Since the introduction of the World Wide Web in 1989 by Tim Burners-Lee, many different debates have arisen over various aspects of the Internet. That is expected since there are so many different types of information available on the Web ranging from poetry to games to news to even pornography. Some argue that not all kinds of data should be accessible to all; that is where censorship comes in. Internet censorship includes restriction of access or publication of any material not thought to be appropriate by the censoring party. This can include pornography, news that a government does not want published, offensive language, ideas or anything. The Federal Communications Decency Act of 1996 was passed by Congress and signed into law. This controversial act bans the communication of material deemed as "obscene or indecent" via the Internet to anyone under 18 years of age and the publication of any pornographic material of a person under 18 years of age ("Can Congress"). The purpose of this law was to protect children and minors. I will not to argue my viewpoints on how "harmful" this kind of material can be to children, but instead I will argue over whether officials should be able to restrict access to materials or whether this should be totally dependent on parents or legal guardians. Laws censoring the Internet are not the correct solution to the problem of protecting children from pornography or other harmful data on the Internet. They are also impractical and can cause many conflicts. First off, a law passed in one country does not have to be upheld in another country. This can include any law, be it speeding, anti-trust or Internet. So if the United States passes Internet Censorship laws then only web sites based in the United States must obey them. Web sites in other countries do not. The special feature about the Internet is that anyone with access to it can connect to sites all over the world.
