Misinformation, or fake news as some people call it, including the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has become a significant issue as the internet is flooded with new information every day. While most misinformation can be attributed to incorrect information being presented as fact by unprofessional sources, there is an undeniable deliberate effort to disseminate incorrect information for political gain, similar to the propaganda published during major wars in the past.
With the freedom that the internet allows for publishing information publicly and anonymously, it becomes incredibly easy for those with ill intentions to post factually incorrect information in an effort to push an agenda. To counter misinformation, some have considered further censorship of speech on social media platforms such as X or TikTok. However, is it worth it to restrict the speech of the people to remove the chance that what they say is wrong?
Censorship has always been a concern of the American people. Anyone who has read “1984” by George Orwell can tell you that the censorship of speech is a dangerous slope that could lead to a totalitarian government that will imprison you for thinking the wrong way. Of course, while books like “1984” show the absolute extreme, they are still a good warning as to what is possible if a government gains too much control over what its citizens are allowed to do.
A good example of how bad censorship can get is North Korea. In North Korea, speaking out against the dictator can see you and your entire family killed. The intranet they have access to is highly restricted and filled with propaganda, preaching the glory of the state and the evils of the outside world. As a result of this mass censorship, the country is a stagnant island, cut off from other countries, to prevent the people from realizing what life could be. It is decades behind the technological development of other countries and has one of the lowest quality of life scores on the planet.
Censorship is a much bigger threat when it comes to the freedom of the people, while misinformation is a threat to the integrity of communication. Both are threats to a person’s freedom of speech; however, you can counter misinformation with research and awareness. You cannot stop a government that prevents you from talking.
