Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools
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| Title: | Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Batch, Kristen R., Magi, Trina, Luhtala, Michelle |
| Source: | Knowledge Quest. Sep-Oct 2015 44(1):60-66. |
| Availability: | American Association of School Librarians. Available from: American Library Association. 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Tel: 1-800-545-2433; Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/knowledgequest.cfm |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 7 |
| Publication Date: | 2015 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Intellectual Freedom, Information Policy, Library Administration, Library Policy, Library Materials, Library Services, School Libraries, Research Reports, Access to Information, Performance Factors, Compliance (Legal), Resistance to Change, Change Strategies, Elementary Secondary Education |
| ISSN: | 1094-9046 |
| Abstract: | The article is divided into three sections. The main section, "Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools" (Kristen Batch) describes factors that contribute to the overimplementation of CIPA. Internet filtering is a routine practice in public schools and libraries. The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) does not require that all schools and libraries install filters, only those that accept certain types of federal funds or discounts for the provision of Internet access. Although CIPA grants these institutions the flexibility to develop filtering policies appropriate to their communities, many institutions are filtering well beyond the requirements of the law. Schools, in particular, do not limit filtering to visual images as the law mandates, and routinely block access to broad swaths of information that all users are entitled to view (Chmara 2010). Increasingly, schools block access to entire social-media and social networking sites and to any websites that are interactive or collaborative, such as blogs or wikis (AASL 2012). They also rely (mistakenly) on filtering to deal with issues of hacking, copyright infringement, and cyberbullying, denying access to certain websites and technologies. The American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy and Office for Intellectual Freedom, with support from Google, Inc., recently conducted a study to investigate, in part, the broader impact of CIPA on achieving educational and social objectives for the twenty-first century. Drawing on extensive research, interviews, and input from over thirty experts and practitioners, the study "Fencing Out Knowledge: Impacts of the Children's Internet Protection Act 10 Years Later" identified an overreach in the implementation of CIPA. This overreach restricts access to information and learning opportunities for students, and disproportionately impacts those without a home broadband connection or smartphone. This article summarizes the main findings from the report and four recommendations for actions the ALA should undertake to help schools and libraries align filtering practices with the requirements of the law. The second contribution, "I'm being Required to Install an Internet Filter. What Should I Do?" (Trina Magi), details the steps that can be taken to minimize the impact of filters--such as exercising care in choosing filtering software and also in installing and maintaining software. Other strategies described include developing a well-crafted policy for responsible Internet use, and implementing a program to educate students about online behavior. The final contribution, "Banned Websites Awareness Day" (Michelle Luhtala), offers a discussion of Banned Websites Awareness day, which directs national attention to Internet filtering's impact on teaching and learning. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2015 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1073945 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwFaSu4d7JYDt0-boNDRd54PAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDHDzfOLGO0mW9K5jTgIBEICBm7uVbiesVTKVkVoG_-WTq9p4nQ7TtRuhBtTtkZ4Yho3-JgJT8GkbFt1v5lIbYW9LBMfI7Uy2wwAr3NoFgFnW_RDQhCCoNUKu-DvBFSR-4Hf3gGuwc6N3SGXeBV2rHgm-B2sRmp1TA8m-ioV1xlZfLusl4IYabkrFbz6i3ysca4FTtZTHSDDrmwVjUcV1vmp9U5HPKkzSYfU0WmE4 Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0109276630;5f801sep.15;2015Sep09.10:19;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0109276630-1">FILTERING BEYOND CIPA: CONSEQUENCES OF AND ALTERNATIVES TO OVERFILTERING IN SCHOOLS </title> <p>FEATURE</p> <p>Internet filtering is a routine practice in public schools and libraries. The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) does not require that all schools and libraries install filters, only those that accept certain types of federal funds or discounts for the provision of Internet access. Although CIPA grants these institutions the flexibility to develop filtering policies appropriate to their communities, many institutions are filtering well beyond the requirements of the law. Schools, in particular, do not limit filtering to visual images as the law mandates, and routinely block access to broad swaths of information that all users are entitled to view (Chmara 2010). Increasingly, schools block access to entire social-media and social-networking sites and to any websites that are interactive or collaborative, such as blogs or wikis (AASL 2012). They also rely (mistakenly) on filtering to deal with issues of hacking, copyright infringement, and cyberbullying, denying access to certain websites and technologies.</p> <p>The American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy and Office for Intellectual Freedom, with support from Google, Inc., recently conducted a study to investigate, in part, the broader impact of CIPA on achieving educational and social objectives for the twenty-first century. Drawing on extensive research, interviews, and input from over thirty experts and practitioners, the study Fencing Out Knowledge: Impacts of the Children's Internet Protection Act 10 Years Later identified an overreach in the implementation of CIPA. This overreach restricts access to information and learning opportunities for students, and disproportionately impacts those without a home broadband connection or smart-phone. This article summarizes the main findings from the report and four recommendations for actions the ALA should undertake to help schools and libraries align filtering practices with the requirements of the law.</p> <hd id="AN0109276630-2">Factors Contributing to the Overimplementation of CIPA</hd> <p>CIPA requires schools and libraries that accept federal funds or discounts for the provision of Internet access to use software filters to block access to visual images deemed "obscene," "child pornography," or "harmful to minors" (CIPA 2000). Despite the narrow mandate of the law and the risk of legal challenges for blocking legitimate content, implementation of CIPA is often subject to overreaction, myth, and fear. Misperceptions abound that institutions will lose all their federal funding if they do not filter as much as possible, or that school and library officials will face criminal charges for failing to filter Web content to the fullest possible extent (Caldwell-Stone 2013).