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Filtering internet access in public libraries

            Communities across America are debating whether or not internet access in Public libraries should be filtered to prevent minors from viewing pornography and other objectionable materials. Some citizens believe that having a blanket filter for all available computer terminals, and eliminating pornography in the library altogether, is the only way to protect their children from accessing obscene materials. Others believe that filtering the internet is a violation of their rights under the first amendment and should not be allowed. There is also the issue of the filtering software's inability to distinguish between pornography and sexually related topics, and hindering internet research by blocking sites with subject matter like sex education or help for rape victims.
             In this debate I would have to agree that internet access in the library should not be completely filtered. Not only is it a violation of the first amendment, but the filtering software that is available filters solely on key words and not content, which limits the amount of educational research a person can do. I don't believe every computer needs to be filtered in order to keep minors from being exposed to obscene material.
             In Loudon County Va., Patrons sued because the filtering software the library was using wouldn't allow them to access topics such as Breast Cancer and gay and lesbian rights. The judge ruled that the libraries could not block sexual material from the internet. The Judge in that case Leona Brinkema said that when libraries provide internet access to their patrons they may not violate the first amendment rights of the adults "just because the material is unfit for minors." The library discontinued the complete filtering system and now has unfiltered internet and parents of minors may choose filtering options for their children (www.yakima-herald .com).
             Closer to home, in Washington the Yakima County Public Library came under scrutiny from the city for its internet policy that made the parents responsible for monitoring their children's use of the resource.


Essays Related to Filtering internet access in public libraries

1. Ethics

New library services, funded by generous federal support, have made more Internet access available to more and more people. Now, those same sources may force public libraries to censor Internet access. Public institutions like libraries offer the only point of Internet access for many poor and minority Americans. The new law will force public libraries to censor the web via filtering software or lose their funding. ... • The right of all users to have unrestricted access to the internet • The right of libraries to make filtering software available to those who deliberately cho...

  • Word Count: 505
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  • Grade Level: High School

2. Regulating the Internet

According to the Broadcasting Standards Commission, "The Government has been arguing for years whether or not to require Internet filters in schools and libraries" (Rao). ... This is where the internet has a need to become filtered. ... To decide whether Internet filters should be required, it is important to know about the different types of filters and how they work and about the laws having to do with Internet filtering and Internet. ... In public libraries, one approach is to use filters on the computers in the children's room, but not in the rest of the library. ... Another way...

  • Word Count: 905
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Censorship and the Internet

Should all of this info be readily available to everybody that has internet access? ... The public? ... An act has been passed requiring public libraries to filter content that may be harmful or offensive. ... The CIPA was finally passed and now states libraries must install internet filters which screen for offensive content. ... Even though these pieces of software intend to be filtering only the negative information and content on the internet sometimes they filter more then they should. ...

  • Word Count: 2263
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  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Policing The Superhighway

Policing the Superhighway In the age of the Internet and the information super highway, billions of people have access to a seemingly infinite number of bytes of information. ... Filtering the Internet in public places is in direct violation of these freedoms articulated in the Constitution. ... Some argue that filtering is necessary for the sake of children who can access the information at a library; however, some argue that children should have the same rights under the First Amendment that adults do. ... The bill proposed on filtering school and library computers, Federal Bill HR 457...

  • Word Count: 1195
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  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Internet Censorship

There are more filtering options on the internet than for almost any other form of media. ... Some would argue that the internet is available at the public library and local schools and this inhibits parental control over what the children view. Conversely most schools and libraries hire private companies such as Net Nannie to control students" access to the web. ... In addition, since most people must purchase access to the Internet, its availability is limited by the individual. If individuals decide they want access to the Internet then they must take the responsibility of knowing what info...

  • Word Count: 807
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6. Internet Privacy Issues

With this continued growth in the future, more people will access the Internet. If more people are accessing the Internet, then who will govern the data that is transferred to the user community? ... This law concerns the issues facing public libraries and schools, which provide Internet access to students and children with taxpaying money. ... , "There are basically two ways to filter children's access to the Net. ... The myShield servers act as filters between its users and the World Wide Web" (Coventry, 2002). ...

  • Word Count: 1194
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Internet Censorship

With access to the Internet becoming so widespread, the Internet is consequentially going to contain all types of information. ... Many public libraries are now installing Internet blocking software, which scans the contents of Internet sites which a user seeks to view and blocks access based on the occurrence of certain words or phrases on those sites (Wallace). ... No Internet blocking software is perfect; there will always be pornographic sites that get through the filter and legitimate sites that are blocked from access. Public libraries are a branch of our government and, therefore, th...

  • Word Count: 1019
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Internet Censorship

As a mother, I am concerned about my child having access to pornographic or otherwise inappropriate material on the Internet. ... These people suggest the use of blocking software in libraries and support the required use of "a verified credit card, debit account, adult access code or personal identification number," to gain access into questionable Internet cites (Exon 127). ... Families Against Internet Censorship believes that it is up to parents to regulate the information their children access. ... In addition, parents have the option to purchase software programs that filter Internet s...

  • Word Count: 935
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Censorship and the Media

The media provide our access to news and information. ... Once one examines this proposal more thoroughly, serious problems arise when filtering/blocking software providers select the sites and program the categories to be blocked, since this constitutes permitting a private company to make censorial decisions for the public. ... As citizens in a nation, and inhabitants of a global megalopolis, there are questions which the control of content on the Internet forces us to confront regarding the issue of how far we are willing to have freedom of expression and communication in an adult world gov...

  • Word Count: 1220
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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