Internet Regulation

Firstly, I don’t think the government should regulate the radio or television as heavily as it does, but that is not the issue at hand. Going off that, I feel that regulation can contribute positive aspects to media outlets such as television, radio, and internet, but the government is taking it too far. I feel that because media is heavily relied on for a source of information world wide, the content should be regulated for accuracy and not on obscenity but this is a sticky issue because there are no clear qualifications for what is obscene. I think age restrictions for particular sights and content found on the internet is a good for of regulation in regards to the upbringing of our youth, but the internet is a relatively new media and has an unimaginable amount of information to offer that regulating it the same way television and radio would be impossible.
I think after reading Reefer Madness we can all say undoubtedly that we are not a true democratic nation when it comes to media and what is being displayed for the masses. But since media has been prevalent in the United States, there have been people on both sides arguing for and against regulation, and this will never change. I think that if the internet becomes regulated by the government, it will lose a tremendous amount of individuality. Many people use the internet to express themselves in ways they can not or do not feel comfortable and by regulating this, it will lose this aspect it brings to many individuals lives. Government has taken over books, television, radio, but these three are all much easier to regulate than the internet would be especially if the standards for the internet are comparable to the standards they have for television.

Some Links:
The Practical Professor on internet regulation

Save Internet Freedom