Should the internet be regulated? A simple question that, in my opinion, has a less than simple answer. My reflex answer is NO but is that really the right answer? I am not what most would consider a heaver thinker, a heavy drinker at times but I am not known to ponder all of life’s questions on a daily basis. However, sometimes world events cause me to examine my own thinking. I am proud of the fact that I am not static in my thinking. I always try to take in all the available information about a topic and I make up my own mind. From time to time, I have also changed my beliefs about a topic as new information is presented to me.

That is exactly what has been happening to me in regards to the idea of a completely lawless internet. From the mid-nineties to today the internet has become a major part of the lives of everyone in the world. From 13 year old girls talking about the latest teen heartthrob to multibillion dollar companies that have an impact on the world’s economy, the internet is has become as essential as breathing. How can something so important and prevalent, exist in the state of total lawlessness?

Before the hate mail and accusations of socialism flood my inbox, let me clarify what I am saying. I believe that no one government or private organization should have the right or ability to control the free flow of information. Nor should there be laws or regulations that will make the internet only free to corporations or private individuals with more money than some third-world countries. Without the contributions of normal everyday individuals, the internet as we know would not exist today. If the internet was controlled by a government agency, such as the FCC in the United States, I would not be writing this today. If the internet was regulated like American television, it would be a corporate owned one-side conversation. Blogs would not exist, porn would not be available, social media sites would censor every word, information would be regulated…basically the internet would be as free as radio and TV after Janet Jackson shared her nipple piercing with Super Bowl viewers.

But a completely unregulated internet is just as detrimental. Throughout history there are plenty of examples of how dangerous the lack of simple laws and regulation can be. Prior to labor laws in the last century of the United States, children would be put to work in unsafe factories which would often result in serious injuries or death. Without the FDA, dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine were put in “cure all” elixirs peddled by shady entrepreneurs on street corners. Can you imagine how safe air travel would be today if there was no FAA and companies could opt for cheaper manufacturing methods instead of building safer jets? Without regulations and laws, the average lifespan of the world would still be in the mid-twenties. If we are not careful, the internet’s life span could be jeopardized as well.

I know that many of you are screaming at their computer screens now. You probably think that I am an idiot and that my previous examples are nothing like the internet. I argue that they are and here is why. Many countries have what are called Hate Speech Laws. In those countries you cannot write an opinion piece in a newspaper that says that anybody that is different than the majority does not deserve to live and should be shot on site. Someone cannot just go onto national TV and call for the extermination of an entire sector of the population. A group cannot even publish a book in some countries saying that Hitler was right and that his mission to exterminate the Jews should be continued. I don’t know anybody with an IQ over 15 that would argue that these laws should be overturned. So why do we tolerate the existence of these hateful materials on the internet?

These hate speech laws are not meant to shelter a group from criticism or from hurting their feelings. Instead, they are in place to keep those hateful ideas from influencing some wacko into carrying out crimes against humanity. Yes, we are still going to have the wackos and they are still going to kill, mame, rape and generally be a bunch of dicks but their actions will not gain credibility just because the local paper said it was okay. Some might argue that is exactly what is being done on American television by commentators such as Glenn Beck or Keith Olbermann. Even though I may not agree with many things said by many commentators on television, I have never once heard Glenn Beck tell his viewers that liberals should be rounded up and sent to gas chambers. Nor have I ever heard Keith Olbermann call for the mass murder of conservatives. However, that is exactly the kind of thing going on throughout the internet on each side of the political spectrum.

How many times in the past couple of years have you heard about some despicable act of insanity perpetrated  by some hateful idiot? Then before the dust settles, it comes out the perpetrator of the heinous act had a hate filled podcast, YouTube Video or their “Manifesto” was published on the internet infecting the minds of their readers with their dribble. Granted even if they did not publish their ideas on the internet they still would have probably carried out their plans. But what about the next unstable narrow minded idiot who stumbles upon these hateful items? A person who would have more than likely lived out his existence in his parents basement reads this crap and decides that it makes perfect sense and they want to do their small part to help the fight. A harmless crap for brains has suddenly become a domestic terrorist all because another idiot decided to share his distorted view of the world.

Hate speech is a touchy subject. The other side of the argument can get pretty bad as well. Some would call for the complete sanitation of contrarian views on the internet. This is already happening in main stream media when they try to censor obscenities. What is obscenity? If we tried to regulate to the lowest common denominator we would end up with an internet where one can only talk about puppy dogs and flowers. That is until a cat lover somewhere gets offended and suddenly the world wide conversation is limited to “What’s Up” and “Dude”. In my opinion, our current obscenity laws are archaic at best. What may offend a little old lady in Florida, may actually be accepted by the mainstream public. For example, profanity is fairly commonplace in everybody’s vocabulary. I myself do not believe in “Bad Words” like many people. Although I make every attempt to not curse in my articles, I do have a pretty bad potty mouth. I feel that words only  have as much power as one gives them. I don’t understand why a acronym for “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” or “Stack High In Transit” can be a “bad” word. As a parent, I teach my children to not use words that are considered bad but not for the same reason that most would. I tell my kids that these words are only words but they can offend some people and rather then make someone uncomfortable they should try to express themselves in a more suitable manner. I do have words that I refuse to use and I teach my kids the same thing. I refuse to call someone stupid or dumb, I have never said the “N-word” and I hate to use the word impossible. These to me are bad words because they all have the same effect on someone. They put someone down and hold them back from reaching their full potential. I maybe alone in my beliefs but that is just the point. Should my feelings about obscenity determine the words that my neighbor can or cannot say? No and I don’t think anybody should have that power.

Getting back to my original question…. Should the internet be regulated. Yes? No? Maybe? Honestly, I do not know the answer to that. I do feel that hate has entered into the online realm and it will continue to have an effect on our world as the internet continues to grow. Does that mean limiting free speech? Of course not and I would fight to my dying breath to prevent that from happening but I do think we as citizens of the internet need to address the issue. If there is one thing I hope will happen after you read this long rant of mine, I hope that this will spark a civil discussion on the subject. If we do not police our own, someone will and we will not like the outcome.