Censorship good or bad
With the advancement of technology, information is readily available and can be accessed by anyone changing our lives in many ways. Countless benefits come with modern technology one of the significant changes includes sharing of information and ideas using online platforms. People use various tools like social media to express their opinions, share data and mobilize people to participate in various activities. Social media platforms have become convenient platforms to share information; however, online platforms have come along with many disadvantages that need to be handled with care.
Censorship is a process used by government or private entities to control information being circulated in the community. The government bans materials, making them inaccessible to its citizens. Other online companies censor certain contents based on the government directive. Individuals can also practice censorship to limit access to personal details. Censorship is a practice common in several countries all over the world. Some practice it more than other preventing sharing of undesirable content like pornographic materials and any anti government campaigns.
Even though censorship can be justified to some extent, people have varied opinions on the extent it should be exercised. It is true this censorship benefits the society; sharing undesirable information to the public through the internet can cause tension that is why the government has the duty to maintain peace by filtering information on the internet when necessary. Accordingly, censorship of pornographic contents is justified because it saves our younger generation from accessing corrupt contents. Without censorship, individuals with ill motives can use mass media to cause unnecessary tension and the government might lose the support of its people due to false rumors or exaggerated accusation from opposition groups. Not everyone can differentiate genuine information from false information that is why censorship is necessary situations.
On the other hand censorship has negative impact on citizens, because the government decided what is right or the people, citizens do not have the right to make their own judgment to determine that is right and what is wrong .For example, in China, where censorship policies are extreme, with sixty internet regulations being implemented by the government in collaboration with internet service providers and other government agencies. The government of China has blocked website contents, which in their view is inappropriate. Apart from just blocking contents, the government monitors online communication, which violates human rights.
People have the right to expression and privacy, but through censorship, such rights are taken away. Although protecting citizens from dangers through censorship can be justified, upholding their rights is equally important. Therefore, a certain level of information restriction and transmissions using online platforms is essential. However, is important to ensure that promoting stability should not violate individual rights like in certain cases where freedom of speech is compromised.
If not handled with care, censorship can be used to push for personal agendas by denying people the important information they need to know. Many people believe that the benefit of reasonable censorship outweighs its disadvantages, which includes limiting freedom of speech. Although censorship has numerous benefits to the society, overdoing it can cause the negative impact on the society. Extreme and strict censorship in the case of China promotes ignorance and present biased beliefs in the government. Censorship should be done properly to benefit the society without their rights being compromised. The government should always put the welfare and the rights of its citizens first before establishing censorship regulations, and censorship should not be used as a tool to oppress the people to achieve political goals. Instead, censorship should be used to protect citizens from any potential dangers.
