Online Censorship: Should You Care?
Issues with the internet go far beyond the broadband speeds in my area. While online censorship is a very hot topic here and there are a lot of people who are unsure about whether or not they should care about this. When you look at this debate you need to consider both sides and the pros and cons of censorship. When you look at the good and the bad you will be able to determine whether this affects you and whether you should care about it. The Benefits of Censorship There are a lot of people who state that online censorship offers a lot of benefits that are good for everyone. It is important that you know what these benefits are and whether or not they are actually going to be helping you: • There are many inaccurate claims about products and companies which are spread to promote the products. When you have online censorship this will be limited and you will only get the correct information about a product. • Since the Wiki Leaks scandal national security has become even more important. When you have online censorship national secrets will remain secret and this is seen as beneficial to everyone. • Privacy is a very important topic today and you need to be safe when you are online. If there is online censorship then your privacy is better protected. • Plagiarism and the other theft of intellectual property is something that is rife online. When you have censorship then you will not have this plagiarism and the rights of the creator are better protected. • Abused and disrespectful displays related to a certain group of people can be limited when you are looking at online censorship. • The safety of children online is a major issue and is something that a lot of parents worry about. When you have online censorship children will be protected from harmful information and those that would harm them. • The use of obscenities and vulgarity will be limited when you have online censorship. The limiting of this will make a more respectful and polite society. • Images online of people smoking and drinking alcohol could influence other to copy this harmful behaviour. Online censorship will remove these images from the internet and could curb these harmful habits. • There are a lot of tutorials online that help you learn how to build dangerous objects. When there is online censorship these tutorials will be removed and this can limit the number of people who make these dangerous objects. • The cultural beliefs and morals that certain cultures have are protected from external influence when you have online censorship. This helps to protect cultures from fading and suffering the influences of other cultures. • Any politically motivated propaganda can be removed from the internet when there is online censorship. The Drawbacks of Online Censorship While there are a number of benefits that you can get from online censorship you need to consider what the drawbacks are as well. It is this play of pros and cons that has caused the debate for and against online censorship. • When you have online censorship you will be limiting globalisation and all the benefits that come from this. • Online censorship undermines the right to freedom of speech as options can be taken down if they do not conform. • When you have online censorship the government will be controlling what people are reading and seeing. This level of government control is very bad because it allows government to control what people see and how people feel toward certain groups. • Online censorship will allow those in power to hide human rights violations by removing any information that talks about this. • If all sex-related information is removed from the internet then the dangers of illness and disease will be hidden. This can lead to apathy regarding these diseases. • The act of online censorship is often closely linked to dictatorships and complete government control. • Any online censorship will curb the flow of new ideas as these can be shut down if they do not agree with the stance of the censor. • Censorship in general has been proven in the past to be a bad idea and will lead to the blocking of legitimate criticism. • When you block certain information you are undermining the right to know that all people have. • Censorship is open to corruption and manipulation. If the censor is approached by a large company or wealthy individual it is possible for them to push their own agenda. • The basis of competition in industry may be undermined based on the views of those controlling the censorship. • When you censor the online media you are going to comprise their entertainment value and any morals that they are trying to portray. Valuable Tool or Not? There are a lot of people who feel that online censorship is a very valuable tool. It can help to protect those that are vulnerable and it can curb abusive behaviour towards certain groups of people. However, when you look at the history of censorship you will see how easily it can be manipulated and abused. The views of the censor are not always the views of the people. There are some people who call for the judicious use of censorship. However, others oppose this idea because who has the right to say what is good and what is bad. If everyone is allowed freedom of speech would even the judicious use of censorship still block this right? It is important that everyone know about the pros and cons of online censorship. When you have all of the information you will be able to determine whether this is a good idea or not. You will also be able to determine how your life will be impacted and whether you should care about this. If you do anything online then you should care about the censorship of this. The news website you look at may not be able to share the same information that it once did. 'What is the broadband speed in my area?' was a question that Phil Turner often heard. He generally points people in the direction of sites like uSwitch where there was plenty of information.
