The Black Portal: The Lawless Digital Wasteland
The Internet is a scary, scary place. It is a place where you can easily look up a delicious recipe for a lemon bar, and a bomb. Information is fast and easy for us to digest, and some crazy people behind the screen are often very, very convincing to those who will listen to thier bogus conspiracies. It gives them an international platform in the matter of seconds, with millions upon millions of little voices chirping in to give their own opinions on whatever topic is at the top of the news heading. The question then arises, should there be more regulation with the Internet?
As I have stated before… I’ve watched Black Mirror, and I think technology and its progression can be very dangerous to society if like minded people aren't carefully observing what unfolds on it. There is a copious amount of dangerous and malicious content on the Internet that has been used often to harm others. From sex trafficking, child pornography, and identity theft… the dark web is accessible and growing. People are also getting smarter and more tech savvy, using their abilities to easily bypass the law in order to fit their own agendas. Regulating this type of malicious behavior hurts nobody, it can only help.
There is just one thing that keeps getting in the way of all of this: The First Amendment. Listen, I am a proud American (most of the time), and I am glad I can say whatever I want. But using this right to justify heinous language and the spread of dis/mis- information does not fly well with me. Moreover, I do not always feel comfortable having my private data used at the benefit of others. Censorship can potentially reduce the number of identity theft cases, which is something that occurs daily. Many arguments against internet censorship cite the overly restrictive rules China currently has on their population, which is understandable to a degree… but we’re not China. Like Instagram, maybe there can be “verified” sources that are registered within domains to let users know they are getting information from a safe unbiased source. I believe in free speech, but I don’t think some men with wooden teeth could've predicted this mess.
But, who am I to say what can and cannot be, especially with the lawless wasteland that is the Internet? I have no idea how to even begin to remedy this situation in America. Like most things there will be no right answer to this. You will have some complaining their rights are being taken away, while others may not want to pay taxes for the workforce regulating the Inter-web. I do believe there can and should be some sort of regulation with the Internet. Whether it is straight up censorship is something I am not so sure on, but having new guidelines for businesses online in regards to data is a good start.
In these turbulent socio-economic times, the American public deserves one thing, the truth. The current model of the internet allows it to be a playground for those spreading the dark web and misinformation. While we may never be able to shut up the political fanatics for good, we can at least do a little better with verifying webpages to combat the dark side of it. Companies such as Google have the power to make the Internet a safe, fun, and informative place when used with the best intentions.
We just have to hope that they do have the best intentions in mind…
