A Matter of Breaking the Law or a Matter of Interest?

To what extent can the government use its power over the citizens? In the past months, the United States’ government shut down several websites. The White House claims that those websites infringe the law or are improper. Banning websites is not something extraordinary when it comes to the Internet world. Countries all over the world censor or outlaw Internet addresses.

            However, the problem arises when the country gives false excuses to its people. American government officials claim that such actions were made to protect not only citizens, but also the country’s foreign policy. But, it is easy to conclude that protection is not the only reason why the Washington decided to shut down or censor websites such as Wikileaks, funded by Julian Assange. The government’s true objective is clear: it deletes websites due to commercial ties to companies and countries, preservation of politicians’ image, government morale, and more.

            Therefore, when censoring, representatives in Washington should be ethical with the population and declare honest reasons for censoring Internet material. The government needs to be clear about its real motivations for censorship. In a democratic country, censorship cannot be excused by superficial reasons. Otherwise, people will be soon living in a country where they are controlled without consent; living in a nation whose pillars of democracy have been corrupted.