ALA Misrepresents Filtering Summit

[Filtering Facts]

ALA Misrepresents Filtering Summit
http://www.filteringfacts.org/filtsum.htm
March 21, 1999

Contact: David Burt 503 635-7048
David_Burt at filteringfacts.org


Lake Oswego, Or--The American Library Association recently held a "filtering
summit" that included ALA representatives and a dozen filtering software
vendors.  In published statements since the summit, ALA has implied that its
1997 "Filtering Resolution" may be revisited, and that the filtering
"vendors agreed that problems with the Internet have been greatly
exaggerated."  Later statements by attendees of the meeting revealed these
to be misrepresentations.

A broad range of organizations has criticized the ALA for its 1997
resolution condemning the use of filtering software in libraries, even for
children.  After hundreds of widely reported incidents of children viewing
pornography in public libraries, Congress and the states have raised the
possibility of requiring libraries to filter children's Internet access,
leading ALA to call a "filtering summit" and issue statements indicating ALA
might soften its hard line. 

 After the summit, ALA President Ann Symons was quoted in the magazine
Library Journal.  In an article titled "After Filter Summit, ALA May Revisit
1997 Resolution, Children's Access" Symons said "Given where we were, this
[the 1997 resolution] was the right decision at the right time.  I think
it's time to send it back to IFC (Intellectual Freedom Committee)." Judith
Krug, director of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom added "The old ways
are really different from what's going on today. We have to create new
models. I do think IFC must look at the issue of children."

But when Symons was confronted with her remarks on the ALA Council listserv,
Symons did an abrupt about-face.  When ALA Councilor Mark Rosenzweig asked
"if the bugle of retreat" had sounded, Symons replied, "My answer is No!
The bugle has not sounded!  It is not my intention to cause the filtering
resolution to come back to Council, nor do I believe that IFC will be
bringing it back."

The credibility of the "filtering summit" was damaged further by a passage
from ALA's press release that stated, "While good for business, the vendors
agreed that problems with the Internet have been greatly exaggerated."  

Filtering vendors who attended the meeting hotly disputed ALA's statements.
Gary P. Warren, who represented URLabs, makers of I-Gear, said "I am very
distressed by this press release. I was in attendance of this meeting and
this announcement does not give the atmosphere of the meeting. It is biased.
I am very disappointed in the ALA for handing out this release." 

Donna Bastian of Security Software System, makers of Cyber Sentinel, added
"It certainly is not my position nor the position of Security Software
Systems that "problems on the Internet have been greatly exaggerated".  In
fact,  we find that statement incredibly uninformed.  Serious problems
related to child safety exist and are typically understated by the media. I
also cannot believe any vendor could make a statement like this when the
largest issue confronting on-line Child Protection is the lack of public
awareness to the problem. The ALA would not even acknowledge the existence
of pedophiles or predators using library computers to access children."

Related Documents:
ALA Press Release: "ALA hosts meeting with filtering vendors"
http://www.ala.org/news/v4n14/filtermeeting.html

ALA Resolution on the Use of Filtering Software
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/filt_res.html

Library Journal, "After Filter Summit, ALA May Revisit 1997 Resolution"
http://www.bookwire.com/ljdigital/leadnews.article$27656

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David Burt	President, Filtering Facts
Website: 	http://www.filteringfacts.org
E-Mail:  	David_Burt at filteringfacts.org
Phone/Fax:	503 635-7048