Should the Internet be censored? The Internet has become a growing source of entertainment and communication. Statistics predicts, “3.2 billion people will be online,” by the end of this year, “[t]he population currently stands at 7.2 billion” (International Telecommunication Union). As the Internet’s familiarity among the population increases, the capacity of its contents is growing rapidly at an increasing rate. Why? Because in some countries there are little or no restrictions to what can be put on the Internet and by whom it could be viewed. However, in some countries, Internet censorship has been implemented by governments for moral and political reasons. These include, protection of children, political repression of dissidents, human rights activists, comments insulting the state and protection of intellectual property including restriction on illegally downloaded movies and music.
Traditionally, the Internet has been a free digital medium for publishing and accessing information. However, Internet censorship has spread increasingly in established democracies, for instance, in France laws blocking terrorist and child abuse sites came into effect, (Gibbs, Guardian). Apart from parents and educational institutions, governments are using legal frameworks, regulations and policies to enforce Internet censorship to protect the nation.
The major argument for Internet censorship is the protection of children, because they are more vulnerable to the affects of online