Enriquez 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Background The internet is a vast system of computer connections and networks worldwide, as well as having

its own networks within their networks, which not only connects computers, but virtually anything that has the ability to receive and send out information via the internet. Also known as the net, the internets freedom of messaging hasnt changed since the creation of the radio in the 1970s, and its efficiency hasnt diminished yet. Named for the interconnection of computer networks, the internet is a massive hardware that holds a combination of millions of private, public, business, and governmental computers and devices, that are all connected in the same manner as our highways and bridges. This all started as a Military experiment back in 1969 called ARPAnet (Advance Research Project Agency network), whose goal was to maintain and acquire a means of communication with other networks in their community in case of disasters such as nuclear strikes. Through the years, this experiment soon became a civilian experiment, being acquired by universities, along with their own forms and methods of networking, to connect their computers with each other, solely for academic purposes only. As such computers became more mainstream through the use in everyday lives, around the 1980s to 1990s, the internet grew increasingly and rapidly through the connection and addition of new computers to the vast network, as well as the help of the National Science Foundation, or the NSF. What the NSF did was instead

Enriquez 2 of having all the computers connect to one central supercomputing centre, they allowed different institutions to be connected to their neighbour computing centres through creating chains of connections, which then led to the supercomputing centres. Through this, an expansion of the global network of computer networks emerged, which allowed computers and other systems and devices to communicate and share information with one another. Today, we can see the internet as a vast system of interconnecting parts, being connected through such advancements like fibre optics, data lines, and wireless routers. In theory, no single person has the ability to own the internet, neither should the government have control over its operations. Though there may be rules regarding the use of the internet, such as how to access it and its means of usage, the internet should be a free and open medium for broadcasting and practising our right to freedom of speech. Along with the internet, there have been many systems and definitions that allow for the use of the internet to be effective and efficient. One means of connecting would be through the hypermedia information storage system, called the World Wide Web (WWW). This links computer-based resources around the world. Along with the computer are computer programs called Browsers which enable groups of text called hyperlinks in order to display different types of media, graphics, sound, and even other types of text. All these materials may be located in different files or folders, which may be located in different computers, and may be accessed and found in devices all around the world.

Enriquez 3 While we have the World Wide Web to access the internet, there are other means of accessing it as well, such as the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). This being the most used application, this level of application is used for distributed, collaborative, and hypermedia systems (Fielding). This protocol is a generic, stateless protocol which can be used for numerous tasks that go beyond hypertext and its use. One exquisite feature about this protocol is that it can be used to build systems independently through its typing and negotiation of data representation, of the data being transferred. Along with the HTTP, there is also the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). This is a transfer protocol used in sending and receiving messages and other information through electronic mail, or e-mail. However, due to its limited abilities to arrange and line up messages at the receiving end of the message, this is usually used with one or two other protocols. Like the HTTP and SMTP, there is also the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The FTP is a standard internet protocol, or code which the whole networking system understands, used for transmitting files between other computers on the internet. This protocol is commonly used to transfer web page files from the creator of the file to other computers that acts as servers for everyone on the internet. Of course, these applications and the internet itself wouldnt possibly be used today if it werent for certain organizations that allow for the development of this intercommunication. Also known as the Internet Ecosystem, these are the different organizations and communities that help the internet work and evolve, which share common values for the open development of the internet. This ecosystem in turn implies

Enriquez 4 the rapid and continued development and adoption of internet technologies which can be attributed to the involvement of a broad range of actors and receivers, as well as the use of products and infrastructures with shared ownership and control. Such organizations include global and local organizations that manage global resources for global addressing capabilities such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which includes its operations on many other groups and services like the Domain Name Registries and Registrars. One vital organization, of course, is the collective of the internet users. These are the main individuals and networks that the internet relies on for its information and development on its use. When internet users use the internet, they communicate with each other and offer service for one another, and at the same time they benefit the existence of the internet through means of inputs and communication with the corporations which aid in the ongoing of the internet. Through the HTTP, FTP, SMTP, organizations, and countless other protocols and applications along with softwares that aid us in the usage and access of the internet, we were and still are able to access new ideas, more information, unlimited possibilities, and a whole new world of networks and communities. Because of these overflowing applications, operators of hosts or computer systems may choose which internet service to use and which local services to make available for the global internet community. With more than one hundred countries linked to the exchanges of data, news and opinions, anyone should have the right to access vital information for the good of their lives. Again, no one group or entity should actually own the internet, and no single person or organization controls the internet in its entirety. This relies on physical infrastructures that connects different networks, or groups of hosts connected

Enriquez 5 to each other, to other networks. Though there may be many corporations or groups of individuals, like schools and governments, that all own pieces of infrastructures, none of them owns it all. There may be those that oversee and standardize what happens on the internet, as what certain organizations do in their Internet Ecosystem; but again, no one is in ownership and responsibility of the internet, everyone is. There have been times wherein the internet is being limited to its openness and accessibility platform, and many of the existing processes behind the development and administration of the internet are being questioned; therefore it is highly important that the internet users be involved in its future. Through the internet, education and information of the open, consensus-based processes and structures are provided, and it is for us and up to the individuals, non-government organizations, and even the government organizations that they be involved in making the use of the internet open, and make it remain open throughout its existence. When it comes to these limitations, certain issues may lead to what is called censorship. Such censorship is defined as a suppression of speech or other public communication which may be considered harmful, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by the government or by the immediate ruling party. Censorship can be done by either these groups or bodies, or by the individual himself, also considered as self-censorship. Censorship may lead to the suppression of texts, music, films, arts, media, and the Internet. One concerning factor in these censorships is the closure of the internet for the people, and this comes in a variety of reasons. Such reasons include national security, child protection, the promotion and restriction of political views, and the prevention of slander and libel. From the stated reasons, while there are many other

Enriquez 6 reasons, there are certain issues that have been omitted and debated about concerning the rights to the freedom of speech and information of the people, especially in certain democratic countries. With the censorship of information and other media, there is a rationale behind it, and this varies per different type of information being censored. Moral censorship, for one, tackles the deletion of obscene or otherwise considered morally questionable, while religious censorship removes material that may be considered objectionable by a certain faith; yet these censorships may be based on the majority of a group who holds prevalence over a vast minority, and may shun the thoughts and work of another when they believe that the content is not appropriate. There may be protections against these censorship laws, there may even be laws protecting these censorships; but none of these protections are absolute, and it is necessary to balance out issues on what is considered right or wrong in order to determine what can and cannot be censored. Significance of the Study