In current times where the internet and the use of online resources is extremely prevalent it is important to keep up with the ever-changing rules and speculation of the morality within the internet. While one might assume there’s more freedom of speech than ever, most websites and media outlets are monitored by larger corporations or government agencies, meaning there’s more censorship of opposing opinions.

Government bodies and second party donors are making examples of individuals such as Dr. Rashid Buttar, an American osteopathic physician and author best known for his views on Coronavirus and how it has been managed. Buttar posted a video on YouTube discussing COVID-19 and criticizing how nations have been handling the pandemic. At 9 Million views, the video was taken down for violating YouTube’s community guidelines.

This begs the question, is free speech still actually free? 

Community guidelines can be re-written and updated to reflect third party sponsors’ opinions and business plans, meaning there is no longer a free market of opinions. On websites such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook there is close monitoring of posts and comments for anything that violates the rules and regulations put in place, but there isn’t always a definitive line between right and wrong. Hate speech, bullying, and forms of discrimination are often left unchecked, causing many issues surrounding social media. Problems lie within posts that are considered opinion.

Political and economic views on accounts can lead to unsavory behaviour from other personal accounts who have opposing opinions, but people can’t face physical retaliation through a screen.

The introduction of 5G could change that.

5G (fifth generation technology) has become more developed, but the 5G cellular data network is still in its infancy stages in Canada. 5G is meant to be a quicker, more advanced way to harness the internet and stay connected, but there are many concerns with the idea. 5G allows larger amounts of data to travel more quickly than was possible with 3G and 4G. Being able to access information faster might sound like a good idea at face value, but researchers believe that 5G might be an easy target for hackers, or could even lead to governments using it to monitor their own people.

Companies such as Huawei have already begun launching phones with 5G technology, and there is speculation from the United States that the Chinese government is using their products to collect private and personal data from the public. A poll done by the Angus Reid Institute shows that 56 percent of Canadians want Huawei 5G products banned in Canada. 

Although the American government is primarily worried about the Chinese government using 5G technology to collect metadata, Rep. Jim Himes, Chairman of Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research says that it might become necessary to use this technology. “We would find ourselves at a disadvantage relative to our opponents around the globe if we didn’t adopt and adapt.”

If the government can monitor your private life, companies and employers can access this information and turn you away if your views don’t match up with establishments’ stance. 5G could be the start of a new dystopian world where government bodies use the network as a way to closely watch and keep civilians subdued.

5G and its connection to health issues could be a conspiracy not yet proven, but the privacy rules this affects are topics that must be heavily considered when allowing outsider companies access to Canadian servers.

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