Where Freedom Ends

"NO, you cannot do that! It is not allowed!" How many times all of us have heard these sentences, either when were children or adults. There have been regulations and laws all around us. We have to watch what we say, how we act, what we write. Some regulations came from morality that our society accept, and some were made by the government or some kind of significant institution. The second way is how the media got regulated. Institutions such as the FCC regulates the media in order to cut off the inappropriate scenes, words, or talks. On the other hand it at least regulates the age limit of the shows, movies. Of course different mediums have different regulations. Believe it or not the Internet is also regulated. When I first heard that it was hard to believe, since it is so easy for an individual to create a website and just put anything he/she wants on it. Well, it is not that easy any more, at least not in China.

I have read an article in the website of Los Angeles Times that talked about China is planning to have new rules for personal websites. The new rule would require individuals to verify they identities with regulators and have their photographs taken before they create a website. This rule only applies to a domain known as .cn. The reason China wants to impose this rule is to decrease the number of websites, which have inappropriate content on it, such as pornography, violence, or instigation. However it is still unknown if the new law will be accepted or not as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have not replied to the request yet.
Media has been regulated by government for hundreds of years. According to the First Amendment that says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." the government should not have a voice in what is happening in the media. However, David Croteau and William Hoynes say in their book, called Media Society, that it is more complex than it seems. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the right to intervene in the communication marketplace and protect the authorship and interest of the authors and inventors with copyrights. So the media are not that free any more, right?
I feel like it is important that the government regulates the media, because today's technology allows young children to use computer and watch different programs on TV and parents do not want their children to be influenced by something, like pornography or violence, they are not mature enough.

I don't know, but China is maybe going too far, and this law is just one more thing in the box with full of regulations. China has one of world's most strictest Internet controls.
How do you feel? Do you think the government should take a "hands off" approach toward the media? Or can media work on their own?

Klaudia