Your safety is in question. Your safety is threatened by the World Wide Web, which we use for our every question and every query. From our homework to our social life, the Internet has become so much a part of our lives, allowing all individuals to get instant access to all types of information. There is no doubt, we could not live without it. However, there are always limits to what the Internet can offer and should offer. With the new advancements in technology, there is now no longer a want but a need for the government to protect its civilians and begin regulation of the Internet.
Many argue that regulating the Internet would automatically mean restricting freedom of expression and speech. At the moment, unrestricted access to information allows for free speech, and in the right place, this should be allowed. However, what many advocates of free speech fail to see is that information, knowledge, and data sometimes communicate with the wrong people. All rights have to be qualified because absolute rights threaten other rights. An unrestricted right to freedom of expression would threaten the right of children to be free from abuse or molestation and the right of ethnic minorities to live their lives free of racial intimation and violence. The funny thing is people seem to be angry at the idea of regulating things like pornography but no one cares that the government already regulates all our electronic communication by spying on us. If you really care about freedom then get angry about the ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation).
The Internet as we all are familiar with is a huge bank of data and valuable information that we need to access every single day. Through the globalization of the online world, there are new dangers of local and community-based aggravation towards people both old and young. The abuse of young children when it comes to bullying is a shocking dilemma that we have to face in the world today, and the Internet doesn't protect them from such acts of violation and mistreatment, but instead allows a new form of victimization, cyberbullying. It is understandable to assume the role of overlooking and monitoring should be put on the parent. But it is simply not possible for those responsible for children to exercise this kind of over-arching control. In the context of homes, PCs or increasingly other Internet access devices like game consoles or mobile phones are not always in the living room, but often in a bedroom or study, and in any event a parent cannot be expected to stand over the child at all times. In the context of schools, a teacher may have up to 30 children using computers at the same time and, again, it is not possible to monitor each child's use on a continuous basis. Who better to look out for our young than the people we voted in, the people who run our country?
Many argue our privacy is at risk with the government prying into our private lives. The Internet, last time I checked, was open to everyone and anyone. If you risk putting your private details online, people from all around the world have access to them, if they look hard enough. The government isn’t any different. Strangely enough, they are people too. Regulation is about protecting your privacy not invading it. If you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t need to worry about the government regulating the Internet. By limiting what information is accessed on the Internet, personal information will not be easily accessed. By using anti-phishing software, which serves as a form of Internet regulation since it warns the user that a kind of software is trying to get access, it gives the user the chance to keep hackers and companies from getting pertinent information. As a result of instituting privacy measures, people can pursue their own interests without threats of condemnation, even when they are not breaking any laws. Here are some additional advantages to consider with online privacy as well.
Vulnerable people are falling victim to telephone company scams and email spamming. Scammers attack the exposed, such as the elderly who are already feeling uncertain and have little to no confidence when it comes to using technology. They click a link by accident and all of a sudden they are told to pay an amount to a certain account, and it is not until they are robbed of their life savings that they realize they have been conned. They are then too ashamed and embarrassed to tell the police because they feel like they are the ones who are gullible. Scammers, posing as charity workers, contact seniors and offer up a sad story which, of course, concludes with a plea for funding. Seniors are taken in by the tale and send along money to help. Charity scams often carry a note of urgency – a telemarketer might note that money has to be given now or ask that a credit card number be given instead of a mailed check. This gives a senior virtually no time to investigate the supposed charity and contemplate whether they should give. Such a scam takes advantage of a senior’s compassion, which can make it especially hurtful. Money is unfairly ripped from under their noses, and those who become victims are too ashamed to admit they were scammed $1000 upon $1000 of dollars. Regulating the Internet would keep a check on such activity, narrowing it down quite immensely.
Many people these days are just cowards, hiding behind the Internet and posting nonsense. We cannot allow this. There is no social responsibility or accountability any longer. I fear for my future children’s safety. The Internet has become a weapon used to bully and harass the vulnerable. I fear for my grandparent’s safety. The small amount of pension in their pocket is taken from them every day without realization. I fear for the world’s safety, human trafficking, and terrorism are at a new level and are forever growing because of the Internet. I fear for my safety. We have turned a blind eye, assuming these issues will solve themselves. Without practical solutions, it will get worse, risking our well-being. We simply can no longer ignore it.