--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History is rife with examples of…" description: "\"History is rife with examples of governments taking actions to 'protect' their citizens from harm by controlling access to information and inhibiting f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/vint-cerf-8158_access_history-is-rife-with-examples-of-governm_3227915.jpg" --- # History is rife with examples of governments taking… ![“History is rife with examples of governments taking actions to 'protect' their citizens from harm by controlling access to information and inhibiting freedom of expression and other freedoms outlined in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We must make sure, collectively, that the Internet…” quote by Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/vint-cerf-8158_access_history-is-rife-with-examples-of-governm_3227915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/vint-cerf-8158_access_history-is-rife-with-examples-of-governm_3227915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/vint-cerf-8158_access_history-is-rife-with-examples-of-governm_3227915.jpg) > “History is rife with examples of governments taking actions to 'protect' their citizens from harm by controlling access to information and inhibiting freedom of expression and other freedoms outlined in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We must make sure, collectively, that the Internet avoids a similar fate.” [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Governments often justify censorship as protection, but it threatens human rights; collective vigilance is needed to keep the Internet free. **In simple terms:** Censorship harms freedom; we must guard the net. Key Takeaway Support open, uncensored internet policies. Themes freedom censorship human rights Mood cautious optimistic Type policy activist When to use this quote - policy advocacy - public awareness campaigns - legal challenges Key Concepts digital rights government control information access Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent abuse of protective measures? - How do we protect vulnerable populations without censorship? A Different Perspective Balancing security and liberty is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Actions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actions/) [Avoids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoids/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Citizens Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens-harm-1709828/) [Collectively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectively/) [Collectively Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectively-internet-6094803/) [Controlling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlling/) [Declaration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaration/) [Examples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examples/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-expression/) [Freedom of expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-expression/) [Freedoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedoms/) [Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Inhibiting Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inhibiting-freedom-6094804/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Must](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/must/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Protect Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-citizens-414199/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Similar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/similar/) [Sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sure/) [Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking/) [Universal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal/) ## Related quotes > [Whenever America sends its citizens into harm's way, it must do so with eyes wide open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/whenever-america-sends-its-citizens-into-harm-s-way-it-must-do-so/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Any attempt to vilify an entire unit casts a heavy shadow on the actions of the IDF to protect the citizens of Israel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoav-gallant/any-attempt-to-vilify-an-entire-unit-casts-a-heavy-shadow-on-the/) [Yoav Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoav-gallant/) > [Of all tasks of government the most basic is to protect its citizens against violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foster-dulles/of-all-tasks-of-government-the-most-basic-is-to-protect-its-citizens/) [John Foster Dulles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foster-dulles/) > [The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/the-fundamental-purpose-of-government-is-to-protect-its-citizens/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [The Supreme Court has been clear that states have the right to protect their citizens against out-of-state regulations that would burden those citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/the-supreme-court-has-been-clear-that-states-have-the-right-to/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [I am committed to doing whatever is necessary to protect our citizens and our state's data system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ivey/i-am-committed-to-doing-whatever-is-necessary-to-protect-our-citizens/) [Kay Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ivey/) > [Our expectation is that the Russian Federation does its part to protect its own citizens in full respect of human rights principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federica-mogherini/our-expectation-is-that-the-russian-federation-does-its-part-to/) [Federica Mogherini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federica-mogherini/) > [Government has three primary functions. It should provide for military defense of the nation. It should enforce contracts between individuals. It should protect citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/government-has-three-primary-functions-it-should-provide-for-military/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [And now, since I've been governor since last January, I have written numerous letters to the administration in regards to securing our borders with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/and-now-since-i-ve-been-governor-since-last-january-i-have-written/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [The police are paid by the public and carry a public trust, and they take an oath to protect us as citizens. The police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/the-police-are-paid-by-the-public-and-carry-a-public-trust-and-they/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [“John Locke says that whatever other tasks a government undertakes—whether humanitarian or otherwise—its primary duty is to protect its own citizens from foreign and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/john-locke-says-that-whatever-other-tasks-a-government-undertakes/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [A state should protect citizens in general and women in particular. And in the 21st Century, every society needs to respect the individual choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-fernandez/a-state-should-protect-citizens-in-general-and-women-in-particular/) [Alberto Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-fernandez/) > [We