</p> <p>Technical limitations also contribute to overfiltering. While filtering software today is more sophisticated than in the past and offers additional control in selecting the content to be filtered (Ayre 2004), filters are still unable to accurately identify obscene images. With the growth of online content generated by users, this limitation has made filtering even more challenging (Deloitte 2008). On average, software filters overblock legitimate content or underblock sexually explicit content approximately 15 to 20 percent of the time (Houghton-Jan 2010). This accuracy rate, however, pertains only to the filtering of text content, not visual images. More than a decade after the Supreme Court upheld CIPA, filters still are not able to perform the tasks required by the law.</p> <p>Additionally, as multiple stakeholders are involved in or affected by Internet filtering decisions, perspectives on filtering frequently differ, resulting in wide variations in the filtered environments. For example, despite the low number of actual incidents reported by parents and students, administrators tend to believe that negative experiences with social networking occurred more frequently than indicated by the reported numbers (NSBA 2007). The influence of other stakeholders, such as technology directors, on the implementation of filters is seldom examined. In addition to overseeing and procuring Internet filters, technology directors also may assume much of the responsibility for implementing filtering policies (Fuchs 2012). On the other hand, the potential contributions of school librarians are often overlooked--even though they are highly informed in areas of student learning, teacher training, and digital-literacy instruction (ALA 2013). More than stewards of print, digital, and technology resources, librarians bring to bear a different perspective than information technology specialists, as librarians facilitate the use of resources by students, teachers, and the broader public.</p> <aug> <p>By Kristen R. Batch, kbatch@gmail.com</p> <p></p> <p>Kristen R. Batch is a consultant for the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy in Washington, DC. She authored the ALA report Fencing Out Knowledge: Impacts of the Children's Internet Protection Act 10 Years Later. At Internews, an international media development organization, she served as lead program officer for a global program to address issues of Internet censorship. Previously, she coordinated research and teams of experts to develop guidance on a broad range of technology policy issues for the National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunications Board.</p> </aug> CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ1073945 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Batch%2C+Kristen+R%2E%22">Batch, Kristen R.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Magi%2C+Trina%22">Magi, Trina</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Luhtala%2C+Michelle%22">Luhtala, Michelle</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Knowledge+Quest%22"><i>Knowledge Quest</i></searchLink>. Sep-Oct 2015 44(1):60-66. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: American Association of School Librarians. Available from: American Library Association. 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. 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The main section, "Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools" (Kristen Batch) describes factors that contribute to the overimplementation of CIPA. Internet filtering is a routine practice in public schools and libraries. The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) does not require that all schools and libraries install filters, only those that accept certain types of federal funds or discounts for the provision of Internet access. Although CIPA grants these institutions the flexibility to develop filtering policies appropriate to their communities, many institutions are filtering well beyond the requirements of the law. Schools, in particular, do not limit filtering to visual images as the law mandates, and routinely block access to broad swaths of information that all users are entitled to view (Chmara 2010). Increasingly, schools block access to entire social-media and social networking sites and to any websites that are interactive or collaborative, such as blogs or wikis (AASL 2012). They also rely (mistakenly) on filtering to deal with issues of hacking, copyright infringement, and cyberbullying, denying access to certain websites and technologies. The American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy and Office for Intellectual Freedom, with support from Google, Inc., recently conducted a study to investigate, in part, the broader impact of CIPA on achieving educational and social objectives for the twenty-first century. Drawing on extensive research, interviews, and input from over thirty experts and practitioners, the study "Fencing Out Knowledge: Impacts of the Children's Internet Protection Act 10 Years Later" identified an overreach in the implementation of CIPA. This overreach restricts access to information and learning opportunities for students, and disproportionately impacts those without a home broadband connection or smartphone. This article summarizes the main findings from the report and four recommendations for actions the ALA should undertake to help schools and libraries align filtering practices with the requirements of the law. The second contribution, "I'm being Required to Install an Internet Filter. What Should I Do?" (Trina Magi), details the steps that can be taken to minimize the impact of filters--such as exercising care in choosing filtering software and also in installing and maintaining software. Other strategies described include developing a well-crafted policy for responsible Internet use, and implementing a program to educate students about online behavior. The final contribution, "Banned Websites Awareness Day" (Michelle Luhtala), offers a discussion of Banned Websites Awareness day, which directs national attention to Internet filtering's impact on teaching and learning. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: ERIC – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2015 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1073945 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 7 StartPage: 60 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Intellectual Freedom Type: general – SubjectFull: Information Policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Administration Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Materials Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Services Type: general – SubjectFull: School Libraries Type: general – SubjectFull: Research Reports Type: general – SubjectFull: Access to Information Type: general – SubjectFull: Performance Factors Type: general – SubjectFull: Compliance (Legal) Type: general – SubjectFull: Resistance to Change Type: general – SubjectFull: Change Strategies Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary Secondary Education Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Batch, Kristen R. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Magi, Trina – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Luhtala, Michelle IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2015 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1094-9046 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 44 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Knowledge Quest Type: main |
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