Freedom of speech and information is an essential part of these modern societies. When it comes to scientific research, business, and academic realms, many people readily laud such liberty because of the various benefits it may offer, but I believe that information should be opened only by the mandate of the authority.
Benefits of Free Information
On the one hand, free information allows people to enhance various areas of life. Scientists, for example, could eventually build better medical treatments in chemotherapy and radiation for cancer survivors based on their knowledge of the previous successful and unsuccessful findings.
By scrutinising the flaws, attempting to repair them, and publishing the invention to the public, scientists can all contribute to human development, especially in the health sector.
This case also applies to businesses where companies of Internet security software, for instance, can reveal their codes and publish the flaws for everyone’s improvement, from coders to users at large.
The Surprising Downside
On the other hand, such action can be unjust for many. For example, having free access to a certain company’s information allows its competitors to steal the idea and claim it as their own, which is ironic considering the company’s ideas, inventions, and innovations require a tremendous amount of time, effort, and money. Similarly, some scientists may have devoted their entire lives to a single scientific breakthrough, so respecting them with a copyright or patent is the least we can do.
In my opinion, specific information can lead to chaos in the hands of malicious groups. Scientific research such as nuclear weapons can be deleterious if not used properly. If terrorists could discover the information on how to produce certain explosives on the Internet, this may undoubtedly bring catastrophes of global proportion.
Because there is no way to know how certain information is used, some countries have justifiably established a treaty to curtail certain information sharing.
In sum, despite the benefit of the right of speech and information, it is wiser to keep information regarding scientific research, business, and education under the strict supervision of the government for the good of society.