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CIPA Code Of Ethics Paper

1341 Words6 Pages

The utilization of internet filters in public libraries throughout the United States has become ubiquitous. This technology prevents public library users from accessing certain websites. Its primary goal is to limit children’s exposure to potentially harmful visual content. Like many other new technologies, its usage is controversial and has led to much ethical debate. This papers performs an ethical analysis of this technology examining both sides of the argument. The ethical standard used for this evaluation is the Association of Computing and Machinery (ACM) Code of Ethics. This paper is organized as follows. Section 2 provides background information including the history of internet filters and an explanation of the specific imperatives …show more content…

This federal initiative began in 1996 and has significantly increased internet access in public institutions in rural and underserved areas across the United States [1]. In December 2000, the United States Congress enacted the Children’s Internet Protection (CIPA). The objective of this law is to protect from children from potentially harmful online material by requiring the recipients of E-Rate funds, namely public libraries and schools, to implement “technology protection measures” [1]. CIPA defines a “technology protection measure” as a technology that blocks internet websites with visual depictions that are: obscene, children pornography, or harmful to minors [1]. CIPA only calls for restriction on visual content such as images and not …show more content…

ETHICAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE USE OF THE INTERNET FILTERS As mentioned in the preceding section, CIPA affects both public libraries and schools. This ethical analysis will focus specifically on the ethical implications of use of internet filters in public libraries. This is the ethical action that will be tested. Because public libraries are used by both children and adults, there are far greater ethical issues with web filters in libraries than schools, where computers are used almost exclusively by minors. The ethical actors in this analysis include public library administrators who have direct control over the implementation of internet filters. Elected officials such as those in Congress are also the ethical actors because they can vote on laws that affect the use of internet filters. Congress is directly responsible for the widespread implementation of internet filters as a consequence of CIPA. The main ethical arguments that oppose internet filters are the following: restriction on adult access to free speech, underblocking, and overblocking. 3.1 Restriction on Adult Access to Free

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