Censorship

    Censorship is the action of suppressing speech, public communication, and other information.

    Censorship is imposed by governments, private institutions, and other controlling bodies. In order for some material to be censored in must be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or “inconvenient.” by the ruling body of where the censorship happens.

     The motivation behind censorship is noble, to protect sensitive information, such as government secrets, from being leaked to malicious actors accidentally. However, the same walls that keep out enemies are the same walls that alienate neighbors. Many platforms and regulatory bodies have a difficult time censoring information appropriately and as a result violate the basic human rights of communication.

    This topic becomes more interesting and complex when it is understood that aside from textual and visual communications being censored, financial activities can be censored. By censoring financial activity individuals are taken out of participation from the economy and suffer unintended consequences such as not being able to buy food.