Final draft for editorial #1

The Fight for Freedom of Speech Reaches Online Boundaries
The development of new media technologies has always altered the way we think about threats to free speech. In the beginning of the 20th century, civil libertarians in America worried over the danger of the government silencing and controlling free speech. Fear arose when Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist candidate for President, was imprisoned for publicly protesting American involvement in 1919 during World War I. After the Supreme Court started to protect unpopular speakers consistently, critics worried that free speech in America was threatened less by government suppression than by editorial decisions made by mass-media corporations.
Today, the Internet has given anyone access to reach a potential global audience. Internet service providers, such a Google, have the ultimate power to decide what is published and what is not. Google holds 63% of the world’s Internet searches. With this, Google has the power to decide what controversial material may or may not appear on local search engines; like in China.
The country has always had skeptics over the country’s consideration for human rights, and this brings up yet another concern. The most recent noted attempt the Chinese government has done to censor China’s people was during the Obama inauguration. When Obama said, “recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions,” and, "to those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist,” the sound was cut off, leaving Obama’s lip moving and English text scrolling at the bottom of the screen.
In response to the rise of online gatekeepers a bipartisan bill, named the Global Online Freedom Act, has been introduced by House Democrats and Republicans. The bill would require Internet companies to disclose all information in response to demands by foreign governments. This would make it difficult for the companies to keep local employees within repressive countries. In turn, the people of the country would not be able to find information that they have the right to view. Although, a software named “Freegate” was created to wage cyber war on the Chinese regime. The program finds holes in the firewalls, created by the Chinese government, and takes Chinese users to banned web sites undetected.
If so many people are finding alternatives to get to a banned web site, isn’t the attempt to restrict information futile? We believe that free speech applies to everyone, despite their country, when it comes to the Internet. There is too much information that is easily accessible, and as the phrase goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Free speech is not just a right to those in America, but the entire world. So, we say to those of Google, do not give in to the demands of foreign countries. Those of China have the right to find information on events going on in the world around them, just as any other person has the right to do so. So long as there are those who fight for freedom of speech, we shall stand behind them.


Works Cited
“Can Bloggers Crack The Great Firewall of China?” Digital Journal. You Tube. August 15, 2007.
“Chilling Effects Clearinghouse.” Electronic Frontier Foundation. www.chillingeffects.org.
“Chinese TV Censors Part of Address by Obama.” Edward Wong. The New York Times. January 21, 2009.
“Cracking the Great Firewall.” Paul Wiseman. USA Today. April 23, 2008.
“Global Online Freedom Act of 2007.” January 5, 2007.
“Google’s Gatekeepers.” Jeffrey Rosen. The New York Times. November 28, 2008.
“Google to Censor China Web Searches.” Elinor Mills. Cnet News. January 24, 2006.




List of Claims
Policy: Freedom of Speech should apply to everyone in the world, despite their country, because the Internet is too vast to contain and discriminate against.
Chinese users are still finding ways around their government’s firewalls to find information they seek.
China censored Obama during his speech addressing the United States and the World.
Google hold 63% of the world’s searches.
Google has the power to determine what is available to people within a local area.
The Global Online Freedom Act requires online companies to disclose information that foreign countries want banned from their citizens.