We all have been using the internet for so long, but do you know the early name of the internet? When the concept of the internet was coined, it was called the information superhighway.
The name was given because the sole purpose of the internet was to give information to an average person with fast access. In fact, the concept of the internet being a superhighway still exists. The only difference is that today we have restrictions in the form of internet censorship.
The motivation of this internet censorship is to protect the children from viewing content that they shouldn’t view or control the nation’s access to information.
No matter the reasons for the internet censorship, the end result is the same: Blocking access to web pages that are considered undesirable.
For instance, if you are visiting a torrent website like Pirate Bay, your country might restrict access as the site has been banned.
By the way, if you cannot access the website, you can use this proxy website: thenewpiratebay, to get the job done.
What Is Internet Censorship?
To put it in simple words, Internet censorship controls the information that the public can view on the internet. These censorships can be carried by the government, public institutions, and private organizations.
Now you must be wondering, why do these institutions censor the content? Well, there is a long list of reasons.
- It can be due to copyright.
- Adult content.
- Restriction on information sharing.
- Controlling internet-related crime.
- Monitoring what people are doing on the internet.
- Restricting people from viewing sensitive content.
Pros Of Internet Censorship
It is important to keep in mind that internet censorship has its advantages considering the best intentions.
- Limit Fake News: If more content on the internet can go through a censorship funnel, less amount of fake news on the internet.
- Create Common Sense Limits: Let’s just accept that most of the content on the internet makes no sense at all. When interest is put through censorship, all the non-valuable content can be filtered out, leaving only the content that makes sense.
- Curb Access To Harmful Content: The dark web is an uncharted avenue for most users. However, there are easy ways to find illegal platforms related to sex trafficking, child pornography, and the illicit use of drugs.
- Prevent Identity Theft: If there is less content on the internet that requires you to identify. This means less identity theft.
Cons Of Internet Censorship
Although internet censorship offers several advantages, there are a few disadvantages that you might want to know.
- Restriction On Too Much Information: It is possible that the real news is blocked with the fake news, or most of the information couldn’t make it out of the censorship funnel because of one comment.
- Censors Free Speech: The Internet is a place where people can express themselves freely. However, with internet censorship, it can potentially suppress your free speech.
- Who Censors The Content: This is an important question. The Internet is an open network without any administrator. That means when we are talking about censoring the content, who will administer the rules, regulations, and policies.
How Does Internet Censorship Work?
- Blocking IP Addresses: Blocking IP addresses is the most common method of internet censorship. Every IP address comes with a code that tells the ISP your region. The institution uses this code to limit access to the content.
- Filtering Keywords: While using the internet, we use keywords to look for content. Hence, this method became an effective instrument for internet censorship.
- Traffic Shaping: Traffic shaping is also known as packet shaping. It is a way to manage bandwidth that allows certain applications to perform better than others.
- Filtering Packets: Rather than filtering domain names and keywords, some firewalls use the following to restrict access.
- Ports.
- Protocols.
- Source IP Address.
- Destination IP Address.
- DNS Tampering: DNS tampering is a popular method for hackers to enter DNS servers. Once they gain access to the server, they can easily make the changes and control the entire network.
Internet Censorship Around The World
You can use the internet for just about anything. You can use it to do research, write your project, play video games, or watch your favorite shows. But, it turns out that freedom is not free on the internet because of internet censorship.