Personal Outlook on The Issue of Internet Censorship

In my research paper, I have given information about the issue called Internet Censorship.  In the evolving world of digital technology, the internet has also considerably grow to an extent where some information, websites or pictures have to be censored by the government. By imposing censorship on the internet, governments withhold some data, information or pictures which may be conflictual and inappropriate for the public.

Causes

The younger generation has become very fond of digital technology and they have access to a wide number of webpages. As they surf through the internet, they might come across inappropriate images or information which could be harmful for their young minds. Some teens and even youngsters, out of curiosity or intentionally, search up images or videos which may be disturbing and not age-appropriate.

Secondly, if we talk about a national and global issue, everyone has different opinions on topics such as religion, race or culture, and on the internet there is no limitation on what people post regarding these topics.

These days, the number of fraudulent websites have increased on the internet which steal the private data and information of the victim. A source states that “According to a Harris poll, 60 million people in the United States have been affected by identity theft at least once in their lives”.

Consequences

Most parents are usually unaware about their child’s online activity and this raises a concern among them. A source identifies “....In order to protect children from the negative influence of extreme, violent and pornographic information, 93% parents support the mandatory internet filtering”. However, governments should not be blamed for not implementing censorship in the society, parents themselves should always be aware about what their child watches online.

People post different opinions on the Internet on sensitive issues such as religion. There might be some information which can be very conflictual and may raise concerns and tensions among people and even countries. This may result in hatred between people of different countries, religions, races etc. Again, it’s not necessary for the government to impose censorship. The blame should go on the people who are trying to spread hate on the internet.

Many fraudulent and harmful websites, controlled by hackers, roam around on the internet, which steal personal information of the victims. This leads to identity theft, or financial loss for the victim.

Possible Courses of Action

By enforcing censorship on the internet, all inappropriate websites are filtered out and parents do not always have to worry about what their child sees online. Additionally, any information with extreme views and opinions, or fake news can be censored which would reduce conflicts within a society or between nations. However, even if the fake news on the internet is censored, there might be a possibility that it is published through newspapers or magazines, so there is no advantage of internet censorship in this case. Furthermore, online crimes are reduced because all harmful websites are blocked through the use of censorship. Nonetheless, there are many people who may use special apps to block out the internet censorship and can gain access to whatever they want.

Other Point of View of the Issue “Censorship”

On the other hand, people argue that the internet is a platform where every person, regardless of their background and ethnicity, has the right to express their views on different issues. However, it is not that the people always need the internet for expressing their thoughts, they can write articles and publish them in newspapers. Furthermore, it is exceptionally costly to impose censorship on the internet of the entire country or state. A source says “When Egypt decided to implement a policy of Internet censorship across the general population, the final cost for the process total $90 million.” When internet censorship is implemented, the government has the authority about what information to release to the public and what not to. This leads to a society which is mostly unaware about what exactly is going on around the globe. However, people can make use of newspapers to keep themselves updated.

Conclusion

With my research paper coming to an end, I would like to say that the information which I have provided can help individuals, businesses, and governments to be aware of the issues regarding the topic of internet censorship, and how it can affect their daily lives. I think that censorship should be imposed on the society, but only to a certain extent so that people are not deprived of their right of freedom of speech.