Issues with the internet go far beyond the broadband speeds in my area. While online censorship is a very hot topic here and there are a lot of people who are unsure about whether or not they should care about this. When you look at this debate you need to consider both sides and the pros and cons of censorship. When you look at the good and the bad you will be able to determine whether this affects you and whether you should care about it.
The Benefits of Censorship
There are a lot of people who state that online censorship offers a lot of benefits that are good for everyone. It is important that you know what these benefits are and whether or not they are actually going to be helping you:
· There are many inaccurate claims about products and companies which are spread to promote the products. When you have online censorship this will be limited and you will only get the correct information about a product.
· Since the Wiki Leaks scandal national security has become even more important. When you have online censorship national secrets will remain secret and this is seen as beneficial to everyone.
· Privacy is a very important topic today and you need to be safe when you are online. If there is online censorship then your privacy is better protected.
· Plagiarism and the other theft of intellectual property is something that is rife online. When you have censorship then you will not have this plagiarism and the rights of the creator are better protected.
· Abused and disrespectful displays related to a certain group of people can be limited when you are looking at online censorship.
· The safety of children online is a major issue and is something that a lot of parents worry about. When you have online censorship children will be protected from harmful information and those that would harm them.
· The use of obscenities and vulgarity will be limited when you have online censorship. The limiting of this will make a more respectful and polite society.
· Images online of people smoking and drinking alcohol could influence other to copy this harmful behaviour. Online censorship will remove these images from the internet and could curb these harmful habits.
· There are a lot of tutorials online that help you learn how to build dangerous objects. When there is online censorship these tutorials will be removed and this can limit the number of people who make these dangerous objects.
· The cultural beliefs and morals that certain cultures have are protected from external influence when you have online censorship. This helps to protect cultures from fading and suffering the influences of other cultures.
· Any politically motivated propaganda can be removed from the internet when there is online censorship.
The Drawbacks of Online Censorship
While there are a number of benefits that you can get from online censorship you need to consider what the drawbacks are as well. It is this play of pros and cons that has caused the debate for and against online censorship.
· When you have online censorship you will be limiting globalisation and all the benefits that come from this.
· Online censorship undermines the right to freedom of speech as options can be taken down if they do not conform.
· When you have online censorship the government will be controlling what people are reading and seeing. This level of government control is very bad because it allows government to control what people see and how people feel toward certain groups.
· Online censorship will allow those in power to hide human rights violations by removing any information that talks about this.
· If all sex-related information is removed from the internet then the dangers of illness and disease will be hidden. This can lead to apathy regarding these diseases.
· The act of online censorship is often closely linked to dictatorships and complete government control.
· Any online censorship will curb the flow of new ideas as these can be shut down if they do not agree with the stance of the censor.
· Censorship in general has been proven in the past to be a bad idea and will lead to the blocking of legitimate criticism.
· When you block certain information you are undermining the right to know that all people have.
· Censorship is open to corruption and manipulation. If the censor is approached by a large company or wealthy individual it is possible for them to push their own agenda.
· The basis of competition in industry may be undermined based on the views of those controlling the censorship.
· When you censor the online media you are going to comprise their entertainment value and any morals that they are trying to portray.
Valuable Tool or Not?
There are a lot of people who feel that online censorship is a very valuable tool. It can help to protect those that are vulnerable and it can curb abusive behaviour towards certain groups of people. However, when you look at the history of censorship you will see how easily it can be manipulated and abused. The views of the censor are not always the views of the people.
There are some people who call for the judicious use of censorship. However, others oppose this idea because who has the right to say what is good and what is bad. If everyone is allowed freedom of speech would even the judicious use of censorship still block this right?
It is important that everyone know about the pros and cons of online censorship. When you have all of the information you will be able to determine whether this is a good idea or not. You will also be able to determine how your life will be impacted and whether you should care about this. If you do anything online then you should care about the censorship of this. The news website you look at may not be able to share the same information that it once did.
'What is the broadband speed in my area?' was a question that Phil Turner often heard. He generally points people in the direction of sites like uSwitch where there was plenty of information.
