Is governmental internet censorship of its citizens ever justified?

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State Censorship of the Internet is Never Justified

For most Americans , the idea of state-sponsored Internet censorship is feasible only in science-fiction movies . The United States , after all is a country with an ingrained tradition of press freedom and freedom of expression . Furthermore , the vast amount of information available over the Internet often gives the average user the impression that it is too complex to be controlled by just a single institution . Many Americans therefore , end up assuming that people everywhere have unfettered access

to online information

But government bowdlerization of the Internet is actually taking place in several countries across the globe . On May 19 , 2009 , the Communist Party required Internet censorship software to be preinstalled on all computers sold in China (Wong and Vance n . pag . The German Parliament passed on June 18 , 2009 a bill imposing censorship of pornographic websites (Orion n . pag . Even the US is not safe from the specter of state-sponsored Internet censorship - 11 states have already passed draconian censorship laws as of 2002 (EPIC n . pag

It is true that websites with offensive content are very rampant in the Internet . Critics , however , argue that some governments might end up abusing the concept of Internet censorship . Under the guise of , say protecting citizens from terrorism , state officials might block access to websites that display legitimate political dissent . While it is the duty of a government to protect its constituents from elements that threaten their safety and wellbeing , this responsibility cannot...