[DOWNLOAD] "Censoring and Destroying Information in the Information Age." by The Cato Journal * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Censoring and Destroying Information in the Information Age.
- Author : The Cato Journal
- Release Date : January 22, 2008
- Genre: Politics & Current Events,Books,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 251 KB
Description
Almost everyone knows the importance of information and communication to economic progress. The more information we have the more productive we can be, both individually and collectively. The easier it is for us to communicate our information to others and to receive their information, the more likely we will make production and consumption choices that serve the interests of all. No wonder people are so impressed with the recent breakthroughs in information and communication technology that have moved us into what has become known as the "information age." Who could possibly condone, much less recommend, policies that destroy and distort valuable information by censoring its communication? Far more than you might think! Large amounts of information or knowledge, (1) which could be used to improve the lives of billions of people by improving economic decisions, are being systematically suppressed and destroyed by government censorship that is supported enthusiastically by many who claim to be outraged by government censorship of any type. One reason for this enthusiasm is that censorship can be used to concentrate benefits on politically organized groups by imposing far greater, but highly dispersed, costs on the general public. This standard public choice argument of concentrated benefits trumping dispersed costs, as useful as it is at explaining the success of many perverse policies, cannot adequately explain the pervasive censorship we discuss in this article. Much of this censorship harms not only the general public but also many well-organized interest groups. The problem is that few people recognize some of the most harmful forms of government censorship as being censorship. And since they don't recognize it for what it is, many erroneously see censorship as the most effective and least costly way for government to achieve social objectives that almost everyone claims to support, such as protecting the environment, reducing waste, ensuring an adequate food supply, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, improving education, creating better jobs, and expanding the availability of high-quality health care.