There is lot of material on the Internet that many people would consider unparliamentary, and much of this material is easily accessible. Due to this fact, someone might unknowingly visit such a Web site and harm themselves. This is not the issue, however. The issue here is whether this offensive material should be censored from the Internet. The fact is that it does not matter if a person enjoys this type of material or not because they are not forced to view it by anyone in any way. It is not the responsibility of the people who post such material on the Internet to worry about who will be looking at it. On the contrary, it is the responsibility of the people to decide if this material is appropriate or not. In 1968, a system of film classification was adopted in the United States, rating movies for violence, sexual situations, adult language, etc. (Konvitz). These ratings give people a better idea of how appropriate a movie would be for them. On the Internet, however, one would have a very good idea of the content of a Web site, even without a rating system. People would know what is on a particular site if they already knew how to get there. It is their responsibility to make their own decisions as to whether or not this material is appropriate for them. If people feel there is a possibility they might be very appalled by this material, then they can choose not to view it. If people are not sure about this material, or if they are in favor of it, then they take an acceptable risk when they choose to view it. Undoubtedly, this material should not be censored merely because some people cannot make rational decisions for themselves.

Moreover, the people have a right to know. This statement was the opinion of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. He was said to have been "strongly against censorship of any kind, believing that people should have free access to all information" . Then, people could consider all of the information and make a more informed decision. The first amendment of the Constitution also states that "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech and of the press. . . . " All material or information on the Internet would be protected by this clause. Another law, the Freedom of Information Act, was passed by Congress on November 21, 1966. This law addresses more specifically the people's right to any information unless it is a matter of national security, violates a person's right to privacy, or deals with internal agency management ("Freedom"). None of the allegedly offensive material the government would like to censor falls into any of these categories. Unquestionably, no matter how distasteful some material on the Internet may be, the censoring of this material would be unconstitutional.

Free spirit is important to the viability to something like the internet which needs all kinds to keep it going. So reining it in will surely destroy it.

Learn more about this author, Andrew Leipus.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Why censorship will destroy the Internet?
We want to hear your view. Write now!