The Controversy Of Internet Censorship

Ever since the world jumped into the realm of the the digital age with the creation of the internet in the early 90’s, many have pondered topics of free speech, expression, privacy, and censorship, and to what extent they apply to the internet. It is clear that the creators wanted an open, unrestricted access to their invention, but with the rise of extremist ideologies and harassment, many are questioning if organizations, companies, and governments should intervene to protect its users. From authoritarian regimes to libertarian republics, people across the globe currently have significantly different access to media and information through the internet. While some argue that censoring protects, helps others, and creates a better world for all, what ultimately happens is the gradual restriction of …show more content…
What companies are currently doing on their platforms is censoring views and ideas that are unpopular, regardless of their right to say it. It is no question that harassment and extremist content are posted online in large numbers, but when a single video surfaces, becomes headlines across many forms of news, and represents the platform as a whole, companies take drastic action to make sure this ‘harrassment’ does not happen again. Take the recent controversy of Felix Kjellberg, or his youtube name, PewDiePie. A Wall Street Journalist reported that a very old video was filled with racist and anti-semitic imagery (Molina). Despite both whether the video actually contained reprehensible content and negatively affected millions, waves of new policies and filters were put in place to ‘protect’ the victims. The end result of the