Week 5: Global Content

The Internet has countless numbers and sources of information that can be easily accessed by anyone and anywhere. However, some information found on the Internet should be protected. Therefore, there should be a boundary to what can be and cannot be posted on the Internet. One of the main social pressures of Freedom of Information is that personal information can be found on social media such as Facebook or Twitter. There are numerous ways to custom your social media so you can limit the accessibility of your photos or post but ultimately, whatever is posted online will always remain online. In relation to Doctorow’s article ‘Free data sharing is here to stay’ he states that, ‘The more IT we have, the easier it is to access any given piece of information – for better or for the worse’. In this case, the worse part of freedom of information of social media is that, information that is posted online can potentially damage reputation, lead to bullying or even hacking of personal details. Just like a free online download link to free music, your personal information can be sent from one computer to another and viewed by hundreds of people around the world.

Currently, North Korea is one of the countries that citizens do not have the right to freedom of information. North Korea is one the most militarised zone. It is prohibited to bring mobile phones, brochures or newspapers inside the country. All media such as television, radio and online resources are strictly controlled to the point where they are only exposed to information about their military. Social pressure for these citizens living in North Korea is that they do not know anything about the outside world and the fact that they are still living like its (Walker 2008).

The commercial interest behind copyright legislation is that, companies or individuals have the right to protect their ownerships. By imposing the copyright legislation, it is more difficult for individuals to obtain information. However, the commercial interest failed to understand that, with our advanced technology today, it is not entirely impossible to obtain information that is copyrighted (Doctorow 2007).