Englewood seeks limit on Net sex sites

["Douglas L. Peterson" <fnorky@chisp.net>]

Seems this stuff is now in my own back yard.

If anyone wants to talk to the people involved,
go here: http://www.ci.englewood.co.us/



http://www.denver-rmn.com/news/1231filt4.shtml

> Englewood seeks limit on Net sex sites 
> 
> Program to curb access of children at libraries 
> 
> Associated Press
> 
> 
> ENGLEWOOD -- The Englewood Public Library will
> be the first in Colorado to try a new technology
> strictly limiting children's access to sex sites
> on the World Wide Web. Mayor Tom Burns said the
> city and its librarians have no intention of
> censoring the Internet, and the Guardiannet
> program can be cancelled after a 30-day test run
> if it doesn't work out.
> 
> Starting in April, all of the library's Internet
> users will need a plastic "Smart Card" to go
> online. The cards will be coded to indicate
> whether children under 18 have their parents'
> permission to full access or should be restricted
> to the limited database of 5,000 child-friendly sites.
> 
> "It's a solution that allows parents to make
> the decision, rather than the institution," said
> City Manager Gary Sears.
> 
> However, Sears said the move could invite
> lawsuits from civil rights groups that may
> view the city's decision as censorship. The
> move also comes amid national debate
> among librarians on whether blocking systems
> constitutes censorship and violates First
> Amendment rights.
> 
> Jamie LaRue, president of the Colorado Library
> Association, called Internet restrictions
> "a tricky issue."
> 
> "When I was a little boy ...I knew what was
> wrong," LaRue said. "The part that bothers
> me is that we are using technological
> inventions to replace civility and conscience in
> what is in fact an ethical problem."
> 
> The Englewood City Council voted 5-2 to
> approve the $108,000 contract with
> Guardiannet, even though the library
> board recommended against it.
> 
> Councilwoman Lauri Clapp said it will give
> the library the needed tools to help parents
> protect their children. City Councilwoman
> Alex Habenicht opposed the measure.
> 
> December 31, 1998 

-Doug
www.TheServerFarm.net