Intellectual Freedom and Privacy
Course
Intellectual Freedom Online [4:32]
- Learn about the Child Internet Protection Act and why it requires internet filtering.
- Learn how inconsistency in filtering can result in overblocking or underblocking websites.
- Learn to help staff and students protect their privacy through teaching digital citizenship.
In 2000, the Child Internet Protection Act, or CIPA, was passed by Congress. It was then upheld in 2003 by the Supreme Court. This essentially required schools who received federal funding to install an internet filter to restrict users' access to some internet websites. Types of websites that were required to be blocked include those that had obscene photographs, child pornography, and anything that could be harmful to minors. Today, 27 states require all schools and public libraries to have internet filtering in place.
The Child Internet Protection Act has good intentions and has been adopted by the majority of today's school districts. However, districts were allowed to purchase and enforce their own filter, which has led to inconsistencies in blocking websites. Some districts overblock websites, using broad subject types to determine what should be accessible. Others underblock websites, leading students and staff to access sites that are inappropriate for school and learning. Overblocking websites poses a more dangerous risk to intellectual freedom. For example, a student who wants to learn about gun violence or adverse effects of illegal substances may find their search results skewed. The internet filter can block out some of these websites, leading to unbalanced results and frustration for a student researcher. Also, a request to the technology department to unblock educationally-valid websites can be slower than needed for a lesson or research project. Librarians can work with their technology department to ensure the internet filter does not block educationally appropriate websites while keeping students safe from harm.
The Child Internet Protection Act requires students receive instruction on how to interact with others online, as well as cyber bullying. Librarians can help their districts comply with this mandate by teaching digital citizenship skills. Librarians not only advocate for intellectual freedom using the internet, but they also teach students how to be safe online and how to use the internet responsibly. Topics may include website evaluation, social media, and students' digital footprints. Teaching digital citizenship lessons to your students and staff will help them navigate the internet and give them strategies to protect their privacy. Refer to the resources below for digital citizenship lessons for all levels.
School librarians are some of our students' greatest advocates. They champion their ability to read and learn what they want to, whether it is in print or online. The Child Internet Protection Act requires that all federally funded schools have an internet filter to keep students safe. Librarians can work with their technology department to maintain a healthy balance between blocking harmful websites and allowing websites that students may require for research. And by teaching digital citizenship to students, we can help them learn how to keep themselves safe online throughout their lives. Students become stronger internet researchers with digital citizenship skills and a librarian to advocate for their freedom to learn.
Even in the years that the internet has been around, how librarians educate teachers and students about navigating the internet safely has changed significantly. Explore the blog post in the resources section, and reflect on the impact it has on your library.
Krueger, Nicole. "Digital Citizenship is the New Citizenship." International Society of Technology in Education (blog). Entry posted September 14, 2017. https://www.iste.org/explore/Digital-citizenship/Digital-citizenship-is-the-new-citizenship?articleid=1052.
"Digital Citizenship." International Society for Technology in Education. 2019. https://www.iste.org/explore/topic/digital-citizenship.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is an invaluable partner in helping school staff educate students about digital citizenship. Explore the resources and posts on the Digital Citizenship page of the ISTE website. Identify an article that you can share with your administrator or staff. Using pages 8–9 of the handout, and reflect on how the posts on this website could enhance the digital citizenship lessons you already teach? What parts of this blog post challenge your thinking? Identify a component of this post that you can modify to implement in your library.
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Intellectual Freedom and Privacy: Digital Citizenship in the Real Library." School Library Connection, May 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262940?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2158571.
Entry ID: 2263779
Additional Resources
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. Intellectual Freedom Online [4:32]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, May 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262940?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2158571.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262940?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2158571
Entry ID: 2262940