CIPA - the absurdity about censorware companies opening blacklists
From "Center for Democracy & Technology:
The Children's Internet Protection Act requires public libraries that receive federal funding to install and use Internet filtering software. CDT, along with other civil liberties, public interest, educational, corporate and conservative organizations, publicly opposed filtering mandates as a violation of the First Amendment. While CDT believes that when used by families filters can serve as a useful tool in guiding children's online experience, CDT maintains that their mandated implementation by government is an unconstitutional restriction of free speech. In June 2003, the Supreme Court upheld CIPA, suggesting that adults had a right to insist that librarians unblock legal sites that were blocked. Going forward, it will be important that public libraries use filters wisely and press to make sure that filters foster First Amendment rights.
And
Jerry Berman called upon the library community to use filters wisely and to insist that they foster free speech values. "Librarians," he said, "should seize this unwelcome opportunity to demand that filters be more First Amendment-friendly by disclosing what they block and how they can be customized to suit the needs of local communities."
My comments: This is ludicrous. Censorware companies aren't going to open their blacklists to anyone. They've said that time and again. They sue over people trying to expose those blacklists, remember?! And even if they did by some miracle allow someone to look, nobody has the time to investigate every day, the changing blacklist. Think of how much effort that would require. The above is pure PR balderdash.
By Seth Finkelstein | posted in censorware | on June 23, 2003 03:16 PM (Infothought permalink) | Followups
