Blog | Internet Censorship and why taking it to the next level will do more harm than good

On 16th November 2011, Congress holds hearings on the first American Internet censorship system. This bill can pass. If it does the Internet and free speech will never be the same. Have your say and help us to stop this bill: http://americancensorship.org/

There's arguments like: "it would stop the 0.001% from downloading illegal material and viewing harmful content", but would it? The link between those who cause harm in reaction to malicious content is very tenuous at best. Also, restricting the Internet to such an extent isn't going to stop a person with a predetermined mindset in undertaking their "low-level" pleasures. You could argue that they shouldnt be enticed or encouraged by such content in the first place, but there'll always be another, baseless excuse ready to take its place.

There are ever-changing and various ways of accessing "harmful" or illegal content, be it from music, films, books, even your next door neighbour and the public. The Internet is just another form of information consumption and by turning off one access-point, there's always a million other ways that content will be accessed. So what ends up being the ultimate, end solution to these incremental steps being implemented?

The end goal is to cut off all potential "harmful" access points, decided by the government... Incremental steps that have little bearing on helping the initial issue, but are really steps towards a greater goal. (Insert conspiracy theory here but I believe, similar to China's goal, it's to control what information reaches our laps so the populace are more compliant and efficient.) Take that as a positive or negative outcome,  but it will happen as the population increases. Just like when roads and traffic lights were implemented when vehicles became the norm, our own concept of this will be implemented for people, to maintain as much compliance and efficiency as possible.

Similar to most things imposed by the government (the war on terror, the shutdown of social media,) all of these so-called solutions produce no evidence of solving the problem at hand because "evil" people will carry on being evil, and the government will use one excuse after another to stop the next big thing that appears to be harmful. In reality, its the individuals nature/nurture causation that's producing the harm, not a video game, or pornographic website. You don't have to have a degree in history to know that there has always been rape, peadophilia and murder, no matter what century you lived in. But the government knows what's best for us, right?

I'm not a crazy liberal, I totally agree with the successful filters already in place across all forms of media. Hundreds of films every month are already banned from ever seeing the light of day, and websites that encourage peadophilia are filtered out immediately from prying eyes. Even now, thousands of websites are banned every day just in the UK and all the average user gets is a "404 not found" page, a little bit misleading huh? The lobbies can't even be upfront with their current censorship so how we can put our trust into letting them decide what we should and shouldn't see? Should we let such government policies do the hand-holding and replace what should be our own responsibility?

You may say yes, but where is the justification for censorship to tighten up when there's no evidence of increasing anti-social behaviour or loss in profits when it comes to the Internet, latest violent video game or "gothic" music album released. When it comes to the ratio of anti-social behaviour per, say every million people, these figures haven't increased over the course of time. If anything, society overall is more moral and accepting now than it's ever been.

Sadly, when it comes to politics, there doesn't have to be much justification, and the less-liberal among us jump on the bandwagon with a percieved notion that these "new" solutions will somehow help the greater good. In reality, it's another chip away at our liberties, while providing little resolution to the minor few who cause the issue.

To encourage such censorship shows a lack of belief in the good of ourselves and fellow human-beings. I believe the majority of us have good morales and values, actually I don't believe, I know, and so do you.