Loudoun County (Va.) Library restored public Internet access December 3, 10 days after board members suspended service to revise the filtering policy that was declared unconstitutional. However, X-Stop software still runs on some machines, and adults must sign an acceptable-use policy before choosing between blocked and unblocked workstations. Parents must give written permission before youngsters can log on, although they can surf unfiltered if their folks permit it.
At its December 1 meeting, the board also ordered the installation of privacy screens and reserved the right to appeal.
Jeri McGiverin, president of plaintiff group Mainstream Loudoun, said the new policy "addresses everyone's concerns fairly and adequately," the Washington Post reported December 3. But Virginia State Rep. Richard Black, the former trustee who wrote the challenged policy, argued that unfettered access endangers "unattended children and women who use the library alone at night."
Posted December 7, 1998.