News US porn-filter law upheld

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  1. GreatOldOne

    GreatOldOne Wannabe Martian

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    From the Beeb:

    The US Supreme Court has upheld a law forcing public libraries to filter out internet pornography in what is being seen as a victory for attempts to protect children from obscene content.
    It ruled that the 2000 Children's Internet Protection Act - which requires computers to be fitted with anti-pornography filters - does not violate rights to free speech under the First Amendment.

    The 6-3 decision means libraries receiving federal technology subsidies must use software that screens out obscenity, child pornography and sexually explicit material deemed harmful to minors - or turn down the funding.

    The unsuccessful appeal was brought by a coalition of libraries, library users and website operators who claimed the law turned librarians into censors rather than providers of information.

    They said the software filters prevented library users from accessing information on subjects they had a legitimate right to know about - eg breast cancer, homosexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, gay rights and family planning.

    Two other attempts by Congress to regulate child pornography on the internet had previously been blocked by the court.


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