Does increase in Internet censorship restrict open access for its Research Paper

Does increase in Internet censorship restrict open access for its users - Research Paper Example Secondly, this paper posits that governments that allow internet freedom consequently promote open access to its users; the final hypothesis is that the level of internet freedom permitted by governments directly proportional to the extent of open access for its users. Data for the research will be gathered through surveys, library research, as well as interviews with citizens of various countries both with and without internet censorship, about their perceptions on the impact of internet regulation. These research’s findings will inform policy regarding internet freedom across the world thereby promoting open access for its users effectively. Over the years, internet censorship, the control or suppression of content that individuals can access, publish, or view over the internet by governments, private organizations, and several other regulators, has increasingly become a global phenomenon, with more than 60 countries from all over the world already enforcing this practice (Burnett, Sam and Feamster Nick 2013). Schmidt Eric and Cohen Jared (2013) concur that indeed many governments globally are monitoring and censuring internet access and in due course, many people will increasingly find the internet fissured, disjointed and controlled by the government and as a result it will lose their its newfound independence through such filtering (â€Å"Is the Internet at risk?† 2012). Internet censorship entails many forms of filtering of what is termed as â€Å"inappropriate content,† including radical political opinions (Gordon 1996), sexually explicit material, as well as content depicting acts of violence and ter rorism acts, among other subjects. The Chinese government is among the leading states that have already imposed tough regulations to restrict the use of the internet by requiring all internet users to submit their names to