The discussion about internet filtering among government officials is escalating day by day. Lots of people want to restrict internet users from enjoying the net freely. They want to block and censor lots of websites, and charge more for accessing some websites. Internet filtering is all around us and the governments of the world have their own version or rules of net filtering. In a way, with such filtering rules, each government wants to control their users in their online activity.
While internet filtering is not 100% bad for the users, as it gives lots of benefits for them, it might not be necessary at all. If you can’t access certain websites due to those websites being blocked by the government or the ISP, it’s time for you to change it now. With a VPN or virtual private network, net filtering doesn’t have any meaning at all. You can enjoy the internet freely without any restrictions simply by activating your VPN connection. Here are the reasons why internet filtering is unnecessary and why you should start unblocking websites now:
1. Users Have The Rights To Access The Internet Openly And Freely
Yes, in fact, you have the rights of an open and free internet. By restricting the internet with some kind of borders, those who make these restrictions are actually depriving your rights as an internet users. In China, for example, there is something called the great firewall of China, which is basically the way the Chinese government says to the citizens that they are not allowed to access the internet beyond the great firewall, meaning that they can only access the websites that are approved by the government. In one side, the rules are there to preserve the safety of the country, but on the other side, it serves as a prison that doesn’t allow the citizens to explore the online world freely. This is the example case where the users’ online privacy and security rights are being compromised.
2. It Treats Internet Users Like Little Kids
When you take a look at the list of censored or block websites, most of them consist of the websites that are not appropriate for underage users to visit. But, since the filtering system affect the whole country, it means that those who make this filtering system is treating the internet users like little kids, which are not allowed to access such “inappropriate” websites. It would be better if the filtering system only works to block the websites that can potentially be harmful for the users, such as phishing and fraudulent websites. But, in reality, the governments are blocking any websites that they consider not appropriate for some users to visit, which is effectively treating all internet users like little kids.
3. It Treats The Users Like Potential Criminals Or Troublemakers
In many cases, the governments are creating the filtering system to protect the country from any harmful attacks. Users are blocked from accessing websites that are contrary to the government propaganda or ideology. They have the logic that if the users access such websites, they might become potentially dangerous for the government. How about using such information just for the sake of education or learning? By this logic, the internet filtering system treats the average internet users as potential criminals or troublemakers, which is not always the case. What the government should do is strengthen their cyber security instead of blocking some irrelevant websites.
4. People Will Try To Circumvent The Filtering System Anyway
One of the reasons why internet filtering is a kind of unnecessary and useless is that users will try to find a way to bypass such filtering system. Naturally, people are curious. People want to know why certain websites are being blocked and why they should be prevented from accessing such websites. For instance, YouTube, the world’s leading streaming website, is blocked in some countries. Naturally, people would want to know what this website is all about, and why they can’t access it, while the other people in other countries can access it. Thus, they will use the VPN to circumvent the filtering system and break free from such internet restrictions.
5. Education About Online Safety And Privacy Is What Matters
Instead of thinking about which websites that need to be blocked or censored, it might be better for the government to think about how to educate the masses about online safety and privacy. Also, give the parents the education regarding the importance of parental control in the digital age. The filtering system won’t do much if people don’t know how to stay safe and private online. Education is what matters because it will give the citizens or internet users the knowledge necessary to stay safe online. Instead of being paranoid of potential dangerous behaviors that come as a result of internet freedom, the government should support such internet freedom by giving the citizens the complete education to stay safe online.
Those are the reasons why internet filtering is unnecessary and why you should start unblocking websites now. If you’ve been living under the restrictive internet laws in your country, you can break free from such limitations by using a premium VPN service. It will give you your online freedom back. So, start unblocking websites today. But, remember to be a responsible internet user at all times.