In recent years, the harmful content we could find on the internet has increased due to the development of new websites and, especially, of social networks. As a consequence, many started thinking that our governments should censor this kind of content. However, this is not a simple issue since government control could be as well as problematic.
On the one hand, it is clear that we are exposed to too much information or, to be honest, disinformation. Therefore, in my opinion, we should pay more attention at what we read or watch, trying to figure out by ourselves when the content should be ignored. In fact, each of us has the responsibility to verify the truth of the information without sharing the content if it is false or even violent. Doing so, we could limit the spread of that, avoiding the government to be involved.
On the other hand, indeed, the control operated by governments could be as dangerous as harmful information. Even if we do not think about a distopic society such as that one imagined by George Orwell, we can easily understand which side effects too strict laws could bring to. For instance, let’s think at the governments in China or in North Corea, where all is controlled by the authority. No one of us would live peacefully in such conditions. Furthermore, some harmful content will continue to be available on the dark web, without resolving the issue.
In conclusion, even if there is some harmful content on the internet, it should be our responsibility to prevent it from being its divulgation, otherwise the control conducted by governments could be even more dangerous.