Gee, let me think about that.....ummm....YES!
Check out this article:
Cambridge City council wants the province to do something it can't: force the city's public library to block pornography on its Internet computers.
Cambridge has the only library system in Waterloo Region that doesn't filter at least some of its internet work stations.
The library board twice rejected public calls to use Internet filters in fall 2008. Instead, the board voted to send a letter to parents of all young library patrons, explaining there are no filters.
As well, the board promised to review filtering software regularly and reconsider the issue when the technology is more reliable.
In January, city council rejected a call to force the library board to buy Internet filtering software.
The board runs library operations under provincial law; all the city does is provide operating funds.
The city library shouldn't condone viewing of pornography -- especially child pornography -- said Reverend Robert Merritt of First United Church.
He called on the city to join its white ribbon campaign calling on the province to change the rules.
"Pornography hurts. That's why it's so important why our Ontario libraries everywhere place filters on their computers to prevent the viewing of obscene material or downloading of child pornography," he told council.
In 2004, a Cambridge man was arrested for using a city library computer to download child pornography, he said.
Council voted 4-3 to support a motion by Councillor Ben Tucci calling for the province to force libraries to use Internet blocking software.
Tucci, councillors Rick Cowsill and Karl Kiefer, and Mayor Doug Craig voted for the provincial review. Councillors Pam Wolf, Gary Price and Linda Whetham opposed the motion.
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6 comments:
I believe I am as against child porn as you are, but library Internet filters are not the answer- parental responsibility is. As a librarian (and parent) myself, I know it shouldn't be my job to control what young people access at the library. The library should be a haven for many different ideas and materials. I actually agree that sending home letters to the parents is a good thing. Or maybe requiring permission from the parents for the children to access the Internet at the library and they could be notified at that time about the lack of filtering. Sounds like the library board in this situation is right on.
Can't say I agree with you on this one Joseph. If you are a Librarian then wouldn't you want to know that people are unable to look up on purpose or by accident Child Porn? I also disagree that it shouldn't be your responsibility to control what people access at the library on the net. I'm not suggesting that you be standing behind someone while they're at the computer but if you were to walk by someone and you saw that they were looking at child porn, would you seriously use the "It's not my job to tell them not to look at that?" arguement.Come on.
I do appreciate your comments though.
Then what is the answer.we need to do what ever it take to stop these children from being force to do sex ack.and if that mean the fbi watching my emails then so be it.because in my book looing at child porn is the same thing as child molestation,and when this jerk are cought charge them the same way they would a child molesture
I AGREE WITH CAM.we all know now day we cant watch everything our kid do.and I sure as hell do not want to find out my kid have been watching porn at the dam libary.children should got to a libary to read book and learn to go there to look at porn and if theres is a filter then i'm all for it.we have enough trouble wathing our kid and teaching our kid write from wroung at home then they go to a libary any everthing we teach some libary destroes it.FILTER ARE FINE
I guess I should clarify again that I am against child porn in any circumstance. But, once again, it is the parents' responsibilities.
muggoo3- if you are a parent, why are you not attending the library with your kids? Do you expect the librarians to babysit your kids for you?
And Cam- there is a difference that we need to explain between child porn (illegal for anyone in the US) and adult porn (legal for adults). Most libraries have a policy that does not allow someone to look at items which are very offensive to those around them. If I caught an adult looking at child porn at my library I would call the police. If I caught an adult looking a adult porn, I would ask them to stop, and then ask them to leave if they did not. All this can be accomplished without filters.
And we're dodging the real issue here- the child porn creators and distributors. They're the ones you should be going after. It's like trying to stop a leak in a dam by putting up another dam a mile downstream.
i just recently did a mock brief of Bill 202 which is the bill to protect children from viewing child pornography in school and public libraries. there have been 2 cases in ontario with people viewing porn in the area children are, one in cambridge and one in london. i agree we need to protect our children from viewing it, but the filters done in the states a few years back didn't do much, but then again technology has changed in a couple years. we need to do more than just get the libraries to watch out for that sort of thing. i think we need the filters and a screening on every computer at libraries and schools. the screening would scan all the computers and report back to the "head" computer-the librarians computer and then the librarian can check and make sure there is no viewing in the youth and children's sections of the library. there sould also be a seperate section/room for just people to view pornography without and discrimmination against them. they can have their own privacy and we will have our own.
when the schools start the full-day learning for kindergarten's they will be starting a before- and after- program geared toward children aged 4 to 12 to get them away from being unattended while the parents are getting back from work..it will bet the children away from the internet all together and do homework or get p[hysically active. the kids need this as much as adults need to get way from allt heir problems in life and have fun for once.
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