censorship

    3203 Words  | 7 Pages

    Since the foundation of the United States after a harsh split from Britain, almost 200 years later, an issue that could claim the founding grounds for the country is now being challenged by educators, high-ranking officials, and other countries. Though it is being challenged, many libertarians, democrats, and free-speech thinkers hold the claim that censorship violates our so-called unalienable rights, as it has been proven throughout many court cases. Censorship in the United States is detrimental because it has drastically and negatively altered many significant events. Censorship allows governments more control of society than they already have, slowly progressing governments utilizing censorship to a dictatorship. Often times, this censorship can lead to immense rebellions.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Censorship

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    Censorship affects our society in many different ways, it affects the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, and many other aspects of our everyday lives. Even though many might argue that censorship doesn't really have a place in a society that emphases freedom of speech and the freedom to express oneself, but censorship is an essential and needed part of our growing society, it's needed in the television industry, the Internet, and the music industry. Censorship helps to make our world a better place because it creates a better environment for us to live in.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Internet Censorship

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the internet started in 1989 it was a place for the educated and the responsible. People used mainly for educational purposes and as a place to seek for like minded individual who had common viewpoints. Fast forward a decade or so and the internet had become mainstream. It now a place most people would consider the absolute definition of freedom. A place anything and everything go. Of course with that kind of freedom comes great danger. Cyber bully, unrestricted pornographic, many inappropriate content, and what the government feared most, gathering of anti-government rebels who spew government secrets and attract others to their cause. With these things on the internet many people believe that there should be some form of restriction on the internet, some form of censorship. I believe that they are wrong due to many reasons. The internet shouldn’t be censored due its very nature being a place where information is accessible to even the average man. Censoring the internet is equivalent to censoring the news which against the First Amendment, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of petition/assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of association. The First states “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. The Internet should not be censored, because the information on it is important to someone, in all cases. Anyone should be allowed to post whatever they want, as part of their rights for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. If you do not like something on the Interne...

    Read More

More about The Importance Of Internet Censorship

Open Document