Government involvement, on both national and international levels, is a significant issue in regard to the Internet. The American privilege of freedom of speech must be balanced with protection of children from pornography and other harmful content. How to accomplish this without violating the First Amendment will likely always be a matter of contention. Other problems that pose governmental concern include policing illegal activities, enforcing copyright standards, regulating fair commercial pursuits, ensuring privacy, and funding social programs that provide access and training. If carefully managed, it has the potential to extend beyond boundaries of language, culture and history, to connect people unlike ever before.
Education is an obvious complement to information.
The Internet's provision of so much information has raised questions about how to best harness it as an educational tool. Additionally, the library's role in supplying information to patrons has come under scrutiny in light of questionable material made available through unfiltered Internet access. Community issues revolve around how people interact with each other and participate in the world around them. The Internet has been praised as bringing people closer together through increased connectivity, but is has always been charged with fostering physical isolation and dependency on machines. It remains to be seen to what degree communication, activities, and society as a whole will be affected by the Internet.