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Thus, neither sex education, nor political discussion of sexual issues, nor sexually explicit health sites, need to be blocked to comply with CIPA.
Third, schools and libraries subject to CIPA should promptly disable filters on request from adults or, if permitted by the portion of the law that applies to them, from minors as well.
Finally, all of us need to educate ourselves and each other about noncensorship approaches to online literacy and safety. Despite the superficial appeal of filters, they are not a solution to concerns about pornography or other questionable content online. Media literacy, sex education, and free speech are the best ways to protect the next generation.
Marjorie Heins
Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice Founder & Coordinator, Free Expression Policy Project
This Foreword was adapted from Marjorie Heins’s Introduction to Internet Filters: A Public Policy Report (Free Expression Policy Project, Brennan Center for Justice, 2006).