IB Philosophy 7.3.3 Censorship and Freedom of Information Key Definitions

Censorship is the suppression or restriction of speech, publication, or other forms of expression by a government, institution, or other authority, typically justified on grounds of national security, public morality, or social harmony. Mill argued in On Liberty that censorship harms society by silencing potentially true ideas and preventing the refinement of beliefs through open debate, making the free marketplace of ideas essential to human progress.

Freedom of information is the right of individuals to access, share, and receive information without unjustified interference from governments or other powerful institutions, recognised as essential to democratic accountability and informed citizenship. The principle underpins transparency laws and press freedoms but must be balanced against legitimate concerns such as privacy, national security, and the prevention of harm.

expression targeting individuals or groups on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexuality, which may incite hostility or violence. Whether hate speech constitutes "harm" in Mill's sense is one of the most contested questions in contemporary free speech debates.

The marketplace of ideas is a metaphor derived from Mill's arguments in Chapter II of On Liberty for the process by which truth emerges through open competition among opinions, since suppressing any opinion deprives humanity of the chance to exchange error for truth.