FREE ESSAY ON INTERNET CENSORSHIP

INTERNET CENSORSHIP

The Internet is a wonderful place of entertainment and education, but like all
places where people conspire, there are some corners that people would prefer children
not to explore. World society as a whole attempts to protect children, yet there are no
required technological constraints to Internet surfing. In a civilization where people
have
become demented and twisted, aiming to please themselves with naked pictures of
women and children, it may be necessary to censor this material for the moral
advancement of our society as a whole. 
The Internet was originally a place for people to freely express their ideas
worldwide, and it has become one of America's most useful tools. Scientists use email
for quick and convenient communication. They can post their current scientific
discoveries on the web and others in the same field can know in minutes. But at the
same time, adults who spend the majority of their pathetic lives in their mom's
basements, can post pictures of naked women for all to see. Since the Internet is open
to
virtually anyone, it is incredibly easy for children to be exposed to this material.
Whether
or not this material is damaging to children, or anyone for that matter, can not be
determined. The Internet itself is completely amoral, but its what the people do with it
that make it good or bad.
As a whole, the Internet is incredibly useful and informative. Anything that you
could ever wish to know, can be found somewhere on the net. This surplus of
information is useful for students, teachers, doctors, lawyers or basically anyone in
any
field who wishes to become more informed. Though it is sometimes quite difficult to
find the information you are looking for, primarily because of all the porn that you
have
to stumble through, it is a consequence that comes with the use of this extraordinary
tool. The information is out there, and when the right amount of time is invested, it
can
be obtained.
The media is giving a mixed message on censorship of the Internet. It really
depends on what you are reading. Most newspapers and magazines take an objective
standpoint, but the Internet as a whole seems to oppose it. Most people don't want to
censor themselves or the things that they are looking at, and this is certainly
understandable. I found a drastic majority of sites on the net opposed to censorship
than
I did for those who were for it. People seem to enjoy freedom of speech and they should
be able to. On-line systems give people far more genuinely free speech than ever before
in human history (Corn-Reverse 71). This is very true. If the government were to take
action to censor the Internet, they would be acting unconstitutionally and would face
hearings in front of the Supreme Court. This is why they do not take direct action
towards complete censorship of the net.
It must also be understood that censoring the net is technologically impossible. 
As described by Allison and Baxter, Any computer Science graduate can create a
completely secure encryption system for their own purposes. The material can even be
disguised, for example hidden inside a perfect picture (Allison and Baxter 6). If a
person wants to publish offensive material on the Internet, then they will find a way.
The
same thing happened during prohibition. Though alcohol was illegal, it still made its
way into the United States.
Also, censorship of the Internet would be a complete contradiction. Pornography
is legal in videos and magazines, so it would be inconsistent to ban the Internet
equivalents. People should be able to restrict the information flow into their homes. 
They should be able to exclude any subject matter that they do not want their children
to
see. But sooner or later, those children will be exposed to everything that they have
been
shielded from, and they will have to deal with these shocking sights with their
uncultivated moral standards. Everyone will sooner or later be exposed to something that
they find offensive, so there is really no reason to attempt avoidance. These sights
will
be drastically more horrific for someone who wasn't exposed to them at an earlier age,
than someone who was and has learned how to deal with them.
The government should maintain their hands off policy on this issue. It should
be the parents full and complete responsibility to censor their child's Internet use. If
the
parent does not wish to or is unable to supervise their child's Internet use, there are
ways
to secure censorship. There are hundreds of programs that can be easily installed that
will block most of the offensive material. America On-line even has this feature built
in
and it can be easily turned on to prohibit viewing of certain sites. If the parent wishes
to
block all offensive material, then the only solution would be to not have Internet
accessibility at their homes. These parents should stop being so naive and should let
their children freely use the Internet without fear of restriction. The government isn't
going to do anything about it, and neither are Internet providers. Pornography will
always be there, and it's not really that big of an issue. Even if a parent were to
restrict
Internet use, in a feeble attempt to keep their kids away from porn, they should realize
that it is not hard to obtain. If the child wishes to look at pornography, then they will
find
it. That is a harsh reality in our society today.
The media frequently addresses the issue of censorship, and I feel that they are
saying the right thing. The majority of the time they are saying, hey, we're not going
to
censor ourselves, but feel free to do it yourself. This is what I firmly believe. If
someone
wishes to post an Internet site that appeals to pedophiles and zoophiliacs, then so be
it. If
you don't want to view that site, then don't go there. These things aren't disguised.
You
know when you see the description for a pornography site. It is sad that people are
sexually aroused by this type of thing, but that's just the type of society that we live
in. 
This isn't going to change, so everyone should learn how to deal with it.