In Utah, lawmakers are attempting in make it harder for pornography to be accessed, especially in libraries. A new bill has been introduced that would make it compulsory for library WiFi filtering to be implemented to block patrons from accessing pornography. That bill has now been signed off by a group of Utah senators, bringing the compulsory use of library WiFi filtering closer to being written into the state legislature.
Last year, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, was heavily involved in a campaign to raise awareness of the problems related to the accessing of hardcore pornography, with the senator claiming the use of pornography had now become “a public health crisis.”
Sen. Weiler, was not alone in his thinking. Many people supported the campaign and agreed that pornography was particularly damaging for minors, that its use threatened marriages and was contributing to the rise in sexual violence.
Library WiFi filtering is a contentious issue. While many libraries across the United States have implemented a WiFi filter to block pornography and other harmful images to protect minors and obtain government grants and discounts, many librarians are opposed to library WiFi filtering.
Libraries are places of learning where individuals can come to gain access to all types of information. The use of Internet filtering in libraries is seen as excessively curbing civil liberties and undermining freedom of speech. Public opinion is similarly divided, although many individuals would not want to catch a glimpse of hardcore pornography on another patron’s computer, and even less so their children.
In Utah, the majority of libraries have already implemented library WiFi filtering software. Weiler says that there are more than 100 public libraries in the state and that the larger libraries are already filtering out pornography. However, he pointed out that there are a dozen or so smaller library branches that have yet to implement Internet filtering on WiFi networks.
In the case of small libraries, there may not be sufficient funds available for WiFi filtering solutions to be purchased, even if by implementing those solutions savings could be made through the eRate program. Sen. Weiler appreciates that the cost of implementing a software solution may be prohibitively expensive for smaller libraries, which is why he is requesting $50,000 from the state budget to be made available to smaller libraries via a grant program. Those grants could then be used to pay for Internet filtering solutions for libraries in the state that have yet to purchase a filtering solution.
Now that the bill has been signed off, it will go before the senate for debate, although there is a high probability that the bill will be written into state law. Support for Sen. Weiler’s anti-pornography campaign last year was strong and many members of the chamber and house of representatives backed Sen. Weiler’s campaign last year. The campaign also received public backing from the governor of Utah.