Censorship of the Internet

Name:
University:
Course Title:
Instructor:
Date:
Censorship of the Internet
Introduction
The internet has become a far more powerful tool for free speech compared to mass media. Since its development in 1960s as a military network with the capacity to survive nuclear war, this critical technology has attracted a number of users around the globe and continues to incredibly grow in faster rates (Gaita & Sather, 303). Ordinary users are now able to publish critical information and express their heartfelt opinions as well as be able to retrieve information and opinions of others. The Internet comprises of a global system of a network of computers using standard Internet protocol or standards known as the TCP/IP to serve billions of users across the world. Because of its global nature, information can be reached to mass populations within a short time compared to TV, radio or print. According to Pew Research Center, the Internet emerged to be a leading source for campaign news in 2008 and it has now become the main outlet for international and local news. For most of the young people, the Internet has now rivaled television as they can easily access most of the news online. While newspapers have been the primary source of news, the Internet topped as the main outlet of campaign news and other news. The Internet now faces the biggest threat in its history of being censored thus denying the people their essential right of freedom of speech in this modern information age of its explosion in terms of social networks and other forms of media easily accessed by its users.
The “Great Firewall of China”, a technology which closely monitors all activities of Internet users and blocks access to some information abuses the fundamental basic human right of privacy and freedom of speech. From the invention of the Internet to the making of an iPad, technology advancement has given users an immediate access to a stream of information with the push of a button. With technology getting increasingly advanced and the industry continuing to be even more profitable, multinational corporations have taken a quick stance of bending to the selfish interests of corrupt governments and even to the very perpetrators of human rights. As pointed by the Amnesty International, it is unfortunate that individuals living in China will not find sensible information after making a search for the Amnesty International’s website including other sites of organisations defending human rights. According to MacKinnon, China largely operates one of the most opaque and extensive Internet censorship system in the world partly strengthened by the Congress which is under pressure of taking action against intellectual property theft (Steiner, Alston & Goodman, 1329). In censoring the Internet through the “Great Firewall of China” people are denied of their basic human right of freely sharing their opinions through the nippily expanding media. It is important to recognise the vast and ever growing significance of the Internet as one of the most important modes of fostering the free flow of ideas, opinions and information that lie at the heart of the fundamental right of freedom of speech.
Apart from denying the people of China access to information, the Chinese policies of maintaining an online-spying system enables the authorities such as the police in tracking down individuals accessing the banned sites and further discouraging the expression of opinions. As supplied by Forsythe (184), online journalists and political activists have been incarcerated for rebellion on the basis of e-mail messages sent to the opponents of the policies abroad and online information posted on the websites. For instance, in January, 2004 the Amnesty International released fifty-four names of individuals who had been arrested or incarcerated by the Chinese authorities for disclosing their individual information and beliefs through the Internet. In June 2006, the Chinese government announced its plans to target search engines such as Google and Weblogs and block any unhealthy and illegal content. In their efforts, Western multinational companies such as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, which were operating in China, helped the government to use their tools in the surveillance of activities of Internet users and censoring the Internet content. The Amnesty International including other human rights organisations have since then singled out these companies in relation to the criticism. By taking advantage of their size and penetration in the global market, these multinational companies have greater sphere of influence over the human rights compared to other Internet companies. The Amnesty International blames these companies of aiding repression and violating the fundamental freedom by collaborating with the Chinese government instead of using their influence for a positive effect (Forsythe, 184).
In the United States, the legislation of the Protect IP Act which was introduced in the Senate in 2011 has also raised alarm over its threats in inflicting the collateral damage on the egalitarian discourse as well as the disagreement both in local and international spheres. Synonymously known as the Stop Online Piracy Act, the legislation seeks to protect against the infringement of the creative works over the Internet and has been applauded and welcomed by many without carefully weighing the effects this would have in the denial of the freedom of speech among Internet users. With enormous support from a well-financed group of hackers, the Motion Picture Association of America, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Directors Guild of America, the American Federation of Musicians, the Screen Actors Guild and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the bill is aimed at protecting the American intellectual property by empowering the attorney general to provide a blacklist of websites which should be blocked by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The sites also face threats of being blocked by payment providers such as PayPal, AlertPay and Moneybookers, advertising networks and search engines even without any court hearing. After the bill has been passed, private companies can have the powers...