Broward County to Limit
Children's Cybersurfing
When graphical Web access becomes available at Broward County (Fla.) Library this summer, access at all children's Internet workstations will be limited to sites deemed appropriate for youngsters. The library already provides an unfiltered text-only Internet link
Systems Administrator George Dean told American Libraries BCL will utilize a homegrown software application to "lock down terminals so no changes can be made" to the list of library-approved URLs in the children's area. No commercially available blocking software will be utilized.
The decision is apparently not sitting well with either pro- or anti-filtering groups. According to a March 12 Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel story, Barbara Collier of the Christian Coalition would prefer BCL to install filters that would block sexually explicit sites from all library computers. But ACLU of Florida Director Howard Simon sees the new policy as "online censorship" that isn't justified in the name of keeping kids away from pornography.
Posted March 23, 1998.
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