Balancing freedom and security online

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2024 (936 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On March 12, we recognize World Day Against Cyber Censorship, where there is an online event, the purpose of which is to bring attention to how governments worldwide are preventing and censoring our online free speech.

World Day Against Cyber Censorship was first recognized in 2008 after two organizations – Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders – requested it. The importance of this day reflects that we should all be able to express our opinions online as freely as we do in person.

However, the real question is, in situations like these, where do we draw the line?

On Feb. 24, the Government of Canada introduced a new bill, called the Online Harms Act. This act has been introduced because of the growing concerns involving children and the internet. With this new bill in place, Canada hopes to prevent children from being sexually exploited and exposed to online content that encourages self-harm. It is also preventing children from accessing material that puts people’s lives at risk and shows extreme acts of violence or terrorism.

What is the point of this new bill and how does it affect our online freedom of speech and sharing of content? With this new bill in place, social media companies will now be held accountable for the steps they take to make their platform a space that protects all people. It is critical to realize that social media companies, like Meta, must make decisions on how best to ensure every user’s safety and comfort using their apps.

According to the Government of Canada website, the new Online Harms Act targets seven groups of content it hopes to stop adolescents from viewing. The main two are “content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor” and “intimate content communicated without consent” (canada.ca).

Social media platforms are now given three duties they must fulfill. These three are: a duty to act responsibly, a duty to protect children and a duty to make certain content inaccessible to youth that sexually victimizes a child, revictimizes a survivor and/or intimate content that was communicated without consent.

With World Day Against Cyber Censorship coming up, I feel it is important for you to exercise your own autonomy and freedom of thought as you post online. The next step we could be taking as a community is to be cautious with how we use our social media time. Is it benefitting you and all the other users on the app? When using social media platforms like Facebook, we must remember that what we say is now permanently public and open to interpretation. Remember to be mindful of what you are sharing: post with intention and purpose.

» Abby Wronowski is a Grade 9 student at École secondaire Neelin High School