Library Porn

Sara Rimensnyder | May 31, 2002

Like many voracious readers I know, I haven't been to a public library for years. When I want obscure information, I troll the Web from my home or office. When I want a book, I buy it used on Amazon. When I want to browse, I head to Borders, mostly because it, unlike the library, is still open after I get off work. And when I want to enjoy the ambiance of musty, old-fashioned stacks, I rent Ghostbusters. (I doubt I'm alone in this.)

Nevertheless, I was glad to hear that people who do depend on public libraries for online access won't have to browse a sanitized, government-approved version of the Web. Three federal judges ruled today that the government can't force libraries to filter Internet access by denying funding. The decision strikes down the two-year-old Children’s Internet Protection act, a federal law intended to protect kids from porn.

“Any public library that adheres to CIPA’s conditions will necessarily restricts patrons’ access to a substantial amount of protected speech in violation of the First Amendment,” the judges wrote, striking a blow for free--or at least freer--speech.