It was once forcasted that computers in the future would weigh no more than 1.5 tons.
             Of course, in today's technologically savvy times, it's a common occurrence to see people
             holding their computers in their lap, or even in their hand. There's no doubt about it: the
             computer already plays an important role in our lives and that role is likely to expand as more
             advancements are made. However, new innovations mean new controversies. The Internet,
             for example, has transformed the way people communicate, conduct business, learn, and
             entertain themselves. With a simple click of the mouse key, one can do things that were
             thought science fiction just a few decades ago. For all the benefits associated with the
             Internet, the presence of pornography, hate groups, and other distasteful topics has lead to a
             nationwide debate on first amendment rights and censorship. The goal for the Internet should
             not be total freedom for unsavory groups to deliver their message to whomever they can, but a
             balance between the freedom of those who want this material and the freedom of those who
             When President Clinton signed the Communication Decency Act into law on February
             8, 1996, he effectively approved the largest alteration of national communication laws in 62
             years. In order to elicit a response from web creators who published "indecent" sites, the bill
             instituted criminal penalties. However, the emphasis in the bill was on "decency" and not
             "obscenity"- which had long been established as the method to determine what was
             supported by the first amendment and what was not. The CDA was eventually overthrown in
             Reno vs. ACLU because of the unconstitutionality vague wording and the noted importance in
             keeping the Internet a hospital arena for free expression and speech. In 1998, another piece
             of legislation was approved called the Child Online Protection Act, or ...