spacer blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank
blank
blank logo blank organization name organization name organization name organization name organization name organization name organization name organization name
blank blank
issues link to access link to privacy link to defamation link to divide blank blank
One Internet with Equal Access for All
spacer blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank blank
blank home link to turing link to disabled link to elderly link to health link to race link to women link to youth link to action link to research
blank blank blank blank blank
blank
blank blank blank
link to news
blank
link to about
blank
link to Internet services
blank
link to volunteer or intern
blank
link to join / donate
blank
blank
    
blank
 
Bobby Approved (v 3.2)
blank Terms of Service, Other Policies, and
Copyright ©2000-2004
Online Policy Group, Inc.

blank
blank blank blank
blank
blank

Media Coverage - Old Coverage

*   CIPA Makes Filters the Law of the Land
The party’s over — for free, public access to the Internet, Philadelphia Gay News (July 4, 2003)

*   Dick Armey, Porn King?
Internet porn filters have a faulty track record, but Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court insist libraries can't receive federal funds without them, Alibi (July 3, 2003)

*   High Court Backs CIPA
The Supreme Court majority, led by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, ruled that the interest of protecting children was greater than the First Amendment rights of adult patrons, Philadelphia Gay News (June 26, 2003)

*   Justices Put Access to Online Information in the Wrong Hands
Supreme Court gives Congress free rein to force libraries to apply filters to block access to Internet pornography or lose federal funding, Online Journalism Review (June 26, 2003)

*   Fulton Library Director's View Backed at Top
Two years ago, Dave Ewick testified in a federal court case that public libraries would benefit from having anti-pornography computer filters, South Bend Tribune (June 25, 2003)

*   Internet Filtering Not in Library's Plans
Pornography filters won’t be installed on computers at Paris Public Library even though the nation’s high court has ruled that the federal government can cut funding to libraries that don’t filter Internet content, Paris News (June 25, 2003)

*   Internet Filters and Free Speech
Librarians should do their best to prevent the law from interfering with free expression, but they should also be ready to go back to court if it does, New York Times (June 25, 2003)

*   Libraries May Spurn Porn Filters
After a Supreme Court ruling to filter public computers from pornography, some libraries in Arkansas may choose to give up federal money that they get for Internet service, KARK-TV (June 25, 2003)

*   Filter-Bashing Alive and Well
Librarians say a Supreme Court ruling upholding legislation to shield minors from obscene online content will end up subjecting the broader population to another evil: bad filtering software, Wired News (June 24, 2003)

*   Supreme Court Supports Library Internet Blocking Law
The Supreme Court ruled today that a federal statute requiring Internet blocking, also known as filtering, in libraries receiving certain federal funds or discounts is constitutional, Online Policy Group and Electronic Frontier Foundation (June 23, 2003)
   *

*   Court OKs Anti-Porn Filters in Libraries
A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that Congress can force the nation's public libraries to equip computers with anti-pornography filters, Associated Press via ABC News (June 23, 2003)

*   Your Money or Your Speech: The Children's Internet Protection Act and the Congressional Assault on the First Amendment in Public Libraries
CIPA is, in fact, one of the most sweeping restrictions on constitutionally protected speech ever invoked by the United States government disingenuously presented as an uncontroversial funding decision, Washington University Law Quarterly (Adobe PDF format) (June 15, 2003)

*   Censoring the Internet
The Children's Internet Protection Act is the first federal law ever to impose free-speech restrictions on local libraries, and it does so in a constitutionally unacceptable way, New York Times (free registration) (March 10, 2003)

*   Computers in Libraries Make Moral Judgments, Selectively
What better conjures up the broken promises of the Internet than the image of children sitting in a public library downloading pornography?, New York Times (free registration) (March 9, 2003)

*   Court Strikes Down Online Porn Law
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Children's Online Protection Act is "constitutionally infirm", Newsday (March 7, 2003)

*   Sides Debate Web Access in Libraries
Two visions of the Internet competed today at the Supreme Court in an argument on whether the government can require public libraries to install antipornography filters as the price for receiving federal financing for Internet access, New York Times (free registration) (March 6, 2003)

*   The Supreme Debate
The U.S. Supreme Court today will hear arguments in one of the Internet's most incendiary policy scuffles -- whether public schools and libraries must use software to block sexual content from the Internet if they want to receive federal funding for technology improvements, Washington Post (March 5, 2003)

