Censorship on the Internet Annotated Bibliography

Censorship on the Internet

Kaul, V. (2012). "The pros and cons of new media and media freedom." Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism, Vol. 2, Issue 5.

In his research study, author-researcher Kaul discussed the implications of using the Internet technology in launching what is called the new media, both in the context of journalistic/press freedom and freedom of expression of the civil society in general. More specifically, the author provided a comparison of the "old" (traditional) versus "new" (Internet/online) media, considering both as tools for freedom of expression, albeit the latter is more accessible. However, the article also discussed how the rise of the new media has not 'revolutionized' press freedom in some countries (namely, countries in South Asia and South Africa). What Kaul emphasized is the proliferation of new media as a replacement of old media, but without the expected improvement in press freedom. Instead, what occurred is a simple "transplantation" of old media to new media, maintaining the limited freedom in expression of the press and the general public.

Merlis, S. (2005). "Preserving the Internet expression while protecting our children: Solutions following Ashcroft v. ACLU." Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, Vol. 4, Issue 1.

Merlis discussed in his analysis of the U.S. Congress' failed attempts to pass the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) in the Supreme Court the issue of creating a balance between maintaining the freedom of expression online and at the same time, protecting children from pornographic content readily available on the Internet.COPA is the U.S. Congress' solution to ensure and monitor the flow of information and content over the Internet, particularly when individuals aged under 18 years old are using the technology. However, the Congress has failed to pass the COPA in the Supreme Court because the latter considered COPA as too stringent, bordering on curbing an individual's right to information and freedom of expression. Merlis supported the Supreme Court's recommendation to use filtering software to be used by parents/adults to effectively monitor the information/content that their children are able to see and access when they are online.

Faris, R., S. Wang, and J. Palfrey. (2008). "Censorship 2.0." innovations, Spring 2008.

Faris et al. made a compelling argument about the rapid proliferation of online-related content and exponential growth of Internet, both as a social community and a new form of economy. In discussing these benefits of the Internet, the authors also explored the ramifications of freedom to expression and information to society in general. At present, there is a need for governments to keep up with this exponential growth of the Internet.….....