Here are some basic ideas about how to get involved in preventing the spread of Internet blocking, especially in schools and libraries:
To let EFF know what you are doing about Internet blocking so we can work together and publicize our activities, you can email freespeech@eff.org
Protests, demonstrations and other outcry against censorware in schools and libraries are on the rise, indicating growing concern in general public about this technology.
See our photo and video coverage of the Nationwide Protests Against the CHIPA Internet Blocking Law that took place on April 20, 2001.
EFF Press
Release: CHIPA Protests Indicate Public Opposition to
Library Censorware -
Spirited groups
of
activists
opposed
to Internet blocking protested, some of them chanting in pouring rain,
against implementation of congressionally-mandated Internet blocking in
schools and libraries. The protests, organized by the Electronic
Frontier Foundation, the Online Policy Group and the American Civil
Liberties Union, took place in Pleasanton, California, and Long Island,
New York, as well as in "blackouts" of websites supportive of the
protest action. Participants included a college professor and COPA
Commission member, and a Berkeley city councilor. (Apr. 20, 2001)
EFF CHIPA Protest Photos
& Video -
Photos and video
clips from the
Pleasanton, CA, and Long Island, NY,demonstrations against the so-called
"Children's Online Protection Act", an Internet censorship law that
essentially mandates the use of Internet content blocking software in
public libraries and schools. (Apr. 20, 2001)
EFF Media Release: EFF
Calls for Nationwide CHIPA Protests -
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
has issued a call to action for nationwide protests on Friday, April 20,
2001, opposing implementation of Congressionally-mandated Internet
blocking in schools and libraries. The protests will take place at
Federal Communications Commission offices, other federal offices,
libraries, and Internet blocking companies, as well as in "blackouts" of
websites in support of the protest. (Apr. 2, 2001)
Joint
Statement Against Censorware -
Joint statement of Online
Policy Group, Electronic Frontier Foundation and many other groups and
individuals against government-imposed Internet content blocking
software in federally funded schools and libraries. Includes media
references, links to supporting documents, and clear reasons why
censorware in libraries (and schools) does more harm than
good. Statement issued in response to the passage of the so-called
Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA or CHIPA), and the
closely related Neighborhood Children's Internet Protection
Act" (NCIPA), two disingenously-named censorship laws that restrict
the freedom to read of adults as well as minors, and which will lead to
the blocking of access to content that is constitutionally protected
EVEN FOR MINORS. (Issued Jan. 17, 2001).
EFF NRC Censorware Paper #1 -
Electronic Frontier Foundation
whitepaper
for National Research Council Internet content blocking study:
"Blacklisting Bytes", co-authors: Seth Finkelstein, Consulting
Programmer; Lee Tien, Senior Staff Attorney, EFF. EFF's thesis is
simple: The quest for a technical solution to the alleged problem of
minors' access to "harmful" material on the Internet is both
misguided and dangerous to civil liberties. (Mar. 6, 2001)
EFF NRC Censorware Paper #2 -
Electronic Frontier Foundation whitepaper
for National Research Council Internet content blocking study: "The
'vexing' question of the state's interest in preventing minors' access
to 'harmful to minors' material", author, Lee Tien, Senior Staff
Attorney, EFF. In this White Paper, EFF argues that the state interest
in regulation of non-obscene non-indecent materials is much narrower
than it appears at first glance. EFF does not here challenge the
proposition that the government has a legitimate interest of some sort,
but we believe that such arguments are specious. In particular, EFF
believes that the government has failed to establish that there exists a
problem to be solved, as distinguished from a vague fear. (Mar. 6, 2001)
EFF statement on
CHIPA (CIPA) -
Electronic Frontier Foundation statement on and
analysis of mandatory censorware (content blocking software)
riders (Children's Online Protection
Act & Neighborhood Children's Online Protection Act) attached to the
H.R. 4577 funding
bill. (Dec. 22, 2000)
ACLU analysis of CHIPA
(CIPA) -
American Civil Liberties Union Alaysis of the
censorware
riders (Children's Online Protection
Act & Neighborhood Children's Online Protection Act) attached to the
H.R. 4577 funding
bill. (Oct. 2, 2000)
Net industry statement
on CHIPA (CIPA) -
Internet industry letter to
legislators, opposing the censorware riders (Children's Online Protection
Act & Neighborhood Children's Online Protection Act)
attached to the H.R. 4577
funding bill. (Sep. 28, 2000)
Right-wing opposition
to CHIPA (CIPA) -
Right-wing (Republican,
Libertarian,
and religious right) groups' letter to legislators, opposing the
censorware riders (Children's Online Protection
Act & Neighborhood Children's Online Protection Act) attached to the
H.R. 4577
funding bill. (Sep. 11,
2000)
Education groups'
opposition to CHIPA (CIPA) -
Education and
school
groups' letter
to
legislators, opposing the censorware riders (Children's Online
Protection
Act & Neighborhood Children's Online Protection Act) attached to the
H.R. 4577
funding bill. (Aug. 31, 2000)
CHIPA (CIPA) as
passed into law
-
"Children's
Internet
Protection Act" (CHIPA or CIPA) and "Neighborhood Children's
Internet Protection Act" (NCHIPA or NCIPA) excerpts from massive appropriations bill
H.R. 4577; final version, as passed into law as Public Law 106-554
(Dec. 21, 2000).
Revised version of
CHIPA (CIPA) -
Draft of revisions to
censorware
riders (Children's Online Protection
Act & Neighborhood Children's Online Protection Act) on H.R. 4577 funding
bill. This
new draft, in which differences
between Istook, McCain and other censorious legislators were ironed
out draft, replaces the older 06/15/2000 censorware riders in
H.R. 4577 (below).
