Chapter 11. Censoring Information

Russian poet

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.

— JOSEPH BRODSKY

Who gets the right to decide what you can see, read, or do? The answer is always the same—the people who have the power to punish you. Governments can punish you physically (with the death penalty) or financially (with jail time or fines). Churches can excommunicate you. Your boss can fire you, and your parents can send you to your room without dessert.