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Electronic Frontier Foundation Press ReleaseNationwide Protests Counter CHIPA Internet Blocking LawGrowing Opposition to Internet Blocking in Schools and LibrariesFor Immediate Release -- Apr. 20, 2001Contacts:Will Doherty, EFF Online Activist / Media Relations, Katina Bishop, EFF Offline Activism & Education Dir. April 20, 2001 -- A spirited crowd of activists opposed to Internet blocking protested, some of them chanting in pouring rain today, against implementation of Congressionally-mandated Internet blocking in schools and libraries. The protests took place in Pleasanton, California, and Long Island, New York, as well as in "blackouts" of websites supportive of the action. NEW (Apr. 25, 2001): Stills from both protests, and video of the speeches
at the Calif. demonstration, are availble here: Berkeley City Council member Kriss Worthington spoke at the Pleasanton protest stating, "Our schools and libraries must be the safety net to make education available through the Internet. CHIPA's cybernet censorship is unconstitutional, un-American, and unacceptable." Worthington was joined by Jim Schmidt of San Jose State University, who served on the Congressional Child Online Protection Act (COPA) Commission; Will Doherty, Online Activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Executive Director of the Online Policy Group; and by Lisa Maldonado, Field Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Maldonado commented, "The government is trying to strangle the free flow of information on the Internet to those library patrons who need it the most. CHIPA would widen the 'digital divide' that already exists between those who can afford Internet access at home and those who rely on their public library for Internet access." "The government-mandated requirement for Internet blocking in schools and libraries violates the free expression rights of American, adults and minors alike," explained Will Doherty, EFF Online Activist. "We must protest Congressionally-mandated Internet blocking because it censors Constitutionally-protected materials, stunts the intellectual growth of American children, and weighs unfairly on disadvantaged and 'controversial' communities." Internet blocking technologies underblock what they are supposed to block and overblock what they are not supposed to block. They rely on subjective control from software product companies many of whom exhibit clear political and religious biases, rather than relying on local communities to decide for themselves. The products are error-prone, vulnerable, problematic, and unfairly discriminatory, denying access to constitutionally protected and educationally important materials that schools and libraries would otherwise provide. Government-mandated censorship does not solve problems better handled through local decision making and educational efforts. The Pleasanton protest took place at offices of the Federal Communications Commission because it is the agency tasked by Congress with enforcement of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CHIPA a.k.a. CIPA) blocking law. The coordinated New York protest took place outside a large public library on Long Island. EFF, along with co-sponsors such as the Online Policy Group ( http://www.onlinepolicy.org ) and the American Civil Liberties Union( http://www.aclu.org ), called the protests to demonstrate the growing public opposition to Internet blocking in schools and libraries.
More information on the Internet blocking protests & Censorware
in general is available on the EFF website at:
For more information on EFF's Campaign for Online Free Expression see: About EFF:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties
organization working to protect rights in the digital world. Founded in
1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry and government to
support free expression, privacy, and openness in the information
society. EFF is a member-supported organization and maintains one of the
most linked-to Web sites in the world: - end -
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