Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court ruled this week that requiring federally funded libraries to install Internet filters to block pornography was not a violation of free speech. Under the Children’s Internet Protection Act, any library that receives federal money to provide public access to the Internet must equip its computers with software to screen out raunchy material. The justices said librarians are free to offer unfiltered Internet access—they just can’t take federal money if they do. Opponents of the policy, including many librarians, say that the filters are so imprecise that they block Web sites with any kind of sexual content, including many dealing with medicine and the arts. “This is electronic book burning,” one said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
