Libraries fight Internet
filtering
By Emily Baldauf
Senior
Writer
The outcome of a federal trial that questions the
constitutionality of Internet filtering in public libraries could change
the amount of information available to local library patrons.
The controversy that sparked the trial stems from
the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000, which requires
public libraries that receive certain types of federal funding to use
Internet-filtering programs to block objectionable web sites.
The outcome of the trial could directly affect
local libraries, including the Tippecanoe County Public Library. If
the Children’s Internet Protection Act is not overturned, the library
will lose approximately $5,500 in federal technology funding if they
do not begin using Internet filtering software by July 2002.
"That is (such) a substantial amount of money
that I think we would have to ask ourselves the question if we should
filter," the head of technology services at the Tippecanoe county
Public Library, Terry Travis, said.
Although the Tippecanoe County Library does not
use Internet filtering, the library does have programs employed to protect
children.
Assistant director at the Tippecanoe County Library,
Scottie Patterson, said the Tippecanoe County Library has already dealt
with the issue of protecting children who use the Internet by providing
children with a special "children’s section." Patrons
who use that section of the library are asked not to look at inappropriate
sites while using those particular computers.
"There is no perfect filtering program available
that I am aware of," Patterson said. "We ask that people visit
sites that would be appropriate for a children’s area and most
people are very willing to do that."
The Multnomah County, Ore., Public Library was
also opposed to the forced filtering, so they teamed up with the American
Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union to fight
the law they believe violates free speech.
Opponents to the Children’s Protection Act
primarily argue the filtering often prohibits patrons from viewing educational
sites about topics such as breast cancer and A.I.D.S. They believe library
patrons should be offered a choice between filtered and unfiltered Internet
access.
"There are some five-year-olds whose parents
do not want them to know where babies come from, and there are some
that do," testified Ginnie Cooper, director of the Multnomah, Ore.,
and County Library. "We don’t try to presume the values of
parents."
Members of Purdue’s chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union are supporting the Union’s stance on the
issue.
"It violates freedom of speech," Purdue’s
ACLU technology chair Joe La Penna, who is a freshman in the School
of Liberal Arts. "The CIPA is a very broad act that censors information
from a moral standpoint rather than a legal standpoint. "
However, the government argues Internet filtering
software is vital to protecting children from obscene web sites. They
also argue the filtering programs have come a long way in recent years,
and programs now limit fewer sites and give libraries the option of
unblocking previously blocked sites.
Testimony in the trial ended last week, and a verdict
is expected to be handed down by the end of May. Any type of appeal
in this case would go directly to the Supreme Court.
As of now, Patterson said she believes the Tippecanoe
County Library is in compliance with federal regulations, and she added
the library reviews their policies every year in order to keep up with
the changing regulations and needs of their patrons.
"The constitution does not prohibit people
from accessing legal information," Patterson said. "It is
very important for me as a librarian to offer people the information
that is legal to obtain."
Since Purdue’s libraries are part of the University,
they are not considered public libraries, and, therefore, do not have
to comply with the Internet filtering provisions under the federal law.
The University does not use any type of Internet filtering on any University
computers at this time.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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