Censorship, Free Speech and the Internet

*denotes external link

After reading Cory Doctorow’s *Little Brother, one of the many things that I reflected on was the issue of my rights as an American and what these rights mean. Do these rights still apply as I use the internet? One of the most controversial and concerning issues is the right to free speech. The *first amendment states:

“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.”

Often disguised as promoting protection of individuals from obscene or offensive matter, censorship of certain materials on the internet has become a complex, world-wide issue that needs to addressed. If we do not address this issue, one day we might not even be able to discuss these pressing matters.

Touching on the issue of censorship is the Machinima I produced in partnership with my group.