• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Library censorship

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

indigowindow

Junior Member
MN

i have been blocked from dowloading adult material by a specific church lady type librarian. when i complained about this she had me kicked out. is this legal ?

this occured on thursday nov 6 between 10-11am at the main library in downtown minneapolis.
 
Last edited:


Per the MPLS library website:
No person shall use a library workstation in a way that disturbs or interferes with users, employees or operations of the Library. Patrons may not:

* a) View, print, distribute display, send, or receive images, text or graphics of obscene materials or material that violates laws relating to child pornography.
* b) Disseminate, exhibit, or display to minors materials that are harmful to minors.
* c) Use an Internet workstation to transmit threatening or harassing material.
* d) Engage in any activity that is deliberately offensive or creates an intimidating or hostile environment.
Therefore, the CIPA provision that allows persons 18 and older to request the site to be unblocked is invalid.
Disabling Filters: In accordance with the CIPA, persons aged 17 or older may request to have Internet filters disabled for any lawful purpose that meets the Library Board Internet Policy and Guidelines. Patrons requesting that filters be disabled may be asked to present proper identification in order to comply with this federal requirement.
There is a generally-accepted principle of public decency that trumps the right to access any material one wishes to see on the internet - in other words, stop getting your jollies off in public. And it's not just the "church lady" types that have a problem with kids being exposed to adult material in public, dummy.
 

indigowindow

Junior Member
library censorship

first of all, don't refer to me as dummy. you seem to be a lot dumber than me. i'm not getting my jollies. there are no kids around. i'm downloading video clips. maybe you need to get a life.
 

Some Random Guy

Senior Member
If you want to watch porn, get your own internet connection. the library is well within their rights to limit what is being downloaded using their computers.
 

davezan

Member
maybe you need to get a life.
Someone does, that's for sure. Especially if they're maybe riding on someone's resources
for their own selfish benefit and accusing them of some perceived wrongdoing.

I suppose you won't mind I accuse you of censorship if I use your resources for my very
own selfish benefit after you lock me out?
 

Ozark_Sophist

Senior Member
The ACLU is actively involved in protecting the first amendment rights of public library users in censorship cases involving internet access. Google ACLU and library computer censorship to read more.

You are unlikely to get a reasonable response here as the Heckler's Veto is in effect for morality issues.
 
The ACLU is actively involved in protecting the first amendment rights of public library users in censorship cases involving internet access. Google ACLU and library computer censorship to read more.

You are unlikely to get a reasonable response here as the Heckler's Veto is in effect for morality issues.
The info I posted does take the ACLU's case into account - hence the consideration to CIPA. The SCOTUS did affirm that verified adults can ask to have filtering software disabled, but did not say that libraries are not allowed to establish use policies. In this case, he violated a defined use policy that he almost certainly agreed to by using the library computers.

You are unlikely to get a reasonable response here as the Heckler's Veto is in effect for morality issues.
:rolleyes: Spare me.

indigowindow said:
maybe you need to get a life.
Perhaps you need to stop being a cheapskate and get an internet connection.

indigowindow said:
there are no kids around
Right, libraries are the last place that kids are likely to show up. I'm sure you checked.

indigowindow said:
i'm not getting my jollies.
'Research', then? Well, Professor Numbnut, good luck. Contact your local ACLU chapter and see if they'll argue the case - again - in front of the SCOTUS, just so you can get more 'research' material.

indigowindow said:
... don't refer to me as dummy.
I'll call you Jack, then.
 

The Occultist

Senior Member
I used to work tech support on a university campus, and part of the training covered running computer labs (in case we had to pick up slack) and that training included making sure we understood that we were in no way allowed to prevent anybody from looking at any kind of websites (unless the material is actually illegal e.g. "kiddie porn"). If any staff or other patrons in the lab were offended by any material that a user was viewing, the most we were allowed to do was ask them to move to a more secluded area of the lab, and we couldn't actually force them to move.
 

The Occultist

Senior Member
a university campus is very different from a public library. You also do not state whether the decision made were based upon a legal perspective or merely school policy.
I agree, the information in my post doesn't hold any true legal merit; it was merely just another voice to throw out there. I still keep in touch with a couple of the higher-ups in that department, so I'll throw out an email and see if I can get some solid information to share. I'll also add that even if I do come up with information, it still may not provide the insight needed to the OP's situation as the university is in a different state.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
MN

i have been blocked from dowloading adult material by a specific church lady type librarian. when i complained about this she had me kicked out. is this legal ?

this occured on thursday nov 6 between 10-11am at the main library in downtown minneapolis.
blocked from downloading?

Of course you were blocked from downloading. They have absolute rights to block anybody from downloading ANYTHING, be it porn or not. It has nothing to do with the content being porn or not. Downloading exposes the libraries computers to unkown attacks and viruses and they have absolute rights to prevent such problems.

Viewing is very different than downloading.
 

The Occultist

Senior Member
blocked from downloading?

Of course you were blocked from downloading. They have absolute rights to block anybody from downloading ANYTHING, be it porn or not. It has nothing to do with the content being porn or not. Downloading exposes the libraries computers to unkown attacks and viruses and they have absolute rights to prevent such problems.

Viewing is very different than downloading.
Well, now we've stumbled upon an argument on semantics. Technically, unless you're actually streaming material (which is usually not the case), it is nearly impossible to "view" something online without first downloading the contents to the computer (albeit, typically, to a "temp" folder which is typically cleaned on a regular basis based on parameters set into the computer settings --yes, I realize there was a bit of redundancy with the word choice I chose to use [I did that one on purpose!]). So I suppose my question here is whether or not this technicality has any implications towards the point you were making? <----Since I'm apparently on a grammar kick now, I'm not actually sure if that question mark was the appropriate punctuation to use :p
 

justalayman

Senior Member
many vids are streaming with an option to download.

Technically, even when streaming, it is downloaded although it is to a temp folder and not embedded into a general app in the computer so it is safer (although not totally safe). Downloading infers it is intentionally saved to a folder other than a temp folder which allows the computer to access whatever is within that folder and whatever is in that folder to interact with the computer.

So, viewing a vid is different that actually downloading it. Downloading exposes the computer to files that would not be installed or available should it be only in such a temp folder that is utilized only to allow the viewing of the video.
 

The Occultist

Senior Member
So just to verify, since I am completely ignorant of this, is this also how the legal system defines these concepts? have these been legislated? are they being decided by court cases? is it still a gray area due to lack of legislation and lack of trials due to settlements? (sorry if it appears I'm hijacking the OP!)
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top