singley.org > blog archives > Internet Censorship at Your Local Library 03.10.2003

The New York Times takes the right position on the issue of censoring the internet at local libraries. The Supreme Court will soon decide whether or not the federal government will have the right deny access to constitutionally protected materials online. This is a clear case where the Court has the opportunity to show they understand the nature of digital media, and to show that filtering technologies are not only largely ineffective, but illegal under the First Amendment.

For example, if you are looking for information on beast cancer, many filtering systems will block these sites because they think you are looking at pornographic material. The same would likely be true if you searched for info on STDs, sexual identity, birth control, etc.

I understand that grasping the subtleties of science and technology is tough, but it's essential for the Supreme Court, because decisions relating to technology and law are only going to get harder.