Freedom of speech on the internet

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Daphne Holtmaat - 10087533

The preservation of freedom of expression

The right to expression yourself is a primary human right. The possibility to give your opinion about every thinkable topic, freely without any fear of the consequences. There are many rules to preserve the freedom of expression from the media. With the emergences of the internet an new technology has arisen. A new way of communication and a new way to access all kind of sources all over the world. The internet is an open network with a very unique character. But the great power of the internet is at the same time the greatest weakness. The fact that is an open medium means that it can endanger the freedom of expression. In addition to that, there is a large number of people around the world who don’t have access to the internet. It is a challenge for the modern state to find a perfect balance between regulation and  the preservation of a primary human right.

Nowadays many of us consider freedom of expression as a natural freedom, although it was not always considered a natural right. In 1948 the right of freedom of expression was recognized by article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers’ (Article 19). With the emergence of the internet, people had been introduced to a new form of human interaction and a whole new source of information. Although this new technology became very popular over the years and it seems to have a lot of advantages, new questions arised.

With the access to the World Wide Web, people can cross borders online and it seems like the perfect way to express yourself without limits. It is supposed to be an open medium, but at the same time it is supervised by the government. People presume that the internet is just a new form of communication, a new medium without any limits, but what are the consequences of this new medium? Does the internet works as a force for freedom of expression as people think it does, or is it used as a possible tool for control of the public?

A new medium

Media always has been a great way of informing and educating people. With the emergence of books, newspapers and later the arise of telephones and television, people got more and more knowledge of the world around them. Simultaneously the emergence of new media was a way for the rulers, to get more control over the people and to influence them. In the last centuries more and more forms of mass media’s have arised. The internet is one of the newest forms of media and it still has growing public interest. The internet became more popular over the last decades and it has introduced us to new forms of human interaction ( Jorgensen, 2001). Via the internet people have instant access to the World Wide Web, which includes pages, sites and information from all over the world of every imaginable subject. It is a major liberator that gives you the opportunity to express yourself and to give your opinion about every thinkable topic (McSmith, 2007). It is a very easy and productive way to promote freedom of expression, to get unfettered access to any source and to speak open and critical, without fear. With the decline of the participation of democracy the new technology seems to be an agency for that decline. The internet has been seen as a great medium which makes true democracy possible (Jacobs, 1998). Because you can be anonymous on the internet, class and origin play no part online, neither do sex, race, age or any other kind of identification. Without centralized control, people are free to read and publish anything they want and to exchange information with anyone they want.

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The internet is a global network and a global medium of communication. The internet is seen as an open network, because it is not administered by one single entity. The internet is accessible for the public, but at the same time it can be a very private and closed medium. Via email or private chat rooms is closed for the public and only open for certain people. The unique character of the internet clarifies itself by the variety of communications forms (Jorgensen, 2001). The internet provides the opportunity for dialogic communication as well as monologic communication. Sending emails, allows ...

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