Internet censorship and freedom of speech

Internet censorship and freedom of speech

It is not unusual to hear Internet users in cyberspace complain that their freedom of speech have been violated. Usually the users claim that the government has censored them in one way or another. They claim that by deleting or blocking a message from a discussion area, the government has committed violations of human rights to freedom of speech.

Personally, I believe that everyone has the right to express freely. As Voltaire's said "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." However, there is no absolutely freedom in the world. For example, soldiers do not have the right to give away military secrets, witnesses are not free to lie under oath and commercial advertisers may not make fraudulent claims. In practice , the freedom of speech is commonly subject to limitations.

Here is the Internet Security, Protection, and Management Regulations approved by the State Council of china on December 11, 1997.
No unit or individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit the following kinds of information:

1,Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;
2,Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;
3,Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;
4,Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;
5,Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society;
6,Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder;
7,Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;
8,Injuring the reputation of state organs;
9,Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.

Therefore, some people use the communication potential of cyberspace to advocate illegal,dangerous,or violent activity. For example,a post on a message base devoted to radical political discussions that may advocate violent or illegal resistance to government policies. Does the government sensor such speech?
The answer is always a “yes”!