*   High Court to Hear Web Smut Case
In the latest test of Congress' ability to control online content, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments over whether libraries should be required to filter out porn on their Internet-connected computers, Reuters via CNET News (March 5, 2003)

*   Online Policy Group, Seth Finkelstein, Submit CIPA Brief
The Online Policy Group (OPG) and software expert Seth Finkelstein have submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting a lower court decision that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) places unconstitutional limitations on free speech of library patrons by requiring the use of technology protection measures in libraries receiving certain federal funding or discounts., Library and Information Science News (February 10, 2003)

*   OPG, Seth Finkelstein, Submit CIPA Amicus
The Online Policy Group (OPG) and software expert Seth Finkelstein have submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting a lower court decision that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) places unconstitutional limitations on free speech of library patrons by requiring the use of technology protection measures in libraries receiving certain federal funding or discounts., LawMeme (February 10, 2003)

*   OPG and Finkelstein Submit CIPA Amicus Brief
The Online Policy Group (OPG) and software expert Seth Finkelstein have submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting a lower court decision that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) places unconstitutional limitations on free speech of library patrons by requiring the use of technology protection measures in libraries receiving certain federal funding or discounts., GrepLaw (February 10, 2003)

*   Filtering Software May Block Access to Health Information, Study Finds
Software meant to protect young people from the seamier side of the Internet may also be blocking them from important health information on issues ranging from diabetes and sexually transmitted diseases to depression and suicide, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study released this afternoon, Washington Post (December 10, 2002)

*   Internet Filters Block Health Information, Study Finds
Teenagers who look to the Internet for health information as part of their "wired generation" birthright are blocked from many useful sites by antipornography filters that federal law requires in school and library computers, a new study has found, New York Times (December 10, 2002)

*   What Would Dewey Do? Libraries Grapple With Internet
Some users of the central Phoenix library are clicking away at sexually explicit material, creating one of the thorniest issues that libraries nationwide now face: balancing community standards against the First Amendment rights of patrons who use the computers to view X-rated material, New York Times (December 2, 2002)

*   Alumni Group Threatens Lawsuit Over Website Ban
An alumni group is threatening to take the Air Force Academy to court, hoping to force the school to stop blocking computers on its network from accessing the group's parody website at edodo.org, Air Force Times (December 2, 2002)

*   Paying the Price
The effects of CIPA on high school student newspapers are not difficult to see, according to Will Doherty, media relations director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and executive director of the Online Policy Group, Student Press Law Center Report (December 1, 2002)

*   Common-Sense Rules Can Protect Children on the Net
Congress can pass all the laws it wants and civil-liberties groups can challenge those laws, but regardless of what the government does, it's up to parents and kids themselves to assure a safe passage while online, Mercury News (November 20, 2002)

*   Net Porn Filters Just Don't Work
As well-intentioned as the filter-the-Net folks might be, the reality is that existing technology can't get the job done, San Francisco Chronicle (November 13, 2002)

*   Justices to Review Internet Pornography Filters
The Supreme Court agreed today to review Congress's latest effort to shield children from pornography on the Internet, a federal law that requires libraries to install filters on all computers providing Internet access to adults as well as to young patrons, New York Times (November 13, 2002)

*   Supreme Court to Hear Web Porn Case
The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will decide if public libraries can be forced to install software that blocks sexually explicit Web sites, the latest in Congress' string of attempts to shield children from Internet pornography, Associated Press via ABC News.com (November 12, 2002)

*   Hey Filters, Leave the Kids Alone
A small group of activists gathered in front of Mission High School on Wednesday to protest federally mandated Internet filtering in public schools, Wired News (September 19, 2002)
   *

*   Schools, Teachers and Parents Rally Against Internet Law
School administrators along with students, teachers, parents and school librarians rallied against federal mandates for Internet blocking or filtering software in public schools, UPI (September 19, 2002)

*   Controversial Web Filtering Storms Schools
As schools across the nation get settled into the academic year, students may notice something strange about accessing the Internet on campus computers, as some sites, whether pornographic or not, simply may not load, Internetnews.com (September 18, 2002)

*   Watchdogs Launch Attack on Filter Law
Free speech proponents are stepping up their fight against Internet filtering in schools, waging a grassroots campaign against a law that requires Web blocking as a condition of federal funding, CNET (September 18, 2002)

