The Internet is a method of communication and a source of
information that is becoming more popular among those who are interested
in, and have the time to surf the information superhighway. The problem
with much information being accessible to this many
people is that some of it is deemed inappropriate for minors. The
government wants censorship, but a segment of the population does not.
Within this examination of the topic of, Government Intervention of the
Internet, I will attempt to express both side s of this issue.
During the past decade, our society has become based solely on the
ability to move large amounts of information across large distances
quickly. Computerization has influenced everyone's life. The natural
evolution of computers and this need for ultra-fas t communications has
caused a global network of interconnected computers to develop. This
global net allows a person to send E-mail across the world in mere
fractions of a second, and enables even the common person to access
information worldwide. With th e advances with software that allows users
with a sound card to use the Internet as a carrier for long distance voice
calls and video conferencing, this network is the key to the future of the
knowledge society. At present this net is the epitome of the F irst
Amendment: freedom of speech. It is a place where people can speak their
mind without being reprimanded for what they say, or how they choose to
Recently, Congress has been considering passing laws that will
make it a crime punishable by jail to send "vulgar" language over the net.
The government wants to maintain control over this new form of
communication, and they are trying to use the protect ion of children as a
smoke screen to pass laws that will allow them to regulate and censor the
Internet, while banning techniques that could eliminate the need for
regulation. Censorship of the Internet threatens to ...