[Prev| Next| Index] 2/22/96, rjones@pobox.com, Cambridge, MA

Freedom and the Internet

     By Ray Jones, rjones@pobox.com.

     The Internet is like a library, but one where anyone can write a
     book, and put it on the shelves for other people to read. Any
     book, saying anything they want to say. The Internet does not
     censor.

     Censorship

     It lets people that might never have met exchange ideas, ideas
     they might never have been exposed to if not for the Internet.
     Sometimes someone else disagree with these ideas. They have this
     right. But the people putting forth the ideas have a right to
     express them.

     Ideas

     The Internet has, since its inception, been modeled on the
     principles of equality, on the idea that anyone should be allowed
     to participate, that everyone should be given the opportunity to
     express themselves. Many times, members of the Internet have
     fought to protect these rights, even for people that they
     disagree with. And they continue to fight, today.

     Equality

     All of the information on the Internet has one thing in common:
     it was all placed there by a member of the Internet community.
     There is nothing there that someone, somewhere, didn't think was
     worth making available to others. Likewise, when retrieving
     information from the Internet, a person has to seek out what they
     want. Information doesn't jump out at you, you have to go looking
     for it.

     The content and control of the Internet is governed by the same
     people that use it.

     Controlling Content

     The Internet gives us the best chance to be free, to be active in
     a democracy. It is made up of a million street corners where
     people discuss their lives, their loves, their politics. It is a
     thousand town halls, many open to all comers, where each voice
     may be heard as well as any other. It is the chance to make a
     difference, to give something back, not just to those near you,
     but to the entire world.

     Being Informed

     People are the Internet's core and its heart. Their ideas, their
     dreams, their thoughts, their hopes, their fears, their joys,
     their beliefs... everything about them. Although I may not agree
     with some people's ideas, I will never discourage them from
     sharing what they feel is worth giving to the rest of the world.

     Others' Ideas

     It's too bad that our Founding Fathers couldn't have experienced
     today's Internet. In my opinion, it is the best implementation of
     the First Amendment. It gives everyone a voice, a strong voice,
     one that can be heard across the world. They neither can be kept
     from speaking, nor can they keep another from having a voice.