The Importance Of Government Censorship

Paint this picture: You once desired to watch a Youtube video that you have viewed recently once more, and as you searched it up, you remembered that there was offensive information. When you clicked on the video, a message popped up explaining that the video was blocked, and more importantly, why it was blocked. Although the Youtube administrators most likely blocked this information, this can mirror the controversial topic of censorship. Government censorship is the act of the government blocking information from media, such as books, the Internet, and magazines, due to bias, inappropriate, or offensive content. It keeps the information across these sources in balance of appropriateness. Some believe that it can form positive outcomes to society, but others believe not. Despite the violation of freedoms, government censorship can be beneficial because it removes objectionable/offensive information and restricts societal threats.

Should all government censorship be resisted? I believe that not all government censorship should be resisted. Internet should be censored such a way that gives an opportunity to collect important and effective information and filter the harmful information. Internet censorship is one of the best examples of government censorship that helps to make the society better. The Internet is a very helpful source for collecting information and learning new thing. However, the internet has positive and negative things equally and negative content has a heavy impact on children lives. Base on age website or application access limitation of harmful material that protects our children from abusing internet and censorship also helps to stop

Imagine a society in which its citizens have forfeited all personal liberties for government protection and stability; Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, explores a civilization in which this hypothetical has become reality. The inevitable trade-off of citizens’ freedoms for government protection traditionally follows periods of war and terror. The voluntary degradation of the citizens’ rights begins with small, benign steps to full, totalitarian control. Major methods for government control and censorship are political, religious, economic, and moral avenues. Huxley’s Brave New World provides a prophetic glimpse of government censorship and control through technology; the citizens of the World State mimic those of the real world by trading

The history of the world has undoubtedly been dominated by an endless struggle for power. However, after a brief glimpse into the pages of history it should not take long to realize that the trick to maintaining power lies in the control of information. Even the most fearsome military generals of the past acknowledge the power of the mind and ideas over lethal force. Former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin once said “… [Ideas] are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, then why should we let them have ideas.” Stalin’s quote personifies the main concept of this literature review which will be discussing the history of government censorship and its effects that are

The media could be determined a tremendous and powerful weapon. If used properly, it can provide society with great benefits, but if used in negative ways, it can destroy. In a modern world where information can spread as fast as wildfires, a reason to monitor or limit types of media appear rational, but along with that, irrational cases still exist. This argument has circled in the United States for a while and a decision needs to be made. Parents and citizens around the United States think concerningly about what our eyes witness on the news, in stores, on billboards, etc. When the government determines what appears in the media, it not only belittles citizens, but it denies the First Amendment, which states the basic rights of an American. Censorship of the media, as displayed in 1984, clearly exhibits the violation of the First Amendment, rightfully given to the citizens of the United States, by the founding fathers of this country.

Is there too much censorship in america, are your kids not allowed to share their mind with the world because of people getting offended over a joke or a misunderstanding. People all through history have been writing free speech to prove a point or for justice or freedom against the government to make a change for the better. But now if you have an opinion some won’t even express you feeling through social media because it will offend people or creators of the website will block the pager or use because their agist there opinion on the matter. Even some parents won’t let their children watch cartoon that are meant for kids because of the creator being homosexal or them no beliveing in the same religion. Some people we hate or distreat that person and won’t let them speak their mind or are be treated the same because of their religion,color or gender appel.

Censorship is a big part of life and people have gotten used to it. “Censorship is the editing, removing or otherwise changing speech” or alternative communications (“Censorship” 2008). The four main categories that get censored are “language, violence, sexual content, and adult themes” (Flood, 2016). Although some information should be held from the people, holding the information makes the people feel misinformed. Censorship is a way for the government to hide information from the people. Censorship should not be used.

Censorship may be protection from inappropriate materials, but it also limits free speech. For the limitation of free speech, it is reasonable why people are emphatically against censorship. It is understood that there is a need to filter some of the materials released in today’s society, but too much is being done by people who have no right meddling with everyone’s rights. Civilization has always been plagued by a never ending battle being fought over what is deemed right and wrong. In today’s culture, censorship oppresses everything in the media. From movies and music to television and even news stories, most of the content viewed today has been filtered one way or another. Restrictions have been in place since early societies have been

Technology has made sharing information incredibly easy; where scandalous or damning information used to wait for magazines or newspaper publishing deadlines, today this information can be shared around the world nearly instantaneously. In the United States censorship is often interchanged with transparency and the need for those in government to remain open and honest. In recent years, transparency in the United States has plummeted, but the discussion often overlooks the analogy of transparency and censorship with many people failing to see that a lack of transparency equates dangerous censorship (DeMersseman, 39). Governments around the world successfully withhold information from their people through censorship, an issue that was particularly

