Internet Censorship
Sociological Impact
The biggest discussion in the censorship of the internet is the sociological portion, each side believes differently in this part in that it has become the center for the arguments.
Sources that are for allowing the government to censor the internet feel that children are exposed to threats that are easily accessed online and that many parents are not able to protect these children alone (EiE 1). Cyber bulling is a relatively new form of online harassment that can cause serious harm to people of all ages and in some cases has even lead to suicide (EiE p CB par 3).
Megan Meier was a 13 year old from Missouri who struck up an online friendship on the popular social networking site MySpace with a person she believed was a new boy in her hometown. In actuality, the “friend” was a group of individuals, including adults, who were intent on humiliating the poor girl because of a friendship with another child that had gone awry. Megan was very upset when she found out the truth, then later committed suicide once the friendship had terminated. The horrifying case stunned the community and caused state government officials to pass some of the harshest cyber bullying laws in the country (ByberBully Alert 3).
Another harmful material online is pornography, although not all children are permanently or even temporarily affected by it, pornography can cause negative affects on individuals who are not mature enough to properly understand it. This can lead to unhealthy habits by the person which could have otherwise been avoided (EiE).
On the contrary in the United States we believe strongly that people should be able to freely speak their mind without needing to worry about being prosecuted or having what they say be censored by other people or the government.
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 (Caselaw 1).
The Bill of Rights has sculpted the United States into one of the most free countries in the world, and it citizens believe very strongly that people deserve to have this freedom. Even speech which some view as hateful or racist can have a different side, and the controlling of this speech would be hurting the sociological values of the nation (NCAC p HS par 1). Censorship wouldn’t be viewed as so negative if it could tell the age of the person and adjust itself appropriately; unlike a club or bar the internet isn’t able to “card” a person to make sure their eighteen. This severely reduces the effectiveness of nationwide censor (Wallace 15).
An alternative option to mass censorship that would be an option for parents is programs that they can install on their computers that would block unwanted sites. This would not be a perfect solution, as available program aren’t capable of blocking out every unwanted site, and they do prevent access to some cites that don’t contain explicit material (Esposito 4).
Sources that are for allowing the government to censor the internet feel that children are exposed to threats that are easily accessed online and that many parents are not able to protect these children alone (EiE 1). Cyber bulling is a relatively new form of online harassment that can cause serious harm to people of all ages and in some cases has even lead to suicide (EiE p CB par 3).
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 (Caselaw 1).
The Bill of Rights has sculpted the United States into one of the most free countries in the world, and it citizens believe very strongly that people deserve to have this freedom. Even speech which some view as hateful or racist can have a different side, and the controlling of this speech would be hurting the sociological values of the nation (NCAC p HS par 1). Censorship wouldn’t be viewed as so negative if it could tell the age of the person and adjust itself appropriately; unlike a club or bar the internet isn’t able to “card” a person to make sure their eighteen. This severely reduces the effectiveness of nationwide censor (Wallace 15).
An alternative option to mass censorship that would be an option for parents is programs that they can install on their computers that would block unwanted sites. This would not be a perfect solution, as available program aren’t capable of blocking out every unwanted site, and they do prevent access to some cites that don’t contain explicit material (Esposito 4).
