The pros of censorship
Censorship of pornographic material prevents the minds of children from becoming corrupt. And for instance in religion, conflicts are avoided by censoring material that is insulting or offensive. Just to give an example, when you find yourself in a church or mosque or around religious communities. Even though I do not fully support warfare, censorship is useful for hiding sensitive information which can be used by an enemy. Another pro of censorship it protects the privacy of people. For example being able to report an offence anonymously or even more simple controlling your privacy setting on Facebook. Scenes of people consuming alcohol or smoking influence people to copy them. Hence, censoring such scenes serves a useful purpose. And what about ridiculous shows such as Jackass? People may copy dangerous stunts so censorship proves necessary here as well.It protects indigenous cultures from the bad influence of foreign cultures. It prevents the public display of disrespect to any particular individual or community. It prevents companies from spreading inaccurate or grossly exaggerated claims about their products. It prevents spreading of racism. And there are much more examples of why censorship is good. Can you think of some?
The cons of censorship
If sex-related topics are completely censored it becomes difficult to teach children and teenagers about the dangers of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS. Dictators use censorship to promote a flattering image of themselves and for removing any information that goes against them like in the case of North Korea. The freedom of speech and expression is comprised and it prevents the free flow of ideas and it works against creativity. For example it often gets in the way of artistic endeavours. It gets in the way of the freedom of press, it also may intrude on the privacy of people, such as government tapping the phones of people. Censorship is used for propaganda and it withholds information that leads to ignorance in the society. It is often associated with dictatorship. Censorship on books plays and movies may cause to depreciate in their entertainment value. Actually the general con on censorship is that is it used only for own agenda. People should control the government and not the other way around.
And people have the right to know the truth!
Conclusion
Having examined censorship in its global context I came to the conclusion that it is what it is. Censorship if applied correctly can be used as a weapon either to attack or defend thus it can be both good and bad