By Sally Watson, 25 November 1998 17:45
NEWS A US public library has been told it is violating civil rights by filtering Internet content. A district judge ruled on Monday that Loudoun County Library should not be screening out Internet sites to its adult users. The X-Stop software installed on Loudoun's computers blocks access to thousands of pornographic sites in an attempt to protect children from what it considers to be harmful content. But the judge - a former librarian herself - ruled that the policy "offends the guarantee of free speech in the First Amendment, and is therefore unconstitutional". She added that her objection was the policy was too broad, and impeded an adult's right to download a wide range of content. She suggested the library should install filtering software that could be switched off for adults. The decision will have libraries across the US reviewing Internet policy and will set a precedent for future court cases. Libraries in California, Boston and Texas are believed to be future targets for action by free speech campaigners. The Loudoun County Library board will meet on Tuesday to decide whether to appeal against the decision, but a number of members have already said further action would be too expensive. In the meantime, Internet access has been removed completely.
In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.
Log in or create your silicon.com account below