Say NO to San Jose Library Internet Filtering

On Tuesday, April 21, at 7pm, the San José City Council will consider a proposal that would limit public access to important information by imposing filtering on the Internet terminals in public libraries. If you live or work in San José, please attend this meeting and join us in opposing this proposal.

The Council meeting agenda includes a proposal by Councilmember Constant that would require the use of filtering and blocking software on all Internet-accessible computers in San José libraries. The ACLU of Northern California strongly opposes this proposal because blocking and filtering software impedes access to websites with important information about healthcare, art, sexuality, politics, and other topics.

Studies have consistently shown that filtering software blocks sites that should not be blocked. Examples of sites that have been blocked by filtering software include:

• World War II history sites;
• PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – a LGBT support and advocacy group);
• Univision.com;
• the American Urological Association; and
• Victims of Pornography (an anti-pornography support group).

For more information about library Internet censorship, click here.

Precious taxpayer money should be spent on providing the library with greater resources and on funding programs that actually improve child safety, not on software that limits access to important information on health care, sex education, civil rights, and politics.

Help ensure the protection of free speech by coming to City Hall (see map) on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 7pm and telling Mayor Reed and the San José City Council to keep Internet access open in libraries. And please forward this message to concerned friends and ask them to join you.

If you are not able to attend the meeting, please take action by contacting the City Council today and expressing your opposition to this proposal.

For additional information, please read:

• A letter to Mayor Reed from ACLU-NC opposing the proposal (pdf);
• The ACLU-NC's resource page on library Internet filtering;
• A memo from Vice Mayor Chirco, Councilmember Kalra, and Councilmember Liccardo opposing the proposal;
• a supplemental memo from Councilmember Constant and Mayor Reed supporting the proposal; and
• a  second memo from Councilmember Constant  supporting the proposal.