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Why Do We Need Censor-Free Internet to Guarantee Real Freedom in America?

Freedom of speech is something that many Americans take for granted. The concept itself has been around for hundreds of years and is engrained into our daily lives and our culture. Throughout history, there have been many instances when this freedom has been challenged. Boundaries are often pushed because of this basic freedom.

One of the main problems with this basic right would be that every individual has a different viewpoint in regards to what is decent and what is acceptable. Because of this, one person may be expressing his opinions as allowed through this basic freedom, while another individual finds this to be inappropriate or distasteful. With the sheer amount of information that is on the Internet, it is impossible to censor this effectively. The Internet is not just something that is used in the United States. It is a global network made up of individuals from all walks of life.

This diversity simply makes the job of censorship impossible. There is no way for any group of people to realistically decide what is right and what is unacceptable on the web.

There have been many instances where companies or organizations have been guilty of censorship on the web. One of the more notable occurrences was when the Internet provider Comcast restricted access to the BitTorrent website. It was the belief of Comcast officials that this website was being utilized for the illegal or unlawful downloading of media such as books, videos and music. The company line was that Comcast was trying to maintain the highest level of Internet connectivity for broadband users. By limiting or blocking access to certain websites, Comcast claimed that overall connection speeds and usability was improved.

In this case, the Internet provider was essentially deciding what individuals could and could not do on the Internet. This action goes completely against the idea of Net Neutrality. This is the belief that everything on the Internet should be treated equally and on a level playing field. For freedom of speech to exist online, net neutrality is essential. With out it, service providers and government agencies would be able to limit Internet access for users and decide what can be viewed and what is considered inappropriate.

If the Internet is not censor free, creativity in America will certainly be stifled. Right now, there are thousands of blogs and websites where individuals are able to express their ideas, thoughts, stories and more. Through such creativity, we are able to get great works of art and amazing literature. When the Internet is censored, this creativity is stifled. Throughout history, there have always been times when artwork and literature has been viewed as inappropriate. Ultimately, these things need to be seen and experienced by the masses. The Internet is no exception to this.

Making a tiered system to the Internet has been discussed by many different people and with many different variations. The basic premise is that the different levels would be controlled by a government agency or service provider. Users would then need to pay for a particular level of access on the Internet. A lower tier would only allow a user access to a few websites. One of the great things about the Internet is its diverse nature. By controlling this, the American public loses out on access and large corporations benefit.

Every day, there are new websites, blogs and search engines that are being created. The Internet is an ever expanding and ever-changing network. Because of this, it needs to remain censor free. Many Americans have become accustomed to the Internet as we currently know it. People need to realize that there freedoms can be compromised. There are many groups and organizations that are currently fighting to keep the Internet a censor free place. We all need to get behind these organizations and their work.

I wrote this web article just to give my personal opinion about this matter, but if you'd like to read more about internet freedom & censorship you might also check out some of these links...