The Internet is hailed as a bastion of freedom of speech. Space where individuals can voice their opinions. Especially those opinions which they are unable to voice offline. A particular type of freedom is followed by regulations or controlled restrictions which force it to follow society’s guidelines. The time when the advocates of libertarian ideology opined for an unregulated and a restriction-free internet is gone. Over the last decade or so we have seen the internet evolve in unprecedented ways and its capabilities have grown at an exponential pace. The internet cannot be seen as space which is separate from the society we live in. Everything said and done on the internet has repercussions very similar to the repercussions that our actions have in real life. It can rile up emotions, defame people’s characteristics, incite violence and riots or allow trade of unacceptable material and therefore, needs to be regulated.

Censorship is necessary for certain dark corners of the internet and child pornography is one of those dark corners. It would be hypocritical of us as a society to not take action against the exchange and exhibition of child pornography. With the extraordinary rise inaccessibility of the internet in countries like India, the child pornographic industry has also witnessed increased demand. It has been recognised repeatedly by our judiciary and the central government. The Bombay High Court Committee on Protecting Children from Online Pornography came up with certain proposals which included blocking such sites, setting up mandatory rules for allowing minors into cyber cafes and preventing the creation of child pornographic content and its spread from cyber cafes. The amendment of IT Act in 2008 included section 67B exclusively to deal with child pornography. 121 countries becoming signatories of the ‘Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography in 2004’ in 2004 which shows that the gravity of the crime is being recognized.

Fake news is another predicament that has posed a challenge to society with the rise of the internet. The advancements made in the development of Artificial Technology has encouraged the propagation of fake news. It has been repeatedly argued that the technology giants have gained overwhelming power which they use to weaponize information for the benefit of the few. We have seen numerous scandals over the years one of them being Cambridge Analytica among several data ruptures. The information has become the new gold or maybe more valuable than gold. Information exchanges are toppling governments around the world and radically changing political landscapes, undermining democratic processes. In India, Whatsapp has been identified as the primary carrier of fake news as it has a customer base of more than 200 million people. Fake information about GPS chips in new currency notes or an imaginary cyclone approaching the shores of Mumbai have been difficult to tackle with. In 2018, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting declared the amendment of the Guidelines for Accreditation of Journalists. The declaration included the tentative cancellation of press credentials of journalists until the complaints filed against them are resolved. This was withdrawn following widespread criticism of the move, accusing the State of attacking freedom of the press. The Internet is not a perfect tool and it shouldn’t be treated like one. It amplifies voices and encourages freedom to do EVERYTHING and that is exactly why it should be regulated.