netcensor

With the dawn of the new millenium, a new means of expressing ourselves has come forth in an attempt to replace many of the traditional mediums for conveying information. This way of communication is called "The Internet". The internet was developed by the American department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. They created an experimental network called ARP-NET during the cold war. This project was a test for new network technologies. In it's early stages it connected four universities and enabled scientists to share information and resources across long distances. This new medium was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense's research people, along with a number of military contractors and universities to try and create a communication network that could survive a nuclear attack. After the threat of a nuclear attack passed, the project was continued due to the realization by its creators that it was a very efficient and effective way to communicate. Although the internet is still in it's preliminary stages, it has barely scratched the surface of it's possible uses. It is also impossible to know anything about the internet without having knowledge of all the data that is considered inappropriate, adult-oriented, a

In spite of the lack or current internet regulations, website operators are still attempting to halt the use of indecent or vulgar sites by people under the age of 18. Almost all sites of this type have multiple warnings, and many of the sites ask that you provide a credit card number simply to gain access to the site. "Many sites have more than one of these, and most even provide alternate links to more "friendly" pages" (Robischon, 57).

American Civil Liberties Union. 8 July 1999

Kristula, D. (1999) The History of the Internet

Robischon, N. "Software Filters: How Well Do They Work?" Time, 24

nd tasteless by many people. One of the fears, and reasons that so many people seek internet censorship, is due to the fact that this data is very easily obtained by many vulnerable people. In many parts of the world that gain from the use of the internet, attempts have been made to censor, or limit the content of the internet. These attempts have been seen to cause uproars from many people supporting both sides of the internet censorship issue. People who support freedom of speech on the Internet quote from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Opposed to this, there are many groups of people who favor restricting the internet, and it's many possible uses. These people wish to see internet regulations follow the same guidelines as television regulations. The last, and most important reason that the internet is almost impossible to regulate at this time is due to the fact that there is no one point that all information exchanged online is passed through. The debate concerning internet censorship is an issue that concerns all of us, no matter what social class we fall in. Although there are strong arguments on both sides, by examining evidence we can almost be assured that there is no possible way to regulate the Internet at the present time.

http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/box.html April 12, 2000