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Summary of State Laws
Twenty-one states have Internet filtering laws that apply to public
schools or libraries. The majority of these states simply require school
boards or public libraries to adopt Internet use policies to prevent
minors from gaining access to sexually explicit, obscene or harmful
materials. However, some states also require publicly funded institutions
to install filtering software on library public access terminals or school
computers.
Federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
Congress in 2000 enacted the
Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) as part of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act. The act provides for three different types of funding:
1) aid to elementary and secondary schools; 2) Library Services and
Technology Act (LSTA) grants to states for support of public libraries;
and 3) the E-rate program that provides technology discounts to schools
and public libraries.
CIPA requires public libraries that participate in the
LSTA and E-rate programs to certify that they are using computer filtering
software programs to prevent the on-screen depiction of obscenity, child
pornography or material that is harmful to minors. The act allows adult
library patrons to request that a librarian disable the filtering
software. In order to receive E-rate discounts, libraries are not allowed
to disable filtering programs for minor users.
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