When it was passed in 2000, CIPA was immediately challenged by the American Library Association and the ACLU, which argued in a series of lawsuits that that the law's web-filtering requirement placed unconstitutional restrictions on library patrons' speech.
In 2003, the US Supreme Court voted 6 to 3 that government-mandated web filtering was constitutional, in part because libraries allowed patrons to request that specific websites be unblocked.
Students and civil rights groups have continued to fight against web censorship.
The campaign culminated in a 2012 case in which a federal court ordered the Camdenton, Missouri, school district to stop using a filter that explicitly blocked non-adult LGBTQ+ websites.
In the decade since that ruling, students have consistently complained about school web filters' allegedly discriminatory blocking patterns.
Victories against inaccurate and potentially dangerous web filters are rare.
In September, a nationwide survey conducted by the Center for Democracy and Technology found that a majority of students believe their school's web filter hinders their ability to do schoolwork.
In schools with web filters, 71 percent of students agreed that it was sometimes hard to complete school assignments because web filters were blocking access to essential information.
The same percentage of students said they'd been blocked from visiting websites they felt they should have been allowed to visit.
LGBTQ+ students reported being blocked from content at higher rates than non-LGBTQ+ students on both questions.
More than half of the teachers who responded to CDT's survey agreed that their school's web filters made completing assignments harder.
Thirty-seven percent of teachers believed their school's web filters were more likely to block content associated with LGBTQ+ students, and 32 percent believed the filters were more likely to block content associated with students of color.
Chavez, the senior at La Cueva High School in northeast Albuquerque, says they and many other students at their high school have stopped using their APS-purchased Chromebooks altogether.
Instead, they say, students now bring their personal laptops from home to school.
Other students say they don't have that option.
His school won't allow students to bring personal laptops, meaning he has no choice but to use the filtered internet.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for free, 24-hour support from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
You can also text HOME to 741-741 for the Crisis Text.-.
This Cyber News was published on www.wired.com. Publication date: Mon, 04 Dec 2023 11:43:04 +0000