The internet has vastly changed freedom of expression. In 2016, the UN declared that access to the internet is a human right. Today, the internet is a marketplace of differing opinions and ideas, and freedom of opinion and expression includes the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information through any necessary media.
The internet has greatly expanded the marketplace for ideas and opinions, with positive and negative outcomes. With access to unlimited information and user-generated content, social media platforms struggle to police their outlets and protect their users.
In the digital age, no value or right is more important than others. Balancing these values and rights is the only way to ensure a fair experience for all users.
Individuals have the right to freedom of expression, which includes the freedom to access the expressions of others. Eliminating the opportunity for individuals to educate themselves on new information and differing opinions infringes upon their rights.
However, making the Internet even more widespread and accessible comes with a new array of problems. Hate speech, misinformation, censorship, and privacy violations plague the beauty of the Internet.
Hate speech can result in self-censorship or individuals refusing to participate in online platforms to protect themselves. While we have discussed the boundaries of hate speech regarding freedom of speech, online hate speech is often paired with misinformation and threats.
Lenny Posner lost his son in the devastating Sandy Hook school shooting, along with 25 others. Many people hold the opinion that this mass shooting was fake or that Posner’s son never existed in the first place.
This false information circulating online caused Posner to act, as Section 230 of the CDA doesn’t hold platforms responsible for what their users post. Posner isn’t alone in being maliciously targeted by conspiracy theorists, as Matya Benassi also faced online attacks after being accused of causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, false information is treated differently depending on who the information is allegedly about. Politicians and social media companies are often able to censor online expression through government interference, using internet blocks or group censorship, along with private sector regulation, allowing companies like Facebook and Twitter to remove posts deemed controversial.
These actions are not only unfair but unconstitutional as they violate our freedom of speech and expression, the right to access new information, and the right to peaceful assembly.
Another growing issue concerns the right to privacy. By participating in the age of digital information, individuals often unknowingly sacrifice personal information and privacy. The growing distrust of the Internet and tech companies may lead to a drop in information sharing online.
The government and social media companies working together to censor content and shut down platforms when deemed necessary, collect the data of unknowing users, and conduct unlawful surveillance are threats that need to be addressed sooner than others.
The government has the responsibility to uphold the freedoms and rights of its people, and exploiting their online activity is not necessary in doing so. However, social media companies are responsible for misinformation and hate speech on their platforms.
By denying individuals any of these freedoms and rights, all their freedoms and rights get threatened. Freedom of speech and expression is the foundation of all other rights; if these rights were to be taken, our other rights would soon follow.
Freedom of expression is even more important to uphold in our era of Digital Media and communication, and as society continues to evolve, the responsibilities of the government and tech companies grow alongside it.
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