This is me. And my husband.

Without the internet being what it is, a world to explore within the wider physical world.. we might not have found each other.

These are my children.

As their parent it is my responsibility to make sure that they are safe – whether they are in my home, whether we are at a park, whether they are in my car, or whether they are using the internet. Just as it is my responsibility to decide what kind of television programs are suitable for their ages and maturity levels, it’s my responsibility to do that for what they are viewing online.

Further than being a responsibility, though, is that it is my right. I know my children best and I know what they should or shouldn’t be exposed to. I don’t need the government doing that for me. I don’t need them deciding what I should be allowed to view, either. I’m a grown adult. I should be able to read or learn about whatever I want. Reading about things, viewing information about stuff online.. that is far removed from actually using any of this supposedly dangerous or offensive information and content.

And once you start censoring things, you have the continued problem of deciding what the standards are for that censorship. Who decides what is offensive? Who decides what is dangerous? Who decides what the general population is too stupid or too reckless to learn about?

The greatest thing about the internet is the venue and medium that it gives us to share our ideas, our thoughts, our art, our lives.. ourselves. Limiting people’s ability to do that is a terrible idea and should not be allowed to happen.