Walk into a library, you have a computer, you are most likely carrying a phone, at home, you most likely have a computer, laptop, tablet, or even all three. This shows that we have social media access at the tip of our fingers, making it so easy to open up the site or app and just type out a phrase or paragraph, letting hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions, of people know what you think. Back then, it was harder to let the nation know what you were thinking, and it took even take months before everyone knew, versus today, where the nation might know by the end of the day, and it’s because of this that companies regulate what their users are posting, attempting at keeping the online world free from threats, hate, harmful words, and more. Rutenberg quotes Jeffrey Goldberg as he says, “At a certain point I’d rather take myself off the platform where speech has become so become so offensive than advocate for the suppression of that speech” (2). Twitter also said that “everyone on Twitter should feel safe expressing diverse opinions and beliefs, but behavior that harasses, intimidates or uses fear to silence another person’s voice should have no place on our platform” (Rutenberg 2).

The idea of censorship is based upon the idea that there are some things that people, especially young people, should not be exposed to. People must be protected from stories or images or ideas which may be upsetting. They must also be protected from negative things which they might try to emulate. There is an obvious flaw in this system of logic; this perspective assumes that people cannot think for themselves. If they are exposed to violence or sex or bad language, then they will act violently, engage in sexual behaviors, or use bad language. In the case of young people, there is more validity to this argument. Children do tend to copy what they see and hear, whether that be in the media or in everyday life. However, it is hoped that adults can distinguish for themselves what is right and what is wrong. If they cannot do so, how can people believe that by censoring offensive materials in the media, then somehow this will ensure that people behave well? Censorship simply will not eliminate violent or otherwise poor behaviors but will instead ensure that people receive information from the wrong sources.

Individuals who oppose the use of censorship often argue that the liability for the information that children acquire lands in the hands of the media, but as a parent, they are responsible for supervising their children's media and literary use and access. Additionally, other controversies arise, such that adults become subject to the same blocking of materials, even ones protected by the Constitution, as minors and that “imposition of censorware would effectively force everyone to adhere to someone else’s morality” (Electronic Frontier Foundation 29). Many consider this a immense infliction on their individual rights even if it protects others from harmful materials. Nevertheless, the courts repeatedly ruled in favor of censorship to ensure the safety and security of the nation. Even if materials remain uncensored, access to them must be stringent and not openly available for anyone, young or mature, to stumble upon at any given moment. Many of today’s generation grew up surrounded by movies, articles, music, and advertisements centered around sex. Yes, children must learn about the subject at some point, but parents need to educate their children about the proper time and purpose for sex, not the media or literature of their daily lives. Again, if the people of the United States feel uncomfortable exploring the web, watching a movie, listening to the radio, or even opening a magazine, then the government needs to seriously reflection on its purpose and duties as the

The media and the internet in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is highly censored by the government, which is controlled by the Communist Party, mainly for political reasons. China is ranked 176 out of 180 countries on the Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index, citing that China is “World’s leading prison for citizen journalists.” Censored media includes, but is not limited to, print media, film, radio, and the internet. For example, any broadcast or mention of the match between Google’s AlphaGo and Chinese Go player Ke Jie was forbidden in China. It was speculated that the government feared Ke losing would threaten Chinese national pride. The internet in China in censored using what is dubbed “The Great Firewall”, which blocks “politically sensitive topics” and websites the government deems inappropriate. Many of these “politically sensitive topics” often refer to criticism of the CCP as in the case where Ren Zhiqiang, a CCP critic had his Sina microblog account deleted because he had criticized Xi Jinping, the leader of China. The government stated that Ren had a “vile” influence on the country by spreading illegal information. By censoring criticism and controversial topics about the party, the Chinese Communist party suppresses anything that could undermine its power. With the CCP being so powerful, the people of China have limited freedom of expression. Sites such as Wikipedia, Google, and YouTube are blocked in China, limiting the access of information for

Social media is the pumping heart that gives life to the information that citizens receive. It is not the only form of communication, however it has become a fundamental method to present our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and opinions to other people. It has become a necessity in American society to use media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to instantaneously access or send information.When words are censored, it strangles our ability to effectively communicate what we may be thinking. Similarly, when ideas are censored, our ability to progress as a society and as a nation is hindered. Censorship has been employed by other governments in the past as a method to influence the way a people may think about or view a topic. Therefore, government censorship of social media runs the risk of encroaching upon constitutional rights due to overreaching information control policies.

Internet censorship is developing far and wide and influences us, regardless that as United States citizens, we have additional technological opportunities than what many other nations do. Numerous Americans underestimate the opportunities that living in the United States permits us. Whether we are sending electronic mail, posting on our social media pages, or seeking out the latest news, we are ensured the opportunity of self-expression and an inexhaustible amount of information right at our fingertips. Censorship takes control of people's expression, and many countries, governments, and leaders support it for this reason. Internet Censorship in the United States in comparison to different nations brings to light the global and ethical issue regarding the basic human rights of education, communication, and freedom.