*   Schools Use Web Filters That Block Useful Sites, Groups Say
Tens of thousands of educational websites are blocked by Internet filtering software used in U.S. schools, Internet civil liberties groups said, Bloomberg (September 18, 2002)

*   Schools Install Internet Filters
All across the country, schools are installing filters or expanding their use despite flaws in the software, which sometimes blocks legitimate sites needed for lessons, AP via Salon (September 15, 2002)

*   Filters, Schools Like Oil, Water
Under the Children's Internet Protection Act, schools must use filtering technology to block obscene websites from students or they will lose their e-rate funding, Wired News (September 6, 2002)

*   Filter-Free Access to Internet OK'd By Buffalo-Area Board
Internet access in the 52 public libraries in Buffalo and Erie County will remain free and unrestricted to users after a decision Thursday by library officials to keep filters off library computers, Buffalo News (July 19, 2002)

*   High Court to Consider Net Filters
The Bush administration renewed its legal fight against Internet pornography on Thursday, asking the Supreme Court to permit Congress to pressure public libraries to block sexually explicit Web sites, Associated Press via New York Times (June 20, 2002)

*   Bush Presses Supremes on Filters
The Bush administration renewed its legal fight against Internet pornography on Thursday, asking the Supreme Court to permit Congress to pressure public libraries to block sexually explicit websites, Associated Press via Wired News (June 20, 2002)

*   Bush Administration Appeals Internet-Pornography Ruling to Supreme Court
The Bush administration renewed its legal fight against Internet pornography on Thursday, asking the Supreme Court to permit Congress to pressure public libraries to block sexually explicit websites, Associated Press via Mercury News (June 20, 2002)

*   Prince William Libraries to Keep Web Filters
Prince William County library officials say they intend to continue limiting what adults can see on the Internet, even though a panel of three federal judges recently ruled that such restrictions violate patrons' free speech rights, Washington Post (June 12, 2002)

*   Libraries Breathe Easy After Court Ruling On Internet Filters
Freed from the threat of losing millions in federal funds, Washington, D.C. area libraries heaved a sigh of relief Friday after a federal appeals court overturned a law that would have required them to install Internet filters to block access to pornographic websites, Washington Post (June 3, 2002)

*   Internet Filtering Overruled
Government efforts to restrict access to online pornography were set back again yesterday when a panel of federal judges struck down a law requiring public libraries to install Internet filters to block access to objectionable sites, Washington Post (June 1, 2002)

*   Court Overturns Law Mandating Internet Filters for Public Libraries
A federal court panel struck down a law requiring libraries to filter the Internet for material harmful to minors yesterday, saying that the technology blocks so much unobjectionable material that it would violate the First Amendment rights of library patrons, New York Times (June 1, 2002)

*   Judges Strike Down Internet Porn Filters
In a unanimous decision, the three judges of a special panel said the Children's Internet Protection Act is "invalid under the First Amendment" because it requires libraries to use technology that blocks access to legitimate sites on the World Wide Web, while still giving access to some porn sites, Washington Post (May 31, 2002)

*   Rep. Ernest Istook Says Supreme Court Will Uphold Library Filtering
Congressman Ernest Istook (R-OK) expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will overturn today's ruling by a three-judge panel on the Children's Internet Protection Act, Declan McCullagh's Politech (May 31, 2002)

*   Court Overturns Library Filtering Rules
A federal court has struck down rules that would have required libraries to block children's access to offensive Web material or lose federal funds, handing a win to librarians and free-speech advocates, CNET News.com (May 31, 2002)

*   Federal Law Requiring Net Filtering at Libraries Thrown Out
Three federal judges today threw out a federal law that would have forced public libraries to equip computers with software designed to block access to Internet pornography, Associated Press via Freedom Forum (May 31, 2002)

*   Federal Judges Reject Online Porn Law
Three federal judges on Friday threw out a federal law that would have forced public libraries to equip computers with software designed to block access to Internet pornography, Associated Press via MSNBC (May 31, 2002)

*   Software Stance May Cost Library
The Chapel Hill Public Library may give up thousands of dollars in federal subsidies rather than buy software designed to keep patrons from seeing Internet pornography, The Herald-Sun (May 29, 2002)
   *

