Page 3: Censorship

Unit 4, Lab 3, Page 3

pink box new (stolen from the H3). –MF, 12/21/17

MF: could use review/light revision; tough to have 2.17 SI labs back to back

On this page, you will learn about free speech in the United States and around the world.

IOC-1.F.9

Computing can play a role in social and political debates, which in turn often raise legal and ethical concerns.

  1. IOC-1.F.9

    Four Corners (class activity). Do you “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree,” or “strongly disagree” with the following statements?

    • Anyone should be allowed to post anonymous content online.
    • Government should prevent people posting messages online that bully or harass another individual.
    • Schools should be able to use Internet filters that prevent students from accessing some online content.
    • Governments should be able to use Internet filters that prevent citizens from accessing some online content.
  2. Choose a statement from the Four Corners activity and write a paragraph that states your view and provides evidence to support your view.

The Internet is global and bits flow all over the world. Each country can have laws for what is allowed or not allowed on the Internet, but what happens when countries (or even states in the US) have different laws?

  1. Read Blown to Bits pages 253-257.
  2. Examine the page This infographic shows the scope of Internet censorship around the globe (Business Insider, 3/20/15), especially Part 2: Methods of Internet Censorship, the Direct Actions and Demands for Removal.

  3. Discuss and/or write about:

    • Why should people in the United States care about Internet rules in other countries?
    • Is there a risk of government censorship in the United States, or is this just a problem elsewhere?

    For example, you can learn that in 2008, Pakistan accidentally blocked YouTube around the world for a couple of hours in trying to block the site in its country.

  1. You can find out more about Internet filtering around the world at opennet.net. In particular, note their different maps showing Internet filtering according to particular topics, as well as filtering of social media and YouTube, specifically.