During the short history of internet age, cyberspace has become colonized by powerful actors and by competing geopolitical and commercial interests. Censorship is no more limited on publications, books or articles or specific hot issues and totalitarian countries. Control on the internet has become as a global, networked and multi-stakeholder effort which enables third party involvement in data flows and communications. And ubiquitous environment with it's hidden data collection and management practices makes it even less transparent (Karhula, 2008).
In this setting, it becomes unpredictable, who is going to use citizen's data and for what purpose. There is also a growing public awareness of conditions of data surveillance; risks of getting undesired digital profile and possibility of become sanctioned. All these developments will increase consumers' sense of insecurity and vulnerability and inhibit them to engage in self-censorship and self-monitoring to protect themselves. However, many people are not aware of the multiplicity of agents and algorithms around personal data collection, storing of their data for future use, possible uses of their data - and about the dimensions of profitable personal data economy (Boyd & Crawford, 2012)
A global shift towards personal data driven economy has already taken place. It has proceeded mainly without public discussion on citizen's rights to the data related to their own activities or about possible tools and options to protect oneself against inappropriate data collection. This setting recalls for the definition of rights, freedoms and power in relation to data flows and considerations of fair information practices related to the personal information management. As Joseph Turow defines his perspective on data driven economies - an information regime which respect users would be needed (Turow, 2011). New issues do not only concern privacy protection and even civil liberties, but new vulnerabilities of citizen as a target of social sorting - and from the broader perspective it concerns social changes and structures the data surveillance enables and initiates (Lyon, 2003, Lyon, 2006).
Assignments
1. When was Freedom of Speech and Censorship in the Internet Age -project launched?
2. What is the main goal of the project?
3. Why has censorship on the Internet age extended and become more complex.?
4. Why do not Internet and social media necessarily go hand in hand with the democracy?
5. Why is the position of media in relationship to censorship versatile?
6. What does the term big data mean? Use the figure below.
Fig. 5.2 Big Data Landscape
7. What are the implications of big data on media environment?
8. Why do the impacts of structural changes of media industry may not lead to direct censorship, but rather transform conditions of journalism and change the emphasis of contents?
9. Do you agree with the following statement: During the short history of internet age, cyberspace has become colonized by powerful actors and by competing geopolitical and commercial interests?
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10. Summarize the text.
Text 7
Kids' Book Censorship: The Who and Why
By Elizabeth Kennedy [39]
Challenges Are Ongoing
Many people think that challenges, book censorship and book banning are things that happened in the distant past. That is certainly not the case as you'll see from my 2010 Banned Books Report on book censorship.
Why Do People Want to Ban Books?
When people challenge books it is generally out of a concern that the contents of the book will be harmful to the reader. According to the ALA, there are four motivating factors:
Family Values
Religion
Political Views
Minority Rights.
The age level for which a book is intended does not guarantee that someone won't try to censor it. Though the emphasis seems to be on challenges to children's and young adult (YA) books, attempts are also mounted to restrict access to certain adult books. Most complaints are made by parents and are directed to public libraries and schools.
