Should governments be able to censor online content?

There are some times when governments censor some content in their country. Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, or news that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. However, should they necessarily be allowed to? There are many controversies happening because of the censorship of online content, and that is why many people, including myself, believe that governments should not be allowed to censor online content.

First of all, censorship should not be allowed because the government can use it for their own good, not the citizens’. Although they might use it for good purposes, such as to help the citizens avoid wasting their time with content that is incorrect or not useful, they can also misuse all the power they have. For example, they may try to stop the citizens from accessing legitimate information, especially information that criticizes, harms, or embarasses the government. If the country is doing bad things, they won’t want their citizens to know about it because the citizens might plan to oppose their plans or policies. This is misusing the power they have, because the citizens of the country definitely have the right to know what is going on in their own country. Plus, some countries try to censor information showing different ways of life. Examples of countries like this are China and North Korea. They do not want the culture of their countries to change, so to prevent that, the government tries to censor content that might make their citizens want to change or to move to another place with another culture. This also harms citizens because it deprives them of their right to learn about the rest of the world.

Additionally, governments should not be allowed to censor online content because they often get things wrong. If it is the government who controls the censorship, this means that someone has to make all the decisions. People are not AI nor robots, which means that they can make mistakes and they are NOT perfect. We also cannot always believe that one person is going to be an expert in every area. It’s better to allow access to information so that all citizens can discuss it to make the best decisions. There are more likely to be experts in that debate than in a government censorship department. Also, it’s becoming more and more of a problem with “misinformation” censorship - even though the government might have no proof at all, they might just say that they are censoring a specific item because it is “harmful for the community”, and the citizens will have no choice but to believe it. For example, in some countries, during COVID-19, governments shut down some scientific opinions because they opposed what they were saying. The government didn’t try to refute these opinions; they simply silenced them. As you can see, what the government is doing is unfair, and that is why governments should not be able to censor online content.

In summary, the government should not hold all the power to be able to censor online content because they can misuse the power, and because the people who work for the government are only human and can make mistakes. I hope that in the future, the government welcomes our opinions and makes sure all of the citizens get to take part in making the decisions for their country as well. Our world would be a happier place if the government makes that change and allows us all to freely express ourselves.