Filters/Cybersitter

[Robert Leo Joyal]

On Thu, 24 Apr 1997, Ronnie Morgan wrote:

> I'm also a little curious about the freedom of speech and rights to access
> issues.  When you are in the privacy of your own home, is the libraries
> filter program activated on your home PC?  So, if it isn't activated, then
> can you access anything on the internet, from your home?  So, if you can
> access anything you want, from your home, is your right to access affected?
>  Okay, so, if you are able to access everything on the net, from your home,
> is the freedom of speech of the people providing the questionable material
> being stomped on?  Then why get all worked up about a library installing a
> filter program?  Just stay home.
> 
> This isn't like a book burning where the books being burned were the only
> copies available in the city, county, state, or whatever.  You can go home,
> use your PC to log onto the internet, and view ANYTHING you want.  And
> because of this, I do not see how my right to access is being affected!
> 

You do realize, I hope, that not everyone can AFFORD to have a "PC" at 
home to "log onto the internet, and view ANYTHING (they) want." Censoring 
access to legitimate information, which it seems most of the filtering 
software can not help doing, is in fact censorship. Perhaps your "right 
to access" is not being affected, but there are others whose only access 
to the Internet is at their public library. 

Robert Joyal