Censorship and the Global Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Censorship and the Global Network - Essay Example Nowadays lots of countries think over the problem of internet censorship implementation. But, in accordance with the Committee to Protect Journalists data, the countries with high level of filtration of internet content (China, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Iran, etc.) are suppressing the human rights of the citizens by restricting the access to free media. Moreover, the authorities often resort to some illegal methods, such as spying on journalists by means of the internet, sabotaging of their work and even different forms of violence. So, it turns out that the global network censorship serves the particular interests of some people. Key words: global network, internet censorship, filtration of internet content, CPJ. CENSORSHIP AND THE GLOBAL NETWORK Due to the growing number of Internet users, the governments of some countries resort to new, more sophisticated methods of restriction of access to information, including so-called e-censorship. Censorship is perhaps one of the most controversial topics for discussion. Many people, much understanding of this phenomenon. The generally accepted notion of censorship implies restrictions on the free form of the exchange and dissemination of information. The official reason for this restriction is a legally approved need to protect the interests of the state, society and its institutions. Internet censorship in the conceptual sense means limitation or suppression of access to information on the Internet, including the prohibition or restriction of the location or other information. On the one hand, trying to control the Internet is the same as trying to fight against windmills, at least, in those states, where the citizens' opinions matter and can influence public policy. On the other - in some countries (China, North Korea, Iran, Kazakhstan), where the total control over the joints of state networking with international ones is executed, it is possible to limit the exchange of information. Sure, it is possible, even despite the fact, that from the technical point of view the efforts of one country to monitor the whole widely ramified structure of the Internet are not enough (Madsen, 2005). The Internet censorship implies not only blocking or closing of any Web resource, but also a traffic analysis, the organization of the pseudo-opposition web resources and the application of punitive measures against the authors of the publications or the owners of web servers. For example, â€Å"in December 2000, the United States Congress passed legislation requiring Internet blocking technology to block pornographic materials in all public schools and libraries funded through certain federal programs† (Glanville, 2008) . It should be noted that the USA belongs to the countries with the nominal level of internet content filtration. CENSORSHIP AND THE GLOBAL NETWORK Today in most European countries there are no settled at the legislative level mechanisms of the Internet censorship implementation, in the true sense of this term. But who said that censorship, as well as Internet censorship, is the exclusive prerogative of the state? In fact, it is customary to distinguish several types of censorship: corporate, military, moral, political, religious. For example, the concept of corporate censorship includes the process of blocking (at times - very hard) any unsolicited information about a company or its business partners. Independent media are also subject to some kinds of censorship, because very often their