The Internet is the most used source for exchanging information around the world. It also provides a platform where we can express our opinions and talk to like-minded people. Furthermore, it is convenient for most people in the world. It is gaining popularity at an astonishing rate. Internet censorship controls and limits the data available on the Internet. We may think that the Internet is a free and public space for free expression, but it is limited by censorship. Internet censorship is very complex as it may work in some cases but in others, in most cases, it is harmful to society. That is, it can protect against child pornography, but it can also suppress ideas, information and communications. Censorship is controlled by the government. The government can abuse this right and eradicate and limit free speech. Furthermore, they can silence those who pose a threat to them. I firmly believe that censorship is against free speech and that the world would be better off without it. However, there are some issues that really need restrictions. All my points are explained in the following paragraphs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The term censorship was used in Rome (Newth Mette) in 443 BC Since then, it has been used by the government to suppress people's ideas or something they shouldn't know, such as secrets and scandals. For example, during the mid-15th century in Europe, at the time of the invention of the printing press, the need for censorship increased. Some books were banned because the Church believed these materials and their ideology were dangerous. One of the victims of the banned author was Galileo Galilei, a famous astronomer, physicist and engineer. Internet censorship is used the same way today. The internet provides a platform for people to share their opinions and freedom of speech, but the main problem with censorship is that it is against free speech” there are those who believe that if they think or feel it, then they have the right to express it, fact or opinion, however the spirit moves them. They're right: it's called freedom of speech." A good example of this would be when Verizon, one of the largest wireless carriers in the United States, decides to reject NARAL Pro-choice America's request. NARAL's request was to send a message to Verizon customers who willingly participate in receiving the message. Text messaging has become a tool for people and organizations to share opinions, which means Verizon has control over such a powerful tool. After this incident was published in news and articles, Verizon came under criticism. Even after media exposure, they have decided not to change their decision and enjoy restrictions on free speech. Another notable issue was when NSI (Network Solution Inc.), popular domain name registrars and gatekeepers, suspended and removed the website of Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders. Because NSI thought it would publish controversial anti-Islam material. Although only one image of the Quran was available on the website, it was later removed along with the website when NSI received a complaint that the content violated the terms. All these incidents prove that it is difficult to express opinions and thoughts with so many restrictions, and censorship is against free speech. Censorship has evolved over time and taken many forms. When the first television was invented, the restrictions were too strict, for example some body parts had to be male and femaleexposed too much. Although over time it became less strict and some violence and women in short dresses were allowed. According to John Palfrey, the Internet has gone through three phases and is moving through the fourth phase right now. The first phase was open space, between 1960 and 2000 the Internet was free from any censorship and states did not decide to impose any restrictions. Since the Internet was considered a separate space. But between 2000 and 2005, the state decided to pay attention to the regulation of Internet activity and began to manage and block content in different ways. After that, things went from blocking or limiting to controlling. States have begun to control and monitor people using licensing and identity requirements to go online. China is infamous for censorship. OpenNet Initiative (ONI) a multidisciplinary team from the University of Toronto and the universities of Cambridge, Harvard and Oxford. ONI sent a team to 41 countries, they traveled to various countries and tried to access 1000 websites related to human rights, activism and pornography. The result was worrying as most of these websites were filtered in China. In another matter, ONI noted that there was no filtering before the elections in Kyrgyzstan, but when the elections were close the websites of opposition newspapers were regularly taken down. Which shows that censorship is used to manipulate people's thoughts. As explained in the following paragraphs with statistical data, the Chinese citizen affected by censorship. There has been discussion that the Internet should be completely censored by the government like the Chinese one. There is a specific government that is only assigned the task of filtering and blocking websites that the government believes people should not know about. In China, between 2000 and 2007, 80% of urban citizens believed that the Internet should be controlled by the government, this rate increased by 5% in 2007. Which shows that most Chinese citizens are comfortable with the idea that their Internet is censored by the government. However, in my opinion, they are victims of network authoritarianism, a term described by Mackinnon. This means that in an authoritarian network state (China and several former Soviet republics) the government controls all activity and media on the Internet. In these countries, the government has monitored the conversations and when sometimes someone uses social media to report injustice, the government addresses the problem and can change some policies. In a certain sense, citizens feel listened to and think that access to the Internet or mobile devices protects their freedom of speech. But when someone protests against the system, they get jailed or much worse. Everything controlled by the ruling party and citizens is manipulated by censorship. In the case of China, people who support Internet restrictions may not be aware of Internet censorship. They may believe that they have full access to the Internet and that they have their own decision. In a way they are completely isolated from the rest of the world and don't know that the government has manipulated their perception. These examples represent the dark side of censorship, which can affect the entire world. For example, the ruler of networked authoritarian states has the ideology of controlling the entire world. No one would stop them because they are in control of everything. This can cause another world war with nuclear weapons and essentially the end of mankind. My suggestion is that people should have their own opinions without any censorship to create a peaceful world. Some people argue that the Internet has played a significant role in the crime rate of nations. They believed, 46(3), 3-30.