Should there be any sort of ban on the internet?

All of us know the PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) has imposed a ban on YouTube® in
the country as well as on many explicit websites.
But should they be banned? Does PTA have the right to choose what people watch and what they
don't? In fact, does ANYONE have the right to impose such control? These are questions we face
often enough in this era of cyber communication. Questions that need extensive debating upon and
the VoY sought to provide just such a forum for students of the university to raise their voices.
According to Hassan Akhtar (runner up), such bans are pointless: there are proxies available online
and anyone with a little know-how of such things can easily access blocked content; then again,
there is always the question of 'free will' and being able to decide for oneself what has and has not to
be done.
And it not just the more abstract aspects of the bans that seem wrong, economics and education are
deeply affected by such bans too. The music industry for instance is undergoing losses since viewers
are not able to preview titles and thus choose to purchase. Many people used to listening to
religious talks online can no longer do so and students can no longer access educational material on
YouTube®. Other websites exist too of course, it is fair to say, but they lack the credibility and fame
YouTube® has achieved over time.
It makes sense to block explicit material on the internet, though. It is the role of media regulation
authorities like the PTA in Pakistan and parents alike to stop exposure to such content.
Both sides of the question on banning websites have ample points. While some websites deemed
by society and the population to be against 'accepted norms' should be banned, others should be
open to all. For democracy is all about choice and the freedom to exercise one's free will staying
within the bounds of common deceny.
We need to learn to 'have faith in our faith', in Hassan's words.
If we can learn to do that, blasphemous (assumed) movies like Fitna (case in point) should not deter
us from our path and make us strong enough to resist watching them. And not create all the fuss
with bans on the internet.If we can learn to do that, blasphemous (assumed) movies like Fitna (case
in point) should not deter us from our path and make us strong enough to resist watching them.
And not create all the fuss with bans on the internet.