must protect the right of citizens to practice their religions freely. As president, I will support federal and state-level legislation like the Religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/we-must-protect-the-right-of-citizens-to-practice-their-religions/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [The state has a duty to protect all its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeyah-khan/the-state-has-a-duty-to-protect-all-its-citizens/) [Deeyah Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeyah-khan/) > [Discrimination isn't welcome in Louisiana, but as is the case often, folks running for office seem to forget that we have an obligation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bel-edwards/discrimination-isn-t-welcome-in-louisiana-but-as-is-the-case-often/) [John Bel Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bel-edwards/) ## More by Vint Cerf > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [No matter what you do, any country in the world is going to have the ability to set its own rules internally. Any country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/no-matter-what-you-do-any-country-in-the-world-is-going-to-have-the/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [You should know that I've been hearing-impaired, not quite since birth, but I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 13, so I'm very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/you-should-know-that-i-ve-been-hearing-impaired-not-quite-since-birth/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [When I first joined Google in October of 2005, I was warned that I shouldn't be offended if people were doing their e-mails while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/when-i-first-joined-google-in-october-of-2005-i-was-warned-that-i/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [What would happen if our clothes were Internet-enabled? Can you imagine if you lost a sock? You could send out a search, and sock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/what-would-happen-if-our-clothes-were-internet-enabled-can-you/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Like almost every major infrastructure, the Internet can be abused and its users harmed. We must, however, take great care that the cure for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/like-almost-every-major-infrastructure-the-internet-can-be-abused-and/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [The immediacy of the mobile changes it from what we're accustomed to in the personal computing world to something that's instantaneous... What's interesting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-immediacy-of-the-mobile-changes-it-from-what-we-re-accustomed-to/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Internet and government is Topic A in every nation, all around the world. There is the question of getting the Internet built. That involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/internet-and-government-is-topic-a-in-every-nation-all-around-the/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [It seems pretty clear that the Internet has an important economic role to play for China as it reaches out to the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/it-seems-pretty-clear-that-the-internet-has-an-important-economic/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [It doesn't matter if it's a wireless or wired network. I think network management can be introduced that is equally sensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/it-doesn-t-matter-if-it-s-a-wireless-or-wired-network-i-think-network/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [The net's future is far from assured, and history offers much warning. Within a few decades of Gutenberg's creation, princes and priests moved to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/the-net-s-future-is-far-from-assured-and-history-offers-much-warning/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [We've never lived in an environment in which it has been so easy to capture information and share it. That fact that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/we-ve-never-lived-in-an-environment-in-which-it-has-been-so-easy-to/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Remember, 'governance' is a big word that includes human rights, freedom of speech, economic transactions on a worldwide basis - it touches everything. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/remember-governance-is-a-big-word-that-includes-human-rights-freedom/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [Google Apps for Education is a suite of applications intended to be helpful to higher level educational institutions, but in the long run, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/google-apps-for-education-is-a-suite-of-applications-intended-to-be/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [By 1988, I'm seeing this commercial phenomenon beginning to show up. Hardware makers are selling routers to universities so they can build up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/by-1988-i-m-seeing-this-commercial-phenomenon-beginning-to-show-up/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) [Explore all 83 Vint Cerf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) ## More Access quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. The upside to it is that more people are creating than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/you-can-disseminate-your-art-and-it-s-all-such-easy-access-now-the/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [The best way to fight poverty is to empower people through access to quality education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/the-best-way-to-fight-poverty-is-to-empower-people-through-access-to/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Because the Internet's there, I have access to a lot of the legends, like Fela Kuti. I used to watch a lot of Fela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/because-the-internet-s-there-i-have-access-to-a-lot-of-the-legends/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Schools have never been about getting access to information. That's the job of libraries. Schools and universities have nobler missions as gentle gatekeepers. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/schools-have-never-been-about-getting-access-to-information-that-s/) [Andrew Nikiforuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-nikiforuk/) > [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-hallesby/to-pray-is-to-open-the-door-unto-jesus-and-admit-him-into-your/) [Ole Hallesby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-hallesby/) > [Broadband Internet access shouldn't depend on who you are or where you're from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/broadband-internet-access-shouldn-t-depend-on-who-you-are-or-where/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) [Browse all 2,178 Access quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History is rife with examples of governments taking actions to 'protect' their citizens from harm by controlling access to information and inhibiting freedom of expression and other freedoms outlined in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 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