Censorship

pink box new (stolen from the H3). --MF, 12/21/17

On this page, you will learn about free speech in the United States and around the world.

Which EKs?
EK 7.3.1D Both authenticated and anonymous access to digital information raise legal and ethical concerns.
EK 7.3.1E Commercial and governmental censorship of digital information raise legal and ethical concerns.
EK 7.3.1G Privacy and security concerns arise in the development and use of computational systems and artifacts.
EK 7.4.1A The innovation and impact of social media and online access varies in different countries and in different socioeconomic groups.
EK 7.4.1D Groups and individuals are affected by the "digital divide" — differing access to computing and the Internet based on socioeconomic or geographic characteristics.
  1. Four Corners (class activity). Do you "strongly agree," "agree," "disagree," or "strongly disagree" with the following statements?
    • Anyone should be allowed to post anonymous content online.
    • A person should be able to post messages online that bully or harass another individual.
    • Schools should be able to use Internet filters that prevent users from accessing some online content.
  2. Choose a statement from the Four Corners activity and write a paragraph that states your view and provides evidence to support your view.
The Internet is global and bits flow all over the world. Each country can have laws for what is allowed or not allowed on the Internet, but what happens when countries have different laws?
  1. Read Blown to Bits pages 253-257.
  2. Examine the page This infographic shows the scope of internet censorship around the globe (Business Insider, 3/20/15), especially Part 2: Methods of Internet Censorship, the Direct Actions and Demands for Removal.
  3. Discuss and/or write about:
    • Why should people in the United States care about Internet rules in other countries?
    For example, you can learn that in 2008, Pakistan accidentally blocked YouTube around the world for a couple of hours in trying to block the site in its country.
  1. You can find out more about Internet filtering around the world at opennet.net. In particular, note their different maps showing Internet filtering according to particular topics, as well as filtering of social media and YouTube, specifically.