Freedom of Cyber-Speech -- Internet Censorship Essay

Freedom of Cyber-Speech      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Freedom of speech has always been an important issue in American society.   With the advent of the Internet as a high-speed communication device, this issue has become even more prominent in recent years.   This paper will explore the issue of whether the Internet should be censored. Additionally, it will investigate possible methods for undertaking this censorship.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since 1787, the Constitution has been integral part of American society.   The First Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1791, reads: 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. [1]    For two hundred years, this amendment has been tested in many different ways.   Over the years, the government passed many laws that did, in fact, "abridge the freedom of speech" for a variety of reasons.   Now, new technology appears to be giving the government another issue in which it must decide if it should go against the literal interpretation of the Constitution.  Ã‚   This paper will show how content on the Internet can be seen as dangerous, and if it should be censored.   It will then investigate what strategies are being used to censor it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Internet has provided a new and very powerful communication tool for Americans over the past several years.   With the Internet, ideas can be transferred faster than ever before.   Countless benefits have arisen with the development of the Internet, including powerful research resources, on-line shopping, and more.   However, with ... ...ier Foundation. 10/17/99.   http://www.eff.org/EFFdocs/about_eff.html#mission - An introduction to the EFF [6] First Amendment and Free Expression.   Center for Democratic Technology.   10/17/99.   http://www.cdt.org/speech/ An introduction to the CDT [7] The Freedom Forum Online.   The Freedom Forum.   10/19/99. http://www.freedomforum.org - An introduction to the Freedom Forum [8] The Free Expression Network The Free Expression Network.   .http://www.freeexpression.org   - An introduction to the Free Expression Network [9] United States Supreme Court.   Schenck v. United States.   1919. [10]United States Congress.   Title V - Broadcast Obscenity and Violence.   1995. [11] Baase, Sarah.   Gift of Fire. New Jersey:   Prentice-Hall, Inc.   1997. [12] GetNetWise.   GetNetWise.   10/17/99.   www.getnetwise.com - A tool for obtaining web-filtering software.