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Daniel Grodzki Criminal Justice Internet Censorship The issue at hand here is whether or not Internet censorship is legal. Some say that there are always two sides to every story. In circumstances like these none of the sides are or wrong. Internet censorship is a relatively new issue, but before getting into a discussion about it, one must find out how it all came about. The World Wide Web, as we know, it was released by CERN, in 1991. CERN is a particle physics laboratory based in Europe. The Internet grew at a very rapid rate from that time on, to the point were it has become an essential part in our society. Internet censorship is a very serious issue and the cause of a great deal of controversy. The problem is that many people believe that all ‘offensive’ material should be banned. One reason for this is to prevent a child from viewing it and being potentially harmed by it. But that’s just the ethical side of the argument. Another reason for Internet censorship has to do with dangerous and harmful material being given out to anyone with a computer. Since it’s relatively easy for somebody to find instructions on how to make a bomb, steal people’s credit card accounts, and hack into another person’s computer, which are all illegal acts and frowned upon by the criminal justice system. The argument against Internet censorship is mainly that it violates the highest law in the land, the United States Constitution. The Internet, as any other form of media, has protection under the 1st Amendment. However, the government does censor certain material, such as child pornography. (CERN 2003, American Civil Liberties Union 2003) There are many groups that fight hard against Internet censorship. One of these groups, the most influential of them, is called the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU is a large organization that fights for civil liberties in the U.S. Internet censorship is only of the issues that this organization has interests in. It is a non-profit, non-partisan organization and is supported by annual dues and contributions from its members, as well as grants from certain private foundations and individuals. It does not receive any government funding at all. The ACLU was founded in 1920 and has since grown to over 300,000 members and supporters and is active in national and state capitals in all fifty states. The ACLU has appeared numerous times in front of the Supreme Court and other federal courts on many occasions, to defend its clients. These clients are ordinary people who feel that they have had their constitutional rights violated. The ACLU’s national headquarters are located in New York City.
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