The document discusses the concept of censorship, highlighting its necessity in various contexts such as parental control, workplace regulations, and government oversight to protect users, especially children, from harmful content. It explains different censorship strategies and authorities involved, such as parents, employers, and legal frameworks, and emphasizes the balance between freedom of speech and social security. The document also advocates for user education regarding responsible internet use and the implications of data access.

1. Censorship
Dr. Varun Kumar
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2. Outlines
1 Introduction to Censorship
2 What could we censor?
3 Censorship Strategy
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3. Introduction to Censorship
⇒ Accessing internet require
Computer
A telecommunication connection
A modem
A browser
⇒ During working hour, employee may misuse the internet.
Need some restriction for increasing productivity.
⇒ Providing Internet access at home.
May be dangerous for children → Sexual or violence content
Harmful for family as well as society.
⇒ Not providing access to the Internet
Exclude people from the benefits of the vast information on the
Internet.
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4. Continued–
⇒ Filter the websites to ensure the ’right’ information is accessible to
people.
⇒ Especially children and employees.
⇒ Freedom of Speech is a fundamental human right.
⇒ This freedom of speech has also +ve and -ve aspects.
⇒ For social security, we need also some censorship.
Prevent children from viewing pornography
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5. Types of Authority
1 Parental
⇒ Authority over their children.
⇒ Pornographic material or violence content
2 Employer
⇒ Authority over their employees in the workplace.
⇒ Playing games
3 Government
⇒ Authority over a country.
⇒ Violent materials circulations
4 International
⇒ Authority over the international community.
⇒ Stopping Terrorist Newsgroups
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6. Why Censor?
Censorship is a contentious issue and a wide range of viewpoints exist on
the topic.
⇒ Parents: Parents want
Children watch educational Web sites.
Children easily influenced by the content that they find on the Web.
Parents want to prevent their children from accessing adult material.
⇒ Employers: Employers want
Internet is paid service and is given for office work only.
Corporate liability may be threatened if employees view inappropriate
and/or offensive material.
⇒ Pressure groups:
Internet is open for all. It can be used for spreading wrong and unsocial
information.
There should be some mechanism for the removal of such sites.
⇒ Legal:
Laws limit the offensive material that may be communicated by
electronic means.
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7. Censorship Strategies
Popular systems for censoring sites
⇒ Blocking Software
⇒ Chines software/apps banned by Indian Government after Galwan clash.
⇒ Some censorship may be genuine and someone may be political or
intentional.
⇒ Google also take responsibility for allowing and blocking software on its
platform playstore.
⇒ Ratings
⇒ Moody’s and Fitch → Ease of doing business over the globe.
⇒ FATF → Involvement of a nation in terrorist activities.
Two rating based approach
⇒ Syntax for defining labels:
A website could have labels describing the levels of Language, Nudity,
Sex, and Violence.
⇒ Syntax for labeling content:
Rating classification itself for each of the labels. Ex- Thesis evaluation
in front of DSC committee (PhD program)
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8. Continued–
⇒ Service Providers
⇒ The ISP can then run the appropriate software to block access to sites
based on the user’s access level → Block lists or site ratings.
⇒ Browsers and search engines
⇒ Some browsers and search engines directly allow for censorship.
⇒ Some search engines allow for user feedback to provide information
used to decide if a site should be removed from their index.
⇒ Social Methods
⇒ It is important that users are educated as to the implications of their
actions.
⇒ There is a moral responsibility associated with data access, and those
who have the ability to control it need to be aware of the issues
involved.
⇒ Education plays an important role in raising awareness, and this has to
be addressed from a global perspective.
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