Freedom of Expression on the Internet

Freedom (\ˈfrē-dəm\) is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action." Being a citizen of the United States, I tend to take the freedom of speech for granted at times. Personally, I enjoy speaking my mind and regularly exercise this right that's afforded to me in the first amendment of the Constitution. Now, here comes the question. 

Does this right, granted to me by the United States Constitution, apply to me on the Internet, the world wide web? Even before we can address that, we need to figure out...who has the right to govern the Internet? The US? How about the UK? ICANN? No. The people. The general public possesses control over the Internet and I, along with many others, believe that it should remain that way. Without the influence of the people, the Internet would be nothing but a virtual black hole, devoid of any useful information. Think about it. Who takes their time to make websites, surf the Internet, contribute information, and sort through it all? Yes, exactly, the people. This thing that we have, the world wide web, could not be possible without me, you, and us. Now that we've established by whom the Internet should be controlled, let's address the issue - freedom of speech.

If I were to, hypothetically, write a rather mean, but informative article about Michael Vick, (like, let's say this one: http://jeffsblurbs.com/2007/07/michael-vick-are-you-serious.html) does someone have the right to delete that? Could the US government, at their will, delete my post because they found it offensive, demeaning, or they just didn't like it? Well, hopefully not.

I strongly believe that each and every user of the Internet has the right to establish their own identity on the Internet and have that be separate from their "real life." While I still believe that users should make responsible decisions, freedom should be above all. For example, right now, China is certainly looking at the issue of Internet rights the wrong way. In case you're not familiar with the situation, China employs a giant Internet filter that prevents its citizens from going to websites that have the potential to be unfavorable to the communist Chinese government. While I'm not an expert on their restrictions, I've heard that some citizens are prevented from going to sites like Blogger where they could possibly express their true anti-communist feelings. Anyway, that's the wrong way to handle the Internet. As for the right way, I don't think that a single country has found it yet. To me, it seems that countries try to gain control of it, when really, they too need to understand that the Internet is for the people.

In conclusion, the freedom of speech is an absolute necessity on the Internet. It is just as, if not more important than freedom of speech in non-virtual life. Without this key value, the entire world wide web would simply fall apart. People would no longer be able to express their opinions, present news, post on forums, or even IM with each other. Blogs like mine certainly would not exist due to their opinionated stance and the world would overall be a darker, less fun place. So, make a difference, keep the Internet free.