*   Library's Internet Policy Debated
The question of the Internet and pornography in local libraries arrived Monday night at the intersection of personal pain and public policy, The Columbian (May 14, 2002)

*   Librarian: Filters Are Fab
The U.S. Justice Department, which is defending the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in court, is seeking to show that not all librarians agree with the ALA's thou-shalt-not-block stand, Wired News (April 4, 2002)

*   Judges Blast Library Filtering
A two-week trial over library filtering ended Thursday with a trio of judges criticizing the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) as an unreasonable intrusion into the rights of Americans to view legal material online, Wired News (April 4, 2002)

*   Judges End U.S. Library Porn Trial on Skeptical Note
A two-week federal trial to determine how far the government can go to protect children from pornography on library computers ended on Thursday with judges openly concerned about whether the latest online smut law from Congress infringes on free-speech rights, Reuters via New York Times (requires free registration) (April 4, 2002)

*   Judges Iffy About Library Filtering Law
A trial to determine how far the government can go to protect children from pornography ended Thursday with judges openly concerned about whether the latest online smut law from Congress infringes on free-speech rights, Reuters via CNETNews.com (April 4, 2002)

*   Judges End U.S. Library Porn Trial on Skeptical Note
A two-week federal trial to determine how far the government can go to protect children from pornography on library computers ended on Thursday with judges openly concerned about whether the latest online smut law from Congress infringes on free-speech rights, Reuters via New York Times (requires free registration) (April 4, 2002)

*   A Worthwhile Web Regulation
Today final arguments will be made in a federal trial in Philadelphia challenging the constitutionality of the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000, New York Times (requires free registration) (April 4, 2002)

*   The Evil of Silent Censorship
The "Children's Internet Protection Act (CHIPA)" is a new national law that sounds great at first blush (who doesn't want to protect kids?), but it actually will force public librarians and public schools to use these clumsy, inefficient and even harmful filters on all public-access computers, LangaList (April 4, 2002)

*   A Software Program Too Far?
Though I'm an admittedly overprotective parent, I would argue that CIPA overreaches, Dallas Fort Worth Star-Telegram (April 4, 2002)

*   Full Assault on Filter Software
Lipow told a panel of federal judges on Tuesday that Congress' attempt to force the use of anti-smutware in public libraries is positively Stalinist, Wired News (April 3, 2002)

*   Old Principles Guide Librarians on Net
Cooper and Candace Morgan, associate director of Fort Vancouver Regional Library, are leading a national battle against the law, which requires libraries to filter Internet access, The Oregonian (April 3, 2002)

*   Standing Up to the Law
Wisconsin libraries are part of a group of plaintiffs challenging the constitutionality of the Children's Internet Protection Act in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Los Angeles Times (April 1, 2002)

*   Porn in the Court: Battle Rages Over Web Smut
In the first week of a trial debating the constitutionality of a requirement that public libraries install porn-blocking software on their computers, gray-haired librarians uttered words that could make a longshoreman blush, soft-spoken computer analysts described bizarre sexual proclivities and federal judges mulled the definition of "fetish", Associated Press via CNN (April 1, 2002)

*   Librarians Testify in Internet Case
In the first week of a trial debating the constitutionality of a requirement that public libraries install porn-blocking software on their computers, gray-haired librarians uttered words that could make a longshoreman blush, soft-spoken computer analysts described bizarre sexual proclivities and federal judges mulled the definition of "fetish", Associated Press via Salon (April 1, 2002)

*   Filters for Web Work, Librarian Tells Federal Court
Testimony in Children's Internet Protection Act trial, Philadelphia Inquirer (March 29, 2002)

*   Govt. Witnesses Wrap Up First Week of Filtering Trial
A landmark trial to determine whether the government has the right to withhold federal funding from libraries that refuse to install filtering software on their computers is ticking along on schedule today, with U.S. government witnesses wrapping up the first week of testimony, Newsbytes (March 29, 2002)

*   Govt. Witnesses Wrap Up First Week of Filtering Trial
A landmark trial to determine whether the government has the right to withhold federal funding from libraries that refuse to install filtering software on their computers is ticking along on schedule today, with U.S. government witnesses wrapping up the first week of testimony, Newsbytes (March 29, 2002)

