Pros of Censorship

Throughout history, we can trace specific events of censorship. Perhaps the most controversial may be the recent censorship of former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account. Now, the question remains: does a private company have the right to censor individuals and remove their accounts? Yes. Private entities such as social media platforms may censor and restrict speech of individuals, as the First Amendment of the constitution only protects individuals from censorship by state or federal action.

The positives of censorship range from preventing the spread of misinformation to reducing hate speech. However, there is a fine line that may be hard to define in protecting individuals through censorship while not casting aside one side of the story.

Now, censorship should not be misused, as it is quite simple to overstep boundaries and repress individuals. However, what would a world without carefully used censorship be like? For one, there would be more conflict and hate speech in society. By preventing the circulation of harmful words aimed at certain groups, a kinder environment is promoted.

Not only that, but censorship also prevents the spread of false content and stops businesses from imparting any false information. There is no question that the censorship of child pornography, violent videos, and hate speech should be maintained. Censorship stops the spread of harmful media and protects minors.

Some may argue that the use of censorship stops the public from getting a well-rounded view on topics. However, censorship does the opposite. It regulates misleading and false content that may reach people and lead to them believing falsehoods and reaching inaccurate conclusions. One specific example can be applied to hacked social media accounts. Sometimes, hackers will spread false information about donating to fake bank accounts or other scams. Some sort of censorship will help prevent the circulation of fake information that might bring financial loss to individuals.

Censorship can also help protect new ideas, mainly in the form of patents. By protecting a product with a patent, it prevents others from taking an idea or product that someone else came up with.
Although there are disagreements about whether Trump’s Twitter account should have been permanently suspended, there is no denying that Twitter does have the right to decide to pull accounts from its platform.

Censorship has laid the groundwork for a less inflammatory and more truthful society. This is not to say that extreme censorship should be implemented. However, without moderate implementation, there may be serious consequences with false content and increased animosity.