Early version of CHIPA
(CIPA) -
Portions of huge
funding bill,
H.R. 4577, that contain early version of Sen. McCain's mandatory
school/library
censorware
provisions (Children's Internet Protection Act). These censorship
measures were attached as a rider during
Senate markup of the House bill, and preserved in the conference
committee version. They were then removed, along with all riders.
Later, it was put back in, in different form (see 07/28/2000 draft,
above), and later passed.
EFF Board Member
Responds to Internet
Rating System Proposed by Bertelsmann Foundation -
EFF statement (by boardmember
Esther Dyson) critical of Bertelsmann Foundation global Internet
content ratings proposal, launched at the Munich Internet Content
Summit (Sept. 10, 1999)
GILC statement
on international ratings & filters -
EFF & other GILC
members
submit comments to Munich Internet Content Summit, raising serious
concerns with Bertelsmann Foundation's plans for an international
rating & filtering system. (Sept. 7, 1999)
Godwin & Abelson
Criticism of Volokh
Article on Censorware -EFF's Mike
Godwin, and
Hal Abelson
of MIT, respond to UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh article in
Slate, on Internet filters and CDA constitutional issues.
Related material: http://www.slate.com/Feature1/96-07-18/Feature1.asp
(Volokh article), and http://www.slate.com/Email/Current/Email.asp
(debate with Slate readers). July 30, 1996 (HTML version)
[Though co-written by an attorney then with EFF, this critique does not
reflect an official EFF policy position.]
CPSR's Filtering
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
About Internet Content Filtering, Rating and Labelling -
An in-depth but introductory look at the issues raised. (HTML
version)
CPSR's Filtering
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
About Internet Content Filtering, Rating and Labelling -
An in-depth but introductory look at the issues raised. (ASCII text
version)
Summary of "Video Game Rating
Act of 1994" bill, H.R. 3785 -
Feb 1994 "Video Game
Rating Act" legislation sponsored by Congressman Lantos to provide for
the establishment of
an Interactive Entertainment Rating Commission to label video games with
content-based ratings, like movies.
Filter Out the Naughty Bits: Net Nanny
software -
A short Josh Quittner article from Time (reposted with permission)
about SurfWatch,
one of the first and largest Net filtration schemes. July 3, 1995 -
foreshadowing a debate that still rages more than 6 years later.
"Kids and the Internet: The
Promise and the Perils"
-
Internet Free Expression
Alliance members' statement to National Commission on Library and
Information Science on "Kids and the Internet: The Promise and
the Perils", focusing on the First Amendment, filtering software,
and alternatives to it. (Dec. 14, 1998) [HTML version]
"Kids and the Internet: The
Promise and the Perils"
-
Internet Free Expression
Alliance members' statement to National Commission on Library and
Information Science on "Kids and the Internet: The Promise and
the Perils", focusing on the First Amendment, filtering software,
and alternatives to it. (Dec. 14, 1998) [ASCII text version]
Multnomah County Library v. US
-
Directory of info on an EFF, ACLU, et
al.-supported case by the Multnomah Co. [OR] Library against the
mandatory Internet content blocking law "Children's Internet Protection
Act" (CHIPA or CIPA), and "Neighborhood Internet Children's Protection
Act" (NCIPA), in the Eastern District of PA federal US court,
challenging the statutes on First Amendment grounds. See also ALA
v. US.
American Library Association v. US -
Directory of info on an American Library
Association
(ALA) case against mandatory Internet content blocking law "Children's
Internet Protection Act" (CHIPA or CIPA), and "Neighborhood Internet
Children's Protection Act" (NCIPA), in the Eastern District of PA
federal US court, challenging the statutes on First Amendment grounds.
See also Multnomah Library v. US
Microsystems
v. Scandinavia Online -
Directory of info on the Cyber Patrol case - Microsystems
(and Mattel) sue two foreign ISPs and two website authors under bogus
copyright and trade secret claims in an attempt to silence critics
who have decrypted the Cyber Patrol censorware's blacklist to show
that it wrongly blocks out non-prographic material.
Mainstream Loudoun
v. Loudoun County Library
-
Directory of info on the Mainstream
Loudoun coalition's lawsuit to end censorship via Internet content
filtering software in in the Loudoun Co., VA, public library.
Local, State & Non-US
-
Directory of info on Internet blocking,
filtering, rating & labeling issues at the local, state and
non-US levels.
Internet Censorship Bills
-
Link to directory of info on Internet censorship
legislation and laws.
EFF's Blue Ribbon Campaign for Online Free
Expression
-
Link to EFF's Internet free speech campaign page
http://www.eff.org/br/
The Censorware
Project -
The premiere resource on the dangers of Internet content blocking and
labelling
Seth Finkelstein's Anticensorware Investigations
MIT-SAFE's Rating & Labelling Schemes info pages
-
From the 1954 Comics Code to modern Internet content labelling
proposals
The Global Internet
Liberty Campaign
(GILC) -
The world's online civil liberties coalition
Internet Free
Expression Alliance
-
A coalition of online censorship watchdogs
Internet Filtering Report -
from Free Expression Policy Project and National Coalition Against
Censorship
A Parent's
Guide to Supervising a Child's Online and Internet Experience -
"A short guide to how the Internet works and what parents can do to
guide their childrens' online experiences", by attorney Robert Cannon
ALA Censorware Legal Memo: -
"Internet Filtering in Public Libraries" (Feb. 4, 2000)