Viewing Porn on Puyallup Public Library Computers Sparks Outrage

Some people in Puyallup, WA are using free library computers and internet to access pornographic videos and images with children nearby. The Puyallup Public Library said it’s against the law to view child pornography, but everything else is free rein. The library said they don’t allow illegal activity, but their policy, following the American Library Association’s recommendation on first amendment rights, allows patrons to view pornography at public computers with a privacy screen.

According to the National Conference of State Legislature’s website, more than 25 states have internet filtering laws that apply to schools and or libraries. Washington State is not one of them. Back in 2003, legislation was introduced in the State Senate that would require public libraries in Washington State to install internet filtering software to block sexually explicit material. The bill made it out the Senate, but died in the House.

Puyallup resident Elaine Smith, expressed concern about the ability to access pornography at the public library saying: “Children are allowed to look at stuff at the library, there’s no filters, there’s no age restrictions, there’s not anything. “So if they [children] know how to access that kind of information they can get it.”  (KOMO 4 News, August 3, 2018)
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Libraries have been advocates for a right to access information long before the digital age. Book banning and burning has been a national pastime for various sections of the population for decades, and libraries have always stood in the face of that, advocating in the belief that people have a right to read, learn, and access everything the world has to offer.

Filtering / censoring access to information in public libraries is always a bad idea. There's a slippery slope: if we start with pornography, where do we go from there? What's appropriate in the eyes of one person might be wildly offensive to someone else.

The ALA published a rep​ort investigating the use of filters and found they were disproportionately blocking out left-leaning views on issues such as gay marriage and abortion. LGBT community websites were often blocked and identified as "sexual" sites.

They also found that low-income individuals are more impacted by filters. If you're able to afford internet at home and aren't finding the information you need at school or the library because it's blocked out, the easy solution is to head home and Google it there. But for those whose only access point to the internet is at school or the public library, filters can choke out their ability to have the same access to information as their peers. Libraries in lower-income communities are also more likely to have filters because they lean on government funding and can't afford separate labs.

Now, as responsible adults, we should consider the affect of material we may be viewing on children around us. But, censorship of information in public libraries is never appropriate.