Running head: INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE MOST QUIET DEBATE

Internet Censorship: The Quietest Debate

Cedric Woodfork
University of Texas at El Paso

INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE MOST QUIET DEBATE

Abstract
Internet censorship has become one of the hottest topics of debate in the
legislative community, while simultaneously going largely unnoticed by the general
public. The idea of regulating online content walks a fine line between protect our
children, and stripping citizens of their right to express themselves. A perfect solution has
yet to be found in the international community, and The United States of America are up
to bat in confronting this subject. Is it possible for this country to come up with laws that
put a significant dent in suicides caused by cyber bullying, while at the same time
maintaining the net as a fertile medium for creative innovation and expression?
Introduction
With every second that passes, Americans are inching closer toward the end of the
Internet as it has been known. Cyberspace has flourished as a wild landscape, filled with
opportunity, as well as a new means for creative and artistic expression. Unfortunately,
these massive benefits have been coupled with terrible tragedies, including the
exponential rise of cyber bullying (and subsequent suicides). Countries around the world
have begun implementing censorship measures; and if all indications prove true, the
United States of America are on the verge of making a critical decision concerning how
heavily Internet content is regulated. This has been a controversial issue with its avid
supporters and rabid detractors. The goal of this report is to explore the topic of Internet
censorship from multiple facets: including its history, worldwide examples, as well as
opposing viewpoints and their respective implications.
A Brief Look At Past Censorship Attempts

INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE MOST QUIET DEBATE

The history of Internet censorship has been a tumultuous one, filled with trail and
error on the part of an American government reasonably looking to regulate Internet
policy without violating the rights of its people. One example stems from 1996, with the
enactment of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The goal of this regulation was
to make the known sharing of inappropriate media to minors a punishable crime. While
the intention is noble on the surface level, this law was met with widespread disapproval.
As stated by Dr. Chih Wang of the University of Guam states, Overwhelmed by many
court challenges, civil rallies and demonstrations, the US Supreme Court finally
recognized that the CDA indecency standards were vague and too broad, declared the
provision unconstitutional, and struck down the statute in 1997 (Wang, 2003, pg 213).
This demonstrates how even one of the most powerful nations on the planet has shown
itself to be still unequipped to effectively decide how much regulation is sufficient to
keep the internet experience, while maintaining freedoms of expression. With systems of
regulation consistently being nontransparent on methods for censorship, loads of work
remains to establish trust between the government and its citizens that ensure regulation
of the online experience wont reach the extremes reached in communists states like
China.
International Perspectives On Internet Censorship
With America being synonymous with the idea of being the land of religious and
expressive freedoms, the very idea of imposing regulatory measures may sound as if it
infringes upon the very rights that are pillars in the foundation of this country. Since the
state of Internet censorship in the USA is so underdeveloped, it is necessary to look at
examples from abroad to observe how other governments have ventured into this

INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE MOST QUIET DEBATE

relatively unexplored territory. For example, another world superpower with a developed
censorship policy is The Peoples Republic of China. Some view their policy of strictly
censoring religious or outspoken opinions in opposing the national agenda as excessive,
while others note how it has maintained the stability of its government and greatly
diminished the threat of a revolution. The converse can be seen with the role failed
censorship has played in the democratization of Egypt.
Egypt is an example of the Internet being used as a tool to accelerate the process
of dismantling an autocratic regime. Had there been a regulatory system in place as strict
as Chinas, one may deduce that such dramatic change wouldnt be possible in the span
18 days. In Sam Gustins article for Wired, he precisely states the role of social media in
this change in political structures when he asked, Did social media like Facebook
and Twitter cause the revolution? No. But these tools did speed up the
process by helping to organize the revolutionaries, transmit their
message to the world and galvanize international support (Gustin,
2011). Once the government realized the impact the Internet was
having on the uprising, they acted quickly to block many sites until it
ultimately disabled the Internet altogether. These efforts proved too
late as the momentum of the rebels had the support of the free world
behind it. The point in highlighting this historical event is to show how
important maintaining freedom of speech is with respect to the
Internet. If the United States government intends to maintain the
balance of civil liberties and lawfulness, it should keep this anecdote in
mind.

INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE MOST QUIET DEBATE

Opposing Viewpoints of Censorship In America

The evolution of censorship in America is happening at this very time. This
stirring debate finds both sides armed with valid reasons for why the tone of developing
legislations should sway in a more liberal or conservative direction. On one hand,
conservatives are generally concerned with making the Internet a place where illegal
streaming services and cyber bullying do not exist. In fact, cyber bullying is recent
nationwide issue that resulted in tragedy locally in El Paso. An article by Aaron Martinez
in the city newspaper describes the push for new reforms in online content regulation in
light of teen Viviana Aguirres suicide after being pushed over the edge by her peers.
Martinez quoted Chief Deputy Eddie Campa as saying, Definitely, there needs to be
legislation that makes it easier for us to look at these cases as criminal casesRight now
our hands are pretty much tied(Martinez, 2014) The Chief Deputy, an officer whose
job it is to carry out the law, is highlighting how the current state of law hasnt caught up
to the times in order to protect and serve properly on the rapidly evolving digital
landscape.
On the more liberal side of the argument, the focus is placed on making sure
constitutional rights are preserved, including a clear presentation of guidelines showing
what content is being monitored and what is worthy of being censored. Theres also
concern that stricter censorship will affect the development of new technologies and ways
to use the Internet. Ian Brown of Oxford University points out this concern in a report
when he states, filtering technologies are difficult and expensive to impose for any
reason; but once introduced can extremely easily encompass new areas of content. New
websites and keywords can be blocked as easily as they can be typed into filtering lists

INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE MOST QUIET DEBATE

(Brown, 2008, pg. 1). His quote is relevant because even if there are sweeping changes
made into law, a discerning eye should be kept towards the future, so as to not restrain so
much that the ability of content creators to innovate becomes stifled. Both sides of the
argument have fair points worth noting, but the continued debate will eventually reveal
which is the most vital.
Conclusion
The idea of Internet censorship is a tough task that must be confronted soon. That
being the case, reform is coming whether or not it is expected. The more citizens of the
American public who educate themselves on this topic will essentially be doing
themselves a service in attempting to preserve their rights to the fullest extent possible.
With legislation currently being discussed around congress (SOPA Stop Online Piracy
Act, and PIPA Protect IP Act), now is the time to develop an educated opinion before it
is too late.

INTERNET CENSORSHIP: THE MOST QUIET DEBATE

Works Cited
Brown, I. (2007). Internet Filtering - Be Careful What You Wish For. FREEDOM AND
PREJUDICE: APPROACHES TO MEDIA AND CULTURE, 74-91.
Gustin, S. (2011, February 11). Social Media Sparked, Accelerated Egypts
Revolutionary Fire. In Wired. Retrieved March 21, 2015, from
http://www.wired.com/2011/02/egypts-revolutionary-fire/
Martinez, A.(2015, January 12) Cyberbullying: El Paso girl's suicide puts spotlight on
social media dangers. El Paso Times. Retrieved from http://www.elpasotimes.com/
Wang, C. (2003). Internet Censorship in the United States: stumbling blocks to the
Information Age. IFLA Journal, 29(3), 213-221.