Memphis Filtering Yields Predictably
Misapplied Blocking
The recent installation of Internet filtering software on all computers at Memphis-Shelby County (Tenn.) Public Library and Information Center is yielding the sort of inappropriate blocking that critics of the plan predicted. Among the first Web sites the library had to unblock at the request of customers were sites for the online trading community eBay, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and fans of Japanese fantasy cartoons such as DragonBall Z.
Library administrators said in the October 15 Commercial Appeal that denied access to seemingly innocuous sites for up to 48 hours was the result of the relatively primitive state of Internet filtering technology. However, officials maintain that access delayed is not access denied, with Library Director Judith Drescher comparing the Internet to other library resources that may be checked out, housed in another library, or otherwise not always instantly available. Unrestricted Internet access at the library ended September 27 with the installation of Cyber Patrol.
Posted October 18, 1999.
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