Chapter 3

Name Patrick Bratton Class time: Online

Author: Sara Baase
Date of Publication: 2008
Book: A Gift of Fire
Sections read: Chapter

1. (Questioning) After reading this chapter/article what questions do I have?

Will America ever enforce strict Internet laws that provide censorship on a great deal online, such as the countries of Saudi Arabia and China?

2. (Knowledge) Tell three interesting elements of this chapter:

a. “Cigarette ads are legal in magazines, but banned from radio, television, and all electronic media under the control of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (pg. 146)
b. “The First Amendment is a restriction on the power of government, not individuals or private businesses.” (pg. 148)
c. “In the Communications Decency Act and the censorship laws that followed, Congress attempted to avoid an obvious conflict with the First Amendment by focusing on children.” (pg. 152)

3. (Comprehension) Summarize what is being discussed within this chapter?

Chapter 3 is about the freedom of speech online. There are exceptions though to what can be said and presented online due to protection acts for example “In the Communications Decency Act and the censorship laws that followed, Congress attempted to avoid an obvious conflict with the First Amendment by focusing on children.” (pg. 152) With that said, the protection of children because essential. “Another provision of COPA set up the Child Online Protection Commission to study and report on ways to protect children. The commission included representatives from family organizations, government, universities and industry.” (pg. 154)

4. (Application) Name a specific example or NEW solution for this type of problem/similar situation in society or that you have experienced – be specific and explain?

A similar experience I remember is when I was in high school. I remember trying to access sites such as MySpace but I couldn’t because the school had blocked s bunch of specific sites that they felt weren’t “educational.” There were ways around this though; the administrator password from a teacher was floating around school which allowed us access to any website we wanted. Since schools participate in federal programs they are about of the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 (CIPA).

5. (Analysis) Address ANY that apply. How can you compare one of the situations in this chapter to something that does not relate to computers, technology, or the Internet? Be sure to reference the chapter and your solution. What ideas NEW can you add to the issue that is being presented within the reading?

Certain countries in this world have types of cultures that require men or women to dress a certain way. Muslim women mostly wear the hijab on their head in a sense to “block their beauty” so you can focus more on their personality than their looks. In America, the culture is different and people can basically wear whatever they please as long as it isn’t offensive or provocative.

6. (Synthesis) Address all that apply. Do you agree with what is being said within the article (Why/Why not? Back up with FACTS, reference)?
Yes I do agree with what is being said in this chapter. I feel that COPA (Child Online Protection Act) is great from the Internet because it makes sure sites are restricted to children. But in a way I feel this doesn’t fully protect children because restricted sites state in the front page the material that is presented on the site and you have to agree or disagree to accept the terms and conditions, mostly being over the age of 18. I feel that children under 18 can easily get into restricted sites still. So although I agree with the things said in this chapter I still feel that children are fully protected.


7. (Evaluation) Address all that apply. Judge whether or not this topic is relevant in today’s society? Are there any ethical considerations (see Chap1-1.4 for exp of Ethics)? What new ideas will you make after reading this chapter/article?
This topic is relevant in today’s society. People who do illegal activities are now punished. An example of illegal activities are child pornography, which is not a part of freedom of speech.


8. (Conclusion) After completing this assignment, based on new thoughts and evidence
What new conclusions have you come to about this topic?

a. I actually feel when Congress attempted to avoid conflict with the First Amendment that they were right for their actions because through their actions child pornography became illegal.
b. Since America is the land of Democracy, I feel that the Internet would never be strictly censored to the point of such countries as Saudi Arabia and China. Not only that but there was already situations in the past in which people thought their rights of freedom of speech were being violated, so I feel we have already come so far with trying to censorship sites to protect children.

References:

References: Baase, Sara. A Gift of Fire. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.