*   Librarians Fight Children's Internet Protection Act
Not a lot of news coverage is being given to the landmark lawsuit that began Monday in which the American Library Association is challenging the constitutionality of the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 (CIPA), Holt Uncensored (March 29, 2002)

*   Feds Mount Defense of Library Porn Law
The U.S. government sought on Thursday to defend its bid to protect children from online pornography in public libraries, with testimony about Internet software that allows library patrons to view explicit text but not photos on the World Wide Web, Reuters via CNN (March 28, 2002)

*   Librarian Testifies Against Censorship
Vigilant libraries can keep pornography off their computer terminals and fulfill the requirements of a federal law without stepping on the First Amendment, a librarian testified Thursday, Associated Press via Yahoo (March 28, 2002)

*   Smut Filter Snags Non-Smut, Too
Rood took the witness stand in federal court to testify that her attempts to research her sexuality in the public library before coming out as a lesbian would have been prohibited by smut-filtering technologies, Wired News (March 27, 2002)

*   Porn Trial Experts Say Software Block Limited
Filtering software intended to protect children from exposure to pornography on library computers is doomed to fail despite its congressional endorsement as a viable safeguard, computer experts testified in federal court on Tuesday, Reuters via CNN (March 27, 2002)

*   Witnesses Advocate Unfiltered Internet
A child-protection law would make libraries block certain material and U.S. judges heard testimony about usefulness, Philadelphia Inquirer (March 27, 2002)

*   Porn-Filter Trial Gets Raunchy
Raunchy depictions of explicit sex punctuated a trial over library filtering on Monday when government attorneys argued the images were unsuitable for display on public terminals, Wired News (March 26, 2002)

*   Censorship Has Worked, Library Says
Although librarians and the American Civil Liberties Union appeared in court Monday in Philadelphia to battle a federal law requiring libraries and schools to block sexually explicit images from their Internet computers, Jefferson Parish's filtering system has caused little controversy since going on line 14 months ago, Times Picayune (March 26, 2002)

*   Experts Lambaste Smut Filters
Filtering software intended to protect children from exposure to pornography on library computers is doomed to fail despite its congressional endorsement as a viable safeguard, computer experts testified in federal court on Tuesday, Reuters via Wired News (March 26, 2002)

*   Librarians Testify Against Web-Filter Requirement
in Children's Internet Protection Act legal challenge, Philadelphia Inquirer (March 26, 2002)

*   Net Filters Fail the Children
A report casting doubt on the effectiveness of filtering software has been released on the first day of a US court case challenging a federal law requiring libraries to restrict access to some net content, BBC News (March 26, 2002)

*   Library Net Filtering Battle Heads for Court
A group of free-speech advocates is gearing up for a trial that could determine the constitutionality of a law requiring schools and libraries to filter Web content or forgo federal funding, ZDNet News (March 25, 2002)

*   Porn-Filter Judge Boots Public
A trio of federal judges abruptly kicked members of the public out of a library filtering trial on Monday, saying they feared confidential smut-blocking techniques would be disclosed, Wired News (March 25, 2002)

*   U.S. Library Porn Law Battle Heads for Court
The latest attempt by Congress to control pornography on the Internet was scheduled to go to trial on Monday in Philadelphia, where a coalition of libraries, library patrons and Web site operators is battling the Children's Internet Protection Act, Reuters via Yahoo! News (March 25, 2002)

*   U.S. Library Porn Law Battle Heads for Court
The latest attempt by Congress to control pornography on the Internet was scheduled to go to trial on Monday in Philadelphia, where a coalition of libraries, library patrons and Web site operators is battling the Children's Internet Protection Act, Reuters via Yahoo! News (March 25, 2002)

*   Librarians Argue Against Net Filtering
Two soft-spoken, gray-haired librarians fired the opening salvo on Monday in a battle over how far the U.S. government can go to protect children from exposure to pornography on library computers, Reuters via CNET News.com (March 25, 2002)

*   Law Limiting Internet in Libraries Challenged
A law passed by Congress in December 2000 requiring schools and libraries to use Internet filtering software changes the nature of libraries from being places that provide information to places that unconstitutionally restrict it, New York Times (requires free registration) (March 25, 2002)

*   Internet Filtering Technology Put to Legal Test
A federal law requiring public libraries to filter Internet pornography and other objectionable material on their computers will be put to the test beginning Monday before a federal court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a host of civil liberty and free speech advocates back a lawsuit against the federal government, Newsfactor.com via Yahoo! News (March 25, 2002)

