ACLU gives Kern County Ultimatum, tries to bully Austin

[Dan Robinson / Indexing Services]

And as was noted in an earlier message, the ACLU decided NOT  to sue 
a library system that installed filters only to filter hard core 
pornographic images, and had a stated policy that 100% rejection was 
impossible. 

It seems that the line has been drawn. If  a library wishes to filter 
out hard core pornographic images, but err on the side of the 1st 
Amemdment, it will not face legal challenges on Constitutional 
grounds. 

This type of filtering would fit in nicely with the practical 
selection policies in place in most libraries. 

Dan Robinson
drobinson at hwwilson.com
(i hope only one copy of this message is received. I have problems
connecting with web4lib to send messages)


On 22 Jan 98 at 6:39, atroncale wrote:

>      The Supreme Court in Reno v. ACLU held that the Internet, as much as 
>      the books and newspapers found in our public libraries, is entitled to 
>      the very highest level of First Amendment protection...
>      
>      
>      nuf said
>      
>      
> 
> 
> ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
> Subject: ACLU gives Kern County Ultimatum, tries to bully Austin
> Author:  Filtering Facts <David_Burt at filteringfacts.org> at Internet
> Date:    1/21/98 11:06 PM
> 
> 
> The ACLU extortionists are at again:
>      
> http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,18332,00.html
>      
> ACLU threatens suit on Net
>                 filters 
>                 By Courtney Macavinta
>                 January 21, 1998, 1:15 p.m. PT 
>      
>                 The American Civil Liberties Union has given a 
>                 Southern California library system ten days to 
>                 remove Net filtering software from its computers or 
>                 risk being slammed with a lawsuit.
>      
> And from the ACLU CYBER-LIBERTIES UPDATE 
> JANUARY 19, 1998
>      
> City of Austin Stalls Response on ACLU Information Request Despite AG 
> Order
>      
> Even after receiving an opinion from the Texas Attorney General's 
> Office, the City of Austin has yet to fully comply with a request made 
> under the state open records law by the ACLU for copies of documents 
> related to the City's installation of blocking software on Internet 
> access terminals in the public libraries.
>      
> The ACLU believes that the use of filtering software in libraries 
> violates the First Amendment, because it blocks access to a wide range 
> of valuable and constitutionally protected sites. 
>      
> "Filtering software is particularly problematic because it is unreliable 
> and often blocks a much wider spectrum of speech than legally obscene 
> speech, including speech about women's health, safe sex and other 
> valuable information," ACLU Staff Attorney Ann Beeson said. "We would 
> like to review the complaints filed by patrons to ensure that their free 
> speech rights are being protected."
>      
[snipped]
>      
>      
>      
> ***************************************************************************** 
> David Burt, Filtering Facts, HTTP://WWW.FILTERINGFACTS.ORG 
> David_Burt at filteringfacts.org
>      
>