Internet Censorship Essay - America Needs Censorship of...

America Needs Censorship of Cyberspace In June of 1998 the country was horrified to learn of the death of James Byrd Jr. He was a 49-year-old black man who had been found horribly mutilated after being dragged to death. Authorities have charged three men with murder and violation of civil rights (A Fatal Ride in the Night 33). Obviously, if convicted, these men are guilty of a horrible crime, but what if this crime had been committed after viewing a racist website? If a person reads an emotionally charged, hate-filled website and then commits an act of violence, can the creator and owner of the website also be found guilty? No laws have yet been established to censor material in cyberspace. The†¦show more content†¦He states that we cannot say, the First Amendment is so sacrosanct that we must stand idly by while our children are inundated with pornography and smut on the Internet (Exon 156). However, those who are against censorship on the Internet believe that it violates their right to free speech. Because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates radio and television, Internet users believe this is the only available forum that guarantees the open exchange of ideas. The freedom of expression is a right guaranteed to Americans and therefore should not be restricted by the government. The First Amendment states, 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. In fact, Americans have a limited form of free speech. Several types of speech are not protected including fighting words, commercial speech, libel and slander, and obscenity. The Supreme Court has three tests for determining what is obscene: (1) whether the average person, applying local community standards, would find that a work, taken as a whole, appeals to a prurient interest; (2) whether the work depicts in a patently offensive way sexual conduct specifically defined as obscene in law; and (3) whether the work,Show MoreRelated We Dont Need Internet Censorship Essay1350 Words   |  6 PagesWe Dont Need Internet Censorship Censorship is an extremely controversial issue. There have been hundreds of thousands of essays written about whether or not censorship on the Internet is right or wrong, but so far, no precise conclusion has surfaced. Ive researched into the topic, but I havent completely sided with one or the other. There are just good reasons against censorship. This essay briefly discusses some reasons why the Internet should be censored, but will then mainly focusRead More Should the Internet be censored? Essay861 Words   |  4 Pages Should the Internet be censored? From colonial times to the present, the media in America has been subject to censorship challenges and regulations. The Internet has become a vast sea of opportunity. Everyone is seizing the moment. The good and the bad of society have reduced the meaning of the Internet. Menace threatens each onlooker, as people browse the many pages of Cyberspace. As the new technological advances help to shape our society, one cannot help but think of the dangers waiting to preyRead More Internet Censorship Essay1605 Words   |  7 PagesEveryone has heard of the Internet and how it is going to help set the world free. The Internet is the fastest growing form of communication and is becoming more and more common in the home. Companies these days do big business over the Internet, and online shopping has grown tremendously in the last few years. For instance, the online auction site eBay sells millions of items every year online. Many companies are making even more plans to expand their business t o the Internet. Unfortunately, there haveRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 PagesCard Number: 2007007922 ISBN: 978–1–59158–408–7 978–1–59158–406–3 (pbk.) First published in 2007 Libraries Unlimited, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 A Member of the Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.lu.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To our grandchildren Annika, Jacob, Katherine, Madison, Magnus, and Molly