Internet Censorship Means No Freedom of Speech Essay

Picture it: you pick up your phone to read your email. Youre expecting a message from a friend, who is sending you some information on breast cancer, but when you check your inbox there is instead a message from the server. It says the message that was sent to you from the address of your friend has been intercepted because it contained indecent material that did not comply with FCC regulations of the Internet. You call your friend only to find that the police have come and taken her away, and she is now facing up to two years in prison and/or up to $100,000 in fines. The message sent by your friend contained the word breast, which by current FCC standards is indecent, and thus not permitted to be transferred on the Internet. Due to†¦show more content†¦Instead of censorship and regulation by the government, we as users of the Internet should be able to practice self-regulation. Censorship of the Internet violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, and thus robs us of our right to freedom of speech. Since cyberspace is a fairly new concept, any restrictions placed on the Internet by the CDA will determine the degree of freedom we will enjoy on the Internet in future years. Enforcement of the CDA will potentially rob us of a valuable source of information on subjects ranging from abortion and AIDS to birth control. Despite the restrictions imposed by the CDA, and the jeopardy in which it places our First Amendment rights, many still support it, feeling that the Internet should be censored so that minors are not exposed to indecent, obscene, or pornographic materials when using it. These people should be made aware of the fact that there are currently several systems available, such as lockout programs, and several more being developed, such as Web site rating systems, which allow parents to screen and regulate what their child sees, according to their own standards, without government interference. Others support the CDA maintaining that the Internet needs to be censored so that pedophiles will not have access to and prey upon our children through the Internet. However, these people should understand that pedophiles are everywhere, and they habitually insert themselves into theShow MoreRelatedGovernments Censoring Internet Content1490 Words   |  6 Pagespros and cons of government involvement in controlling the content of the Internet. Everyday technology is getting more sophisticated, meaning that nowadays it is easy to explore about a certain issue via online connection and be near the world. 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