World wide web Censorship Pros and Cons
The series of events related to Internet censorship in various parts of the world over the last year or so has brought this issue back to the debating table. This has, in turn, left the entire world divided into two groups – those advocating Internet censorship and those opposing it. While those who advocate it argue that such regulations are necessary to keep certain problems, such as sexual exploitation of children and spread of drug cartels, at bay, its critics are of the opinion that this is a mere authoritative practice which questions the fundamental principles of democracy. Before we move on to the details of Internet censorship pros and cons, let’s try and understand what Internet censorship actually stands for.
What is Internet Censorship?
The concept of Internet censorship revolves around administrative control or suppression of publishing information on the Internet or accessing it. Under this concept, the reception of those web pages which are deemed unfit by the administrative body of the said country are blocked by government sanctions. Censorship on Internet access exist in many parts of the world, including the United States of America, to a certain extent. Several countries, including China, Burma, North Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, have been referred to as the enemies of the Internet by Reporters Without Borders (RWP) – a Paris based non-government organization which advocates the freedom of press. To quote RWP – “these countries mark themselves out not just for their capacity to censor news and information online but also for their almost systematic repression of Internet users.“
Internet Censorship Pros and Cons
Most of the progressive groups are of the opinion that Internet censorship to an extent is justified, but the onus is on the government to ensure that it doesn’t hamper the freedom of press or result in systematic repression of Internet users – as highlighted by the Reporters Without Borders (RWP). Going through the pros and cons of Internet censorship given below will help you get a better understanding of this concept, as well as its implications on the society.
Internet Censorship Pros
Advocates of Internet censorship argue that there has to be some regulation on this medium of mass media – the absence of which can result in some serious implications of the society. Even other means of mass media – such as television and books, have censoring authorities which implies that there is no problem in having such authorities monitoring what is being published on the Internet. Irrespective of whether it is on the television or on Internet, racial comments and pornography can never be justified. It may be easier to trace a person who uses television as a medium to spread hatred or porn, but it is very difficult to do so on the Internet with no boundaries whatsoever. The fact that the chances of being traced are very rare makes many resort to various criminal activities, right from sexual exploitation of children to running drug cartels from a particular part of the world, on the Internet. While laws pertaining to various Internet crimes do exist, it is very difficult to book a person on such charges – especially if he is not from the same country. The rising number of crimes validates this very fact, and advocates of Internet censorship cite this as one of the most prominent reason in their justification of Internet regulation.
Internet Censorship Cons
According to the critics of Internet censorship, it is a blatant violation of Internet privacy and freedom of press – which is used by authoritative administration to suppress the effectiveness of this means of mass media. The critics also question the idea of Internet Service Providers deciding what to put on the Internet and what to omit, as the chances of these service providers being biased cannot be ruled out. As far as government regulation is concerned, the government can only regulate what is going on in their country, but it is very difficult to regulate web pages which are generated from other countries. On the legal front, the owners of these websites can sue the administration over blocking their websites as well. While that may seldom work in non-democratic countries, it is an effective tool for such companies in democratic countries. At the same time, such censorship is also bound to come heavy on taxpayers pocket because the government will have to put in more funds to tackle new concepts of Internet technology, such as proxy server, which keep on changing every now and then.
The administration needs to take these Internet censorship pros and cons into consideration when implementing any such restrictions on the Internet. Evaluation of these pros and cons Internet regulation reveals that such restrictions can be used as well as misused. While the pros of Internet censorship may make you believe that this is the need of this hour, its cons are bound to make you feel that such concepts don’t have place in democracy. While the problem is at its peak in countries with non-democratic government, the demons of Internet censorship do raise their heads every once in a while in democratic countries as well.
