Theos-Talk Archives (September 2004 Message tt00332)

Hi Paul,

Below is a link to the guidelines on Filtering
at the Tucson-Pima Public Library:

http://tppl.org/interas.htm

I believe Phoenix's policy WAS the same
as ours prior to this new City Council
vote.

Daniel


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "kpauljohnson" <kpauljohnson@y...> 
wrote:
> We've long had an Acceptable Use Policy that people have to sign 
> before using the Net, which explicitly forbids accessing porn.  
Then 
> when CIPA was upheld we filtered in order to keep our 10k/yr. in e-
> rate reimbursement-- big money for us. But we simply use IE 
Content 
> Advisor which satisfies the requirement but doesn't cost money (or 
> work very well).
> 
> My objection to filtering isn't that people have a right to look at 
> porn, but that these products filter out non-porn and don't 
> successfully filter porn. A neighboring library has a very 
> restrictive filter they share with the school system, and once I 
> googled Edgar Cayce and tried to click on a link, only to be told 
> ACCESS DENIED-- OCCULT. Pretty shocking.
> 
> What does Tucson do?
> 
> Paul 
> 
> --- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel H. Caldwell" 
> <danielhcaldwell@y...> wrote:
> > Some readers on this forum may find this of some interest.
> > I know Paul Johnson will.
> > 
> > Daniel
> > 
> > --------------------------------------------
> > 
> > Phoenix bans Internet porn at libraries
> > Council vote may lead to court battle for city
> > 
> > Ginger D. Richardson
> > The Arizona Republic
> > Sept. 9, 2004 12:00 AM
> > 
> > Permanent filters OKd on library computers
> > A determined City Council declared Wednesday that pornography 
will 
> no 
> > longer be 
> > available at Phoenix libraries, an action that could lead to a 
> > courtroom showdown
> > with First Amendment advocates.
> > 
> > Phoenix's new policy, which will filter all Internet sessions for 
> > adult users, is
> > unusually stringent and appears to be the first of its kind among 
> the 
> > nation's largest
> > cities, a number of First Amendment advocates say.
> > 
> > The new regulations, which take away library patrons' ability to 
> surf 
> > the Web without
> > restrictions, took effect immediately and could be implemented 
> today.
> > 
> > The City Council's unanimous vote disappointed many, including a 
> > visibly upset Toni
> > Garvey, Phoenix's public library director, and prompted the local 
> > leader of the 
> > American Civil Liberties Union to say, "This will end up in the 
> > Supreme Court."
> > 
> > Eleanor Eisenberg, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona, 
> stopped 
> > short of saying
> > that her organization would take the city to court in the near 
> future 
> > but did say,
> > "We've heard from people who are concerned about this. We have 
> > several possible
> > plaintiffs."
> > 
> > The threat did little to sway Mayor Phil Gordon and Vice Mayor 
> Peggy 
> > Bilsten, who
> > said they are fully prepared for a legal battle.
> > 
> > "I am willing to take this to court," Bilsten said. "Too many 
times,
> > we stop short of what we want to do because we are afraid of it 
> going 
> > to court.
> > 
> > "I think this is a great case."
> > 
> > Gordon agreed.
> > 
> > "I don't believe that in our library, which is designed to be 
> family-
> > friendly,
> > we should be obliged to provide access to these materials," 
Gordon 
> > said. "If
> > we are to be sued, then let the courts decide this case."
> > 
> > The city moved quickly to adopt the policy, which was prompted by 
> > last month's arrest
> > of a child molester who told police that he had downloaded child 
> > pornography at 
> > the Phoenix Public Library.
> > 
> > The arrest "shook the very foundation of what I believe we are 
here 
> > to do, 
> > and that is protect families," Bilsten said.
> > 
> > The city's plan has received support from Maricopa County 
Attorney 
> > Rick Romley, 
> > dozens of residents who called and e-mailed the city, and 
Glendale 
> > Mayor Elaine 
> > Scruggs, who told Gordon she intends to bring a similar proposal 
> > before her own 
> > council.
> > 
> > Previous Phoenix city regulations mandated that filters, which 
are 
> > designed to block
> > obscene materials and Web pages by targeting key words, phrases 
or 
> > graphical images,
> > remain turned on at all times in the libraries' children's areas 
> and 
> > for patrons
> > under the age of 17.
> > 
> > But those rules, like those in most other municipalities 
> nationwide, 
> > allowed adult
> > residents the option of disabling the filters.
> > 
> > The council's action Wednesday changes all that. Some opponents 
> fear 
> > that the city
> > has had a knee-jerk reaction to one particular incident and, in 
> > adopting the new
> > policy, has gone too far.
> > 
> > The ACLU, the American Library Association and other staunch 
First 
> > Amendment advocates
> > say the filters the council is installing are overly broad and 
> > imprecise at best.
> > Eisenberg and others say that the filters might mistakenly, for 
> > example, block Internet
> > sites that deal with breast cancer, AIDS research or sexual 
> education.
> > 
> > They also argue that installing such software puts the city at 
the 
> > mercy of software
> > providers' personal biases and prejudices.
> > 
> > For that reason, members of the city's Library Advisory Board 
> advised 
> > Gordon last
> > week not to adopt the policy.
> > 
> > Garvey, the city's librarian, did not attend that meeting but she 
> was 
> > present for
> > Wednesday's vote. She did not speak and left the meeting quickly, 
> > blinking back 
> > tears.
> > 
> > Later, she issued a statement saying that she "will of course 
> follow 
> > the direction
> > of (the) City Council to make Internet use at the Phoenix Public 
> > Library safe and
> > enjoyable for all of our families and citizens."
> > 
> > Board member Robert Villaseņor Jr., however, told council
members 
> > that he didn't
> > think they "could prevail on this."
> > 
> > "I am here as a citizen, but I am also a member of the library 
> board,"
> > Villaseņor said. " . . . And I am telling you that you will be 
> > removing a great
> > wealth of information that ought to be available and is protected 
> > under the First
> > Amendment."
> > 
> > But resident Marti Winkler urged the council to proceed with the 
> > filtering, saying
> > the idea that pornographic material was available at the 
> library "has 
> > greatly
> > alarmed me and disturbed me."
> > 
> > City Councilman Tom Simplot and other officials said they would 
> > support the library
> > board in any efforts it made to find the most up-to-date 
technology.
> > 
> > Simplot added that he hoped a filter would soon be available that 
> > would "block
> > only pornographic material."