Freedom of Expression, Filtering and Censorship

Another of the issues related to networking and the Internet concerns freedom of speech. In the United States, the right to freedom of expression is guaranteed by the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances

One of the reasons the World Wide Web is so popular is that it makes it easy for anyone to "publish" their views, no matter how much they differ from mainstream thought and values. Since such "digital expression" can be viewed as an extension of "the press," digital rights organizations have regularly litigated against attempts to stifle such expression. Thus far, court decisions have invariably included the Internet—especially WWW sites—under the umbrella of protected speech, one of the cornerstones of our democracy. The only constraints on what may appear on a webpage are those similar to the restrictions on what can be published in general (e.g., advertisements for illegal activities, promotion of fraudulent enterprises, pedophilia, etc.).

However, just as some wish to restrict access to printed material through censorship, there are those who would like to censor some of the information on the Internet. Filtering is a common technology used in this respect. We conclude our presentation of this issue with a discussion of what it means for Christians to be "in, but not of the world" with respect to the content on the Internet.

 

Note: This page was written by Joel Adams.
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