*   Internet Filtering Technology Put to Legal Test
A federal law requiring public libraries to filter Internet pornography and other objectionable material on their computers will be put to the test beginning Monday before a federal court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a host of civil liberty and free speech advocates back a lawsuit against the federal government, Newsfactor.com via Yahoo! News (March 25, 2002)

*   Librarians Open Case Against Internet Filtering Law
Civil libertarians, scientists and librarians led the charge today in a case challenging the constitutionality of a new federal law designed to bar access to pornography at the nation's public libraries, Newsbytes (March 25, 2002)

*   Libraries Challenge Net Filter Requirement
The plaintiffs say a federal act aimed at curbing pornography leads to the blocking of legitimate information, Los Angeles Times (March 25, 2002)

*   Internet Porn Battle Heads for Court
Children's Internet Protection Act legal challenge, CNN (March 25, 2002)

*   Court to Hear Net Filtering Challenge
A group of free-speech advocates is gearing up for a trial that could determine the constitutionality of a law requiring schools and libraries to filter Web content or forgo federal funding, CNET News.com (March 25, 2002)

*   Court to Hear Net Filtering Challenge
A group of free-speech advocates is gearing up for a trial that could determine the constitutionality of a law requiring schools and libraries to filter Web content or forgo federal funding, CNET News.com (March 25, 2002)

*   Librarians Fighting Internet-Filter Law
A battle over free speech and online pornography returns to the nation's birthplace today as librarians try to convince a federal court that requiring them to block access adult materials amounts to censorship, Associated Press via Mercury News (March 25, 2002)

*   Libraries Tackle Children's Internet Protection Law
For the third time, a law passed by Congress to protect children from smut on the Internet is going on trial in federal court in Philadelphia, The Legal Intelligencer via law.com (March 22, 2002)

*   Library Net-Filtering Study Re-Released on Eve of Trial
With a federal trial on public libraries' use of controversial Web filters scheduled to start Monday, the Kaiser Family Foundation today re-released a months-old study's findings, showing that nearly two-thirds of high school students queried favor use of the filtering technologies, Newsbytes (March 22, 2002)

*   Book Banning in the 21st Century
In an effort to shield innocent minds from online "smut," the Children's Internet Protection Act -- or CIPA -- has mandated that all public schools and libraries using federal funds for Internet use or connections must install a filtering system by this July or risk losing the aid altogether, AlterNet (March 21, 2002)

*   Library: We Don't Want No Filters
The issue of filtering Internet access in public libraries is a delicate one, pitting the lofty notion of protecting children against First Amendment guarantees, Wired News (October 4, 2001)

*   Federally Funded Peep Shows: The Legal Wrangling Over CIPA
Will Doherty, online activist for the EFF and executive director of the Online Policy Group, says that legislating filters are "a distraction from the real problem, which is the lack of parental supervision of children's activities and behavior", PC Magazine (September 25, 2001)

*   Clean It Up
If you take a classroom full of kids, several computers, an Internet connection, and a single teacher charged with overseeing it all, you're bound to have a problem, PC Magazine (September 25, 2001)

*   Massachusetts Internet Filtering Technology Company Says Mandatory Filtering Laws Aren't Needed
SurfControl has issued a statement saying that Internet blocking laws are not necessary, CNET News (June 4, 2001)

*   Some Librarians Balking at Internet Filter Mandate
Many libraries in Iowa are not happy with the prospect of blocking Internet resources from their patrons, Chicago Tribune (May 30, 2001)

*   Libraries Win Delay in Installing Internet Filters
Public schools and libraries have until at least July 2002 to comply with a federal law requiring Internet blocking technologies in exchange for federal grants and discounts, SiliconValley.com (May 16, 2001)

*   Libraries Win Delay in Installing Internet Filters
Public schools and libraries have until at least July 2002 to comply with a federal law requiring Internet blocking technologies in exchange for federal grants and discounts, San Francisco Chronicle (May 16, 2001)

*   Bill Ties E-Rate Funds To Net Anonymity Blockers
A bill proposed by Felix Grucci, Jr. (R-NY) would require schools and libraries recieving E-rate funding to block anonymous web and emailing services, Newsbytes (May 16, 2001)

