Modern-Day Censorship in “The Old Continent” and the “New World”.

The aim of this thesis is to show and explore the topic of censorship in the modern era, focusing mainly on the means that are the most widely used for disseminating news today, the Social Media. It will be analysed as objectively as possible, reporting on the pros and cons of these important portals used for the dissemination and exchange of knowledge, ideas and thoughts. The various measures to contain and manage social media will also be reported. Measures such as laws, directives and others, adopted by Western societies, in particular the United States and the European Union. I will also outline, towards the conclusion of the thesis, the most controversial and notorious criticisms of these measures. The topic will be structured in four chapters, and several sub-chapters: the first of the main chapters will introduce the topic, bringing a historical part on censorship and its use in the Western world and a small introductory part on what social media are and how they are mainly used; the second one will go more into specifics by discussing very important topics, especially when talking about censorship, such as freedom of thought and speech, accountability, usually contrasted with freedom of expression, and finally "electronic surveillance"; the third chapter will expose the main measures adopted by the United States and the European Union to manage, contain and control news traffic on social media, bringing to light the differences given by the measures themselves and how they are applied according to the social taken into consideration; finally, the concluding chapter will focus on the criticisms levelled at these measures, criticisms that come from the very countries that have adopted them as well as from those, mainly outside the Western world, that have not. The last chapter will also have a small part in which I will present my personal thoughts on all that I have written, which I feel it is right to have and express as I am highly interested in the subject and its dissemination. Concluding this introductory speech, I just want to say that I chose this topic because, in addition to considering it of great relevance, controversy and topicality, I feel directly involved like many other people, being part of those who spread and express ideas through social networks, and also those who acquire information and news precisely through these media portals. Despite my considerable interest in the subject matter, I by no means consider myself an expert in this field, not yet at least, but I nonetheless believe that the essay I have written can be useful for the understanding of what censorship is, its merits and flaws, by whom it is mostly used and for what reason, and finally a greater understanding of situations in which it is difficult to establish what is happening and how it is right to proceed, whether or not censorship itself is adopted. All this has also been written in an attempt to remain as impartial as possible, without taking sides or defining who is in the wrong and who is in the right, I have endeavoured to spread ideas of all kinds, all as different as possible.