Corporate & localized censorship

Though federal government-initiated censorship efforts against objectionable and copyright-infringing material on the web have been substantial, much of the internet censorship that occurs in the US is attributable to the policies of individual service providers and local governments. In these cases, material is censored as a way of meeting functional objectives or adhering to community standards.

In the workplace it is common for companies to filter internet content. The functional objectives for doing so include increased productivity (if such content becomes a distraction to workers) and improved workplace environment (if accessing inappropriate content jeopardizes this).

BYU News broadcast reporting the new campuswide ban on YouTube.

In 2007, Brigham Young University, whose network already filtered pornographic and violent websites, announced that it would ban YouTube, a popular video sharing site, on its network. BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins defended the ban as both upholding community standards and meeting functional objectives:

We use the filtering process for two reasons. First to protect students from inappropriate material. The other is because of our limited bandwidth. That bandwidth is used for academic purposes.