*   ACLU, Library Groups Win Minor Victory In Filtering Case
Public libraries that receive federal funding for Internet access will have an extra year to decide whether to stop accepting the funds or to comply with a new law requiring Internet content filters on all computers, under the terms of an agreement reached by the US government and groups fighting the law, Newsbytes (May 16, 2001)

*   LGBT Web Sites Blocked
Sunday, May 6, the Electronic Frontier Foundation will sponsor a panel discussion and presentation of Internet blocking technology and policy at the San Francisco Public Library's Koret Auditorium, Bay Area Reporter (May 3, 2001)

*   FilterGate, or Knowing What We're Walling In or Walling Out
A humorous and insightful essay on the problems associated with Internet blocking, MultiMedia Schools (May 1, 2001)

*   Anti-CIPA Activists Call for April 20 Protests
The Online Policy Group, a free-speech nonprofit cybergroup launched in mid-2000, has issued a call for like-minded individuals and groups to demonstrate for unfettered Internet access on April 20—the day the Children’s Internet Protection Act takes effect, American Libraries (April 9, 2001)

*   Down by Law: New Internet Laws Will Hurt the Poorest of the Poor
An opinion piece addressing the digital divide in the light of CHIPA and other government policies, A List Apart (April 6, 2001)

*   Online Group Urges Demonstrations, Actions Against CIPA
The Online Policy Group is organizing protests against CIPA, targeting April 20, 2001 for a day of analog and digital action and is also giving away anti-CIPA banners to add to websites, featuring slogans such as "Don't CHIP Away Our Civil Liberties" and "You don't protect a kid by blocking her future", Freedom Train (March 25, 2001)

* Censoring the Libraries
The latest threat comes from the Children's Internet Protection Act, passed by Congress in December, which is to take effect next month, San Francisco Chronicle (March 23, 2001)

* Library Smut Snit Heats Up
It was reunion time Tuesday on Capitol Hill, as conservatives rallied to decry Internet "bestiality," a jab at overly permissive liberals, and remind everyone that library filtering is not only a good idea but also a very good law, Wired News (March 21, 2001)
*

* CIPA Challenged
The Multnomah County Public Library (Portland Oregon area) and other plaintiffs filed a complaint in U.S. District Court against the U.S. and other defendants challenging the constitutionality of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), Tech Law Journal Daily E-Mail Alert (March 21, 2001)

* Libraries: Filter Out Filters
Filtering software is so prone to glitches that it has no place in public libraries, librarians and free speech groups claim in two lawsuits filed Tuesday, Wired News (March 20, 2001)
*

*   Librarians Contest Law Requiring Net Filters
The American Civil Liberties Union and American Library Association filed separate suits Tuesday in a federal district court in Philadelphia challenging a new law that requires federally funded schools and libraries to install software that blocks "objectionable" online materials, Reuters via SiliconValley.com (March 20, 2001)

*  
*   Libraries Spearhead Attack on Cyber-Porn Law
At issue is a free speech challenge to a U.S. law designed to prevent children from being exposed to Internet pornography in public libraries and schools, Reuters via Industry Standard (March 20, 2001)

* Diverse Coalition Sues to Overturn Web-Filtering Law
Civil liberties groups joined a host of library associations today in challenging a new law that requires federally funded schools and libraries to install software that blocks "objectionable" online materials, Newsbytes (March 20, 2001)

* Lawsuits Slam Net Filtering Efforts
The American Civil Liberties Union and American Library Association filed separate suits Tuesday in a federal district court in Philadelphia challenging a new law that requires federally funded schools and libraries to install software that blocks "objectionable" online materials, CNET News (March 20, 2001)

*   Internet Filters Used to Shield Minors Censor Speech, Critics Say
When Jeffery Pollock ran for Congress last year, he posted his forceful opinions on more than a dozen topics on his Web site, pollock4congress.com, including his support for the federally mandated use of Internet "filtering" software to block pornography in schools and libraries; then he discovered that his own site was blocked by one of those filtering programs, Cyber Patrol, New York Times (March 19, 2001)

*   ALA Lawsuit Poll
The American Civil Liberties Union and American Library Association filed separate suits Tuesday in a federal district court in Philadelphia challenging a new law that requires federally funded schools and libraries to install software that blocks "objectionable" online materials, Excite News (March 19, 2001)

