The internet is today's fastest growing, most free source of information. Anyone who has a computer and a modem can access the information available on the World Wide Web, all of it. Everyone with this type of access can also create their own web page, send e-mail or post any type of information they see fit on virtual bulletin boards.

"It is the most democratic means of education. Without going through any intermediary, a person on the internet can communicate with with all other users." - Senator Arlen Specter

The internet has immense capabilities, and can be used as an extremely powerful tool as a means of communication or a source of information that knows no geographical boundaries. From pc # 12 in Oakes computer lab a student can browse a web page in York or receive e-mail from Israel. As a matter of fact, all of the research for this page was conducted on-line. The possibilities of this developing technology are incredible.

Our right to the "free exchange of ideas" is protected by the first amendment, yet its limits are stretched when the internet is used as a medium for the circulation of child pornography, Neo-Nazi propaganda or homophobic rhetoric. Those who post this type of "information" are seldomly held accountable for their actions. Internet service providers that allow people to send messages and post web pages anonymously, enable us to express ourselves freely in cyberspace and make statements we never would dream of voicing in "the real world".

Users of the internet can usually choose which sites to browse and which sites they would prefer not to come across. The main concern of the ongoing debate regarding the censorship of the internet is the protection of children. We should encourage children to become comfortable with computers and to be able to maneuver freely throughout the internet. However, young children experimenting with this powerful medium that is relatively free of regulations can easily be exposed to pornography, racism and other corrupting texts. The younger generation should be able to explore freely while being protected from these dangers. There are several ways to filter the information available on your home computer through the internet.

• Government Regulation There are currently two leading proposals regarding internet censorship. The Senate formulated The Communications Decency Act of 1995, initiated primarily by Senator Exon, which calls for heavy government regulation and censorship. This bill prohibits the electronic transfer of "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy or indecent communications" punishable with a jail term or fines exceeding one hundred thousand dollars. The House of Representatives' proposal, The Family Empowerment Act, takes an entirely different approach,favoring self regulation over government regulation. The main idea behind this bill is that each personal computer user or family should decide for themselves what they deem acceptable and what they consider "smut" that should be filtered out.

• Regulation by Internet Providers There are other ways to filter the information available on the internet on smaller more individualized scales. Internet providers such as Prodigy use programs that screen out web sites that contain pornography,obscenities and hateful messages. They advertise themselves as a family oriented internet provider. This approach, however, is not entirely without fault. Prodigy has the word "breast" on its list of trigger words which cause an entire site to be blocked out. This makes it impossible for users to access informational sites on breast cancer. These types of trigger words also filter out web pages that discuss safe sex.

• Self Regulation Technology Programs such as "Cyber Sitter" or the "V-Chip", that can be used with a personal computer at home, allow for a more customized control of information flow. Some programs enable the user to filter internet access by choosing which trigger words they wish to block.

It seems that the different forms of self regulation would be more effective than government regulation. Even if the House of Representatives and the Senate could come to agreement and formulate a law that would be an acceptable compromise between their two different approaches, it would be very difficult to enforce. First of all, how would the parties responsible for posting "illegal" information on the Web be found and held accountable for their actions? Secondly, the internet is a global entity, allowing for the free exchange of information throughout the world. Even if the U.S. could enforce legislature regarding the regulation of the internet, this would have no effect on the information flow from other countries considered "illegal" by American standards. The only truly effective regulation of the internet would have to be based on an international consensus regarding the regulation of the internet, perhaps under the supervision of the U.N. In the meantime the U.S. cannot even come to such a consensus within itself. It is very unlikely that all of the nations of the world, with their different regimes, ranging from Totalitarianism to Democracy, will be able to agree on a uniform policy.

Supporters of large scale internet regulation are in the minority. The Simon Wiesenthal Foundation is one of the few organizations whose Web sites advocate the censorship of the internet. The Wiesenthal Foundation has been campaigning to get internet providers to censor Neo-Nazi propaganda and Holocaust denial on the internet. There are massive amounts of Web pages such as Dan's Political and Controversial Site and the ACLU Civil Liberties Home Page which make strong arguments for the protection of the First Amendment and freedom of expression on the internet. This campaign is symbolized by a blue ribbon logo which appears on many of the Web sites of its supporters.

• Additional Resources

The Buffalo University School of Law has a web page is a great place to start research on internet censorship since the many law papers it contains explain the relevant issues clearly and objectively.

Here are a few helpful books :

• Cyberspace the Human Dimension by David B. Whittle
• Persuasion and Privacy in Cyberspace by Laura J. Gurak
• The Governance of Cyberspace: Politics, Technology and Global Restructuring edited by Brian D.Loader