Controlling the Internet

This week I learned a great deal about CIPA/COPPA laws. I believe a family is the first line of protection for children. Children have the right to receive adequate care and grow up in a safe environment. Children’s access to the Internet can expose them to inappropriate and harmful material. Some children unintentionally confront pornography and sites that promote hate and violence. Children are vulnerable to violation in many places and they need the world to advocate for them.

I think the Child Internet Protection Act is a good law that was intended to protect children but still needs improvement. The statute requires that libraries receiving E-rate discounts or LSTA or ESEA funds for computers or Internet access adopt a policy for minors and adults that includes blocking or filtering technology, even if minors are unlikely to use their computers. However, every state doesn’t receive federal funding because many public institutions believe that CIPA is unconstitutional. Therefore, this leaves many places without internet filtering protection. I think the law needs to cover every single state in public and school settings whether they receive funding or not and it shouldn’t be optional.

For instance, the Chicago Public Library doesn’t have internet filters and pornography has been a nuisance for many of our patrons and staff. The Chicago Public Library argues that patrons’ right to view pornography is protected by the first amendment. Staff is not allowed to tell patrons they can’t view pornography, and we can’t look over their shoulders to see what they’re watching either. There are children in the library all the time and they may see vulgar images that are on the internet. So, what CPL does is use privacy screens on most of the computers which aren’t enough, we just have to tolerate the behavior and leave children unprotected from obscene material. In my library, for example, the library's computers are positioned next to the children's reading area, so children can be easily exposed to sexually explicit material and we don’t have privacy screens at our branch. One thing we do attempt to do is keep adults away from the children’s area. No adults can use the designated children’s area, attend a program for children, or use a designated children’s computer without being accompanied by a child or a need for the children’s collection. The library should be a safe place for parents and children, and we need stricter laws to protect children’s innocence.

According to an FTC guide to COPPA, the online protection and privacy act only applied to kids age 12 and younger because younger children were deemed “particularly vulnerable to overreaching by online marketers and subject to greater safety risk.” The idea that 13 is the age at which kids become internet savvy seems absurd. I don’t think that children under 13 years old is the proper age that COPPA should target. The statement made by Danah Boyd about parents’ allowing their children to lie about their age could have some truth to it, but this isn’t the case for all parents. At least I’m not one of those parents. I value having some age restriction guidelines, but I also believe it’s about maturity and content. I do agree with Danah Boyd that COPPA is not achieving its goal of privacy protection and should be re-evaluated. Many websites mention age restrictions, but there is no way to actually verify the age of children creating profiles. So, unfortunately, they are still at risk unless the parents have parental controls set up on the child’s phone.

Digital entities should be restricted from collecting personal information from all constituents, especially any individual that hasn’t at least attained the age of 17. They are just as vulnerable as a 12-year-old and still need guidance and someone to be responsible for them. If adults barely read privacy policies or terms of use, there is no way teens 13-17 years of age are going to read them. There are so many risks that minors face when online today, because of the major risk and dangers, there is a need to update CIPA and COPPA requirements to ensure more protection to minors.

Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions. (2020, January 22). Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions

[Photograph of CIPA] (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2020, from https://www.google.com/search?q=CIPA+IMAGES&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS858US858&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjW58uTz9nnAhWRdt8KHbUkA9oQ_AUoAnoECAwQBA&biw=1440&bih=695#imgrc=SywEOl8OlC6FNM

Library Use Guidelines. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.chipublib.org/library-use-guidelines/

Relay by Lightspeed Systems is the #1 Web Filter for CIPA compliance. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2020, from https://www.lightspeedsystems.com/cipa/