*   Another Federal Law Seeks to Limit Web Access
Despite several successful court challenges, the national effort to "protect" children from the dangers of the Internet refuses to go away, Philadelphia Gay News (March 12, 2001)

*   Should the Government Require Filtering?
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have raised that question regarding the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which became law in December 2000, Consumer Reports (March 1, 2001)

*   Advocacy Groups Join to Oppose Mandatory Filters
A network of privacy and free-speech organizations and concerned individuals released a joint statement January 23 opposing Internet blocking technologies required by the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) passed by Congress December 21, American Libraries (January 29, 2001)

*   Free-Speech, Privacy Advocates Band Together to Fight New Internet Filtering Law
A coalition of free-speech and privacy organizations this week launched a national campaign designed to warn the public about the inadequacies of a new federal filtering law and to pave the way for a legal challenge against the law on First Amendment grounds, Freedom Forum Online (January 26, 2001)

*   Advocates Protest Mandatory Net Filters
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and several other organizations and advocates are fighting a federal law that would require most of the nation's public schools to block depictions of child pornography, obscenity or other material deemed inappropriate for children, CNET News.com (January 24, 2001)

*   Librarians Up-in-Arms
The American Library Association has decided to challenge a controversial Net-filtering law in court, Wired News (January 20, 2001)

*   Free-Speech Advocates Fight Filtering Software in Public Schools
One month after Congress passed a law pressuring public schools and libraries to install blocking or filtering software on computer terminals to screen out Internet smut, three free-speech powerhouses are gearing up to slay the measure in federal court, New York Times (January 19, 2001)

*   Librarians to Sue Over Mandatory Censoring
The American Library Association is planning to sue over the new federal law that is putting Web filters on public school and library computers, Slashdot (January 18, 2001)

*   Filter THIS! Librarians to Sue Over New Law
The American Library Association has decided to file a lawsuit challenging a new federal law that would require filtering in public schools and libraries, ZDNet News (January 17, 2001)

*  
*   Filter Bill Pending As Criticism Rises
As Congress continued to negotiate on the blocking provisions in the pending appropriations bill, criticism of blocking products continued, Library Journal (October 30, 2000)

*   Web Filters Proving Ineffective But Politicians Effectively Milking Them
People are so enamored of the idea behind blocking programs that some members of Congress want to force blocking products into every school and library that receives federally subsidized Internet equipment, Chicago Tribune (October 30, 2000)

*   Action Alert: Education Spending, With Filtering Mandates, Still in Play
By all indications, a complex Internet blocking mandate only slightly altered from earlier drafts will be included in Labor-HHS-Education (H.R. 4577), the final education spending bill to be sent to the President, American Library Association via Capitol Advantage (October 30, 2000)

*   Don't Let McCain Censor the Internet
Christopher Hunter explains why new legislation that would require the use of blocking software by public libraries is unnecessary and unconstitutional, Salon (October 25, 2000)
   *

*   Programmer Finds Filtering System Too Diligent
As Congress mulls whether smut-blocking software should be installed in all public schools and libraries, a computer programmer on Tuesday published a report alleging that at least one filtering company takes its job too far, CNET News.com (October 24, 2000)

*  
*   Will COPA Commission Report Influence Vote on Tying E-rate to Filters?
Pending in a Congressional conference committee is the Labor-HHS appropriations bill, HR 4577 which includes amendments that would tie the receipt of E-rate telecomm discounts and LSTA funds to use of filters to block obscenity, child pornography, and "harmful to minors material", Library Journal (October 16, 2000)

*   Congress Weighing Internet Filtering for Schools, Libraries
Four Republicans are promoting legislation that would force schools and libraries to use Internet blocking software or lose federal dollars intended to help buy Web access, AP via CNN.com (October 15, 2000)

*   Senate Committee Hears Arguments on Internet Filtering Bill
The Senate Commerce Committee heard conflicting testimony from several witnesses yesterday about the constitutionality of a bill that would require all U.S. public schools and public libraries to install Internet blocking software on computer terminals in order to receive federal funds for Internet hook-ups, Freedom Forum (March 5, 1999)

*   Congress to Revisit Net Filtering
A pair of U.S. senators has reintroduced a bill that would require schools and libraries receiving federal subsidies for Internet connections to install Web filtering software on their computers, CNET (January 20, 1999)

Featured Coverage Recent Coverage

top of page

blank
blank