How much control is enough? How much freedom is enough? It seems like these two questions always appear when lawmakers want to stipulate Internet law, and thus, creates argument.
Social network service enables everyone to be intermediaries and hosts to our communication, and enables everyone to have access to extremely sensitive information. (Opsahl)
Because of the easier availability of information access, people can get whatever information they want on Internet. Take me use China as an example. People in China are not able to get sensitive information on search engine. The China government filters all the sensitive political information on the Internet. The central government wants to control all sensitive information. In their perspective, this action is to protect the regime of the Communist Party. Therefore, people in China are not able to get information on the Tiananmen Square massacre.
When people want to search Tiananmen Square massacre on the search engine by typing 6.4 (the date of Tiananmen Square massacre), the search engine does not show anything about that historical event. But does it mean people in China are not able to get that information forever? Not really. Due to the advanced knowledge on information technology, the Internet users are able to unlock the system. But the China government still keeps inventing the censor system. Once again, this action is to protect their regime.
But is it still really controllable in this technology-boom era? Of course “No”. The Internets users are so smart, they use another way to spread the information on Tiananmen Square massacre. So how do they spread it on Internet and make this information is searchable? They used to call this event by “June 4th”. Now they call this historical event by “May 35th”. I think the Internet users will have more methods to spread this kind of political message on Internet when the China government keeps blocking the sensitive information.
So in this information-technology age, is it possible to control all sensitive information? It might be possible 30 years ago. Today, it is impossible. And the China government needs to accept the fact that information must be open. This is an unavoidable trend with the growth of Internet.
So how much control is enough? It seems like Internet is the opposite answer of control.
Tags: Control, Freedom, Information
December 1, 2010 at 12:57 am |
Interesting correlation between control and freedom. I agree that with the internet and the new technology available, the Chinese government will have to continually change and update in order to control it. And hopefully, they will just give up, come to accept that they can’t compete, or perhaps fall?
December 1, 2010 at 1:54 pm |
There will never be absolute control or freedom. There is someone that will always find away to get around censoring just as you mentioned. I find it very interesting that the Chinese government blocks the search of the Tienanmen Square.
December 1, 2010 at 4:22 pm |
I have heard that the Chinese government has control over Internet access, but I did not know they try to hide history. How do people keep up with the date changes?
December 1, 2010 at 4:36 pm |
I think that those are good questions we all have to think about. Everyone has a different view of what is private and what privacy means to them. If there was an agreement that people could come to, or legislation in place to protect people from locational invasiveness, that would be great. I made up that word.
December 1, 2010 at 6:03 pm |
I don’t think that China can reasonably control the internet and information forever. Truth finds a way out and it may not be tomorrow but I think that a change will come and information will spill forth.