Internet Censorship in America: Issues, Debates, and Impacts

Introduction

Censorship of information on the Internet has become a controversial topic that has generated enormous debate, especially regarding whether it is a necessity for maintaining a particular ethical standard. While there is no single answer to the question of Internet censorship in America, the issue has been confronted and is being actively addressed. Censorship of information on the Internet has grown into a major issue because the Internet has greatly extended people's ability to access information across the globe. As a result, questions and concerns are being raised about what kind of information people should have access to, particularly if a common standard is to be established.

Issues regarding censorship and freedom of expression continue to emerge alongside the daily growth and expansion of the Internet. These issues are primarily centered on material available online, such as children's exposure to pornography, which has caused increasing controversy. In addition to presenting a literature review, this paper examines the issues, debates, advantages, and disadvantages of Internet censorship in America as analyzed across a range of sources.

The Development of the Internet

In a research article by Qazi (par. 5), the development and growth of the Internet is examined as it emerged from packet switching and distributed computer networks that were originally designed to remain secure during wartime. The distributed computer systems were built to be secure because they are less vulnerable to destruction and can facilitate the routing of transmissions around damaged nodes. Local area networks could be connected to these systems without undermining their advantages and without dependence on a single time-sharing computer. Today's Internet was realized as a result of these developments throughout the 1970s and 1980s, which promoted an informal network of networks that now extends across the entire world with approximately four million hosts.

The Internet has experienced significant and rapid growth over the past few decades, to the point that it is referenced on a daily basis across many facets of society. As a result of this massive growth, Internet use has expanded rapidly and will continue to grow in the future. In the United States, this expansion is evident from the fact that over ten million Americans access the Internet from computers in their homes.

The primary reason for the extended use of the Internet is the numerous changes it has brought to the world. Some of these changes include facilitating easy research, enhancing communication across the globe, and transforming the way people shop. The Internet has become more mainstream and has been widely adopted by society since it helps maintain connectedness between people in various parts of the world ("The Internet Censorship Debate" par. 2). These developments persist even though the Internet has also made it easier for individuals to access inappropriate material.

History of Internet Censorship in America

While recent proposals for censoring information on the Internet have generated sharp controversies, Internet censorship in the United States is not new. Throughout its history, the United States government has typically tried to regulate new communication technologies as they emerge. For example, the government attempted to regulate telephone companies and to control obscene literature distributed through the U.S. Postal Service in both public libraries and schools. This initiative resulted in the enactment of legislation prohibiting the sending of obscene or inappropriate material through the United States mail.

Those bans marked the beginning of a broader censorship tradition that has since extended to proposals for censoring information on the Internet. Internet censorship in the United States did not happen overnight; it came gradually, following precedents set in countries such as China and those in the Middle East. Another development that contributed to proposals for online censorship was the extension of an enhanced Patriot Act by Congress in 2005, which permitted the government to tighten its controls over the web.

Main Issues Regarding Internet Censorship

As the Internet has become deeply embedded in the lives of many Americans, the most common assumption is that it is immune to change. Although there are no guarantees that it will remain a free and open medium, many people tend to assume it will. Because the Internet is a human institution managed by actual people and businesses, it is not fixed or unchanging—just as most human institutions are not. This is reflected in the fact that the history of the Internet has been characterized by continual changes to its core architecture as well as numerous court decisions.

As a result of this vulnerability to change, Internet access has continued to face several issues, particularly in relation to censorship. Despite the assumption that Internet use is static and unchanging, there have been various attempts to restrict what information people can access online in the United States. Examples of such regulations include network neutrality rules championed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The American government has made various attempts to gain greater control over Internet use as companies have developed new technological infrastructures to manage it. Generally, Internet censorship in the United States has encountered several major issues, as outlined below.

Concerns Regarding Freedom of Expression

Stanley (p. 2) argues that freedom of expression is one of the major issues surrounding web censorship, since the Internet is one of the primary places where Americans exercise this constitutional right. The Internet functions as an entertainment medium, a newspaper, a debating platform, and a reference work that promotes the free exchange of ideas and information. The centrality of this freedom is evident from the fact that many Internet censorship cases before the Supreme Court have been decided on the basis of protecting the right to free expression.

Qazi (par. 13) agrees that freedom of speech is a central issue when addressing Internet censorship in America. The First Amendment to the Constitution enforces freedom of speech and prevents Congress from enacting legislation to the contrary. However, various generations in American history have reinterpreted and redefined this amendment, making freedom of speech something less than absolute. Consequently, existing laws in America address national security, obscenity, libel, control of electronic mass communication, and access to governmental information.

As a result of the numerous changes that have reshaped the First Amendment, America has continued to face significant challenges in restoring conventional freedom of speech and information diversity. Freedom of expression remains a major issue in the Internet censorship debate because free speech inherently encompasses the use of the web to express ideas within America and around the world.

Access to Inappropriate Materials

While the Internet provides enormous opportunities for global access to local culture, another major issue surrounding Internet censorship is the concern over controversial or inappropriate ideas and images online (Schrader par. 1). Access to inappropriate materials has contributed to both technological and political difficulties for open Internet access. Internet censorship in the United States has been supported in various quarters on the grounds that it could help restrict access to such content.