CIPA is not a good thing

1
CIPA is not a good thing

• At home, an overzealous filter that blocks
  sextet or Dick Cheney is an annoyance. At a
  library, it can be a big problem.
• - Daryl Brown, Christianity Today magazine

Team F Darrin Alcorn Russ Cantrell Scott
Hunter Nick Timkovich Zac Williams
2
Freedom of Speech

• Does the CIPA really protect children from online
  dangers?
• This law mandates censorship inside the very
  institutions that weve built to teach and
  strengthen the free-speech principles of the
  first amendment our schools and libraries.
• Parents, not the government, should take the lead
  in teaching and setting regulations for the
  morals of our children.

3
How would/could this law be enforced?

• The government is trying to enforce a strong law
  using weak technology
• This filtering software is still in an immature
  state.

• If anything, this filtering software gives a
  parent or guardian a false sense of security that
  their children are protected while surfing the
  internet
• How much does this software really restrict?
• Studies show that much of this software is easily
  by-passed using downloadable patches and crackz
• www.peacefire.org
• Sometimes it just doesnt work due to the wording
  of a page or the way something was spelled (or
  misspelled)

4
Filters Don't Work As Advertised

• Consumer Reports finds that filtering software
  allows at least 20 of restricted sites to get
  through untouched.
• In some cases, filters block harmless sites
  merely because their software does not consider
  the context in which a word or phrase is used.
  Far more troubling is when a filter appears to
  block legitimate sites based on moral or
  political value judgments.
• http//dfn.org/focus/censor/contest.htm

5
What About the Law Itself?

• The law (and the way it is written) is flawed
• It doesnt clearly regulate what types of
  filters, it just says that a school or library
  needs to have a filter in place.

• Is the law even needed?
• The fact is that the vast majority of library
  patrons use the Internet and other library
  materials responsibly. -MSNBC

6
Our Conclusion (and a common opinion)

• How can we protect children and still retain our
  freedoms?
• It disturbs us that some people view this as
  anything other than a parental issue. It's my
  responsibility as a parent to teach my children
  how to best utilize the vast resources offered
  through the Internet in a safe and rewarding
  way. - Ellen Carter, Families Against Internet
  Censorship
• "The issue is a difficult and highly personal one
  that needs to be dealt with on a family-by-family
  basis, not through government edict and
  screeching moralistic rants."- Brock N. Meets,
  MSNBC