The Internet: To Regulate or Not to Regulate?
Internet regulations have turned into a heated subject of debate among individuals, private organizations, and government bodies. People have suggested that the government should be sanctioned with the responsibility of Internet control. While tech professionals have claimed that controlling the Internet is counterproductive, worries over security issues support calls for regulation. Specifically, Isis propaganda, terrorism, and false news have raised concerns about the power of the Internet (Malik). Individuals suspect that regulations will infringe the liberties, such as free speech and communication. Furthermore, pessimists of the net believe that regulating the Internet may restrict valuable information from the public. However, the authorities should exercise limited control over the Internet to protect the users’ data and eliminate terroristic messages.
Corporations like Facebook and Google should be subjected to Internet regulations in terms of adhering governmental guidelines and procedures that identify and eradicate terrorism propaganda and false news. The continuous wave of data privacy scandals from Google and Facebook for allowing leaks of personal data displays that these companies should not be entrusted with people’s information (Boskin). Internet regulation must apply to these powerful tech companies because it will assure that user-data is protected and their mediums are not used to pass terroristic messages. Facebook and Google have proved that they cannot be trusted to self-regulate, therefore, the government must establish policies to oversee their operation on the Internet.
The skeptics’ of the net calls for censorship and legislative management of the Internet would hence be an auspicious function of the government. However, the government must assure that this legislative regulation target popular tech corporations to monitor the outflow of information and inhibit data leaks. Freedom of expression is a contentious subject, but the governments must protect people from the exploitation of their personal data and from terrorism even if it entails establishing limited control over the Internet.
Works Cited
Boskin, Michael. “Big Tech Must Get Its House in Order or Risk Stronger Regulation | Michael Boskin.” The Guardian, Guardian News & Media Limited, 1 May 2019, www.theguardian.com/business/2019/apr/29/big-tech-regulation-facebook-google-amazon. Accessed 2 Nov. 2019.
Malik, Nikita. “The Internet: To Regulate Or Not To Regulate?” Forbes, Forbes Media LLC, 7 Sept. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/nikitamalik/2018/09/07/the-Internet-to-regulate-or-not-to-regulate/#187057631d16. Accessed 2 Nov. 2019.
