Free Speech Paper
“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”(National Archives, 2012 p. 13). Freedom of speech is defined to be an American civil rights in which allows its citizens to express themselves freely without censorship. While in Canada has specified what are their citizen’s right to freedom of speech; but like the United States, they have placed certain limitations which restrict its usage. The limitations have been in put place because the right to free speech had been exploited by some citizens, especially when considering its use on the World Wide Web. Freedom of speech on Internet is largely a global issue because the Internet has become so universal, in which the United States and Canada are being particularly careful by using precautionary methods.
The Internet can affect freedom of speech because it is an electronic method in which various computer networks allow communications to take place between one another. This electronic method allows people from all around the world to communicate instantaneously, which forms a huge problem for governments striving to control access to subjects of concern on the Internet. Citizen of the United States have the ability to locate anything and everything they want on the Internet, from educational means to pornographic resources along with political or religious material. All these kinds of resources and information are easily available for anyone regardless of their age in which they can easily find what they are looking for or accidently come across. The Internet has allowed freedom of speech to become a practical means for anyone who wants to get his or her opinion into the public range, and has caused people to express themselves using the internet rather than through print forms making this the most predominant form of communication in American society. As stated in an online article that “The United States Department works to protect and defend a free and open Internet as an element of its policy supporting universal rights of freedom of expression and the free flow of information” (Patricia Moloney Figliola 2012 p 2). Unlike in Canada in which “Under Canadian human rights law, it is illegal to promote violence against protected groups; therefore, when reported, Google.ca will remove such links from search results” (Patricia Moloney Figliola 2012 p 3).
The effects that free speech of media has on the government and its citizens are that United States citizens have the freedom to easily access the Internet without much limitation as stated “The United States Department supports individual use of digital media to express opinions, share information, monitor elections, expose corruption, and organize social and political movements, and denounce those who harass, unfairly arrest, threaten, or commit violent acts against the people who use these technologies” (Patricia Moloney Figliola 2012 p 4). Although this allows citizens to have freedom to use the internet however they please but with caution that they do not use the internet to commit or take part in any form of crime that is subject able by law. The United States also believes that free speech on the Internet helps sustain economic social issues that help benefit the government. This stating in an online article that “We recognize the role of applying general privacy principles in the commercial context while maintaining the flexibility necessary for innovation The United States will work toward building mutual recognition of laws that achieve the same objectives and enforcement cooperation to protect privacy and promote innovation” (Patricia Moloney Figliola 2012 p 4). This allowing United States citizen’s to exchange ideas among people from around the world.
The effects that