Why is this important?

In the United States, access to the Internet is controlled by both governments and corporations. The right to information may exist, but no corporation is responsible for fulfilling this right and can restrict the ways its software, programs, and platforms are used. Private corporations simply have no obligation to offer free access to information. As a result, information about sexual health and reproductive rights is frequently curtailed.

People in the United States enjoy freedom of speech and access to information at a level that is not found in many other places. However, people who access the Internet through public computer terminals at libraries may have their ability to access information about sexuality limited.

Policies regulating funds granted to public libraries require libraries to adhere to technology protection measures, as part of the mandate in the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The stated goal of CIPA is to prevent minor’s access to “harmful content.” In libraries this is done through use of filtering software designed by corporations. Access to certain websites is denied based on blacklists or lists of prohibited keywords created by the corporations that design the software. Because no concrete definition of “harmful content” has been established and agreed upon, varying interpretations have lead to unequal access to online sexuality information. The ways in which access is implemented varies among individual libraries and differ based on city, county, and state.

By understanding how content filtering systems limit access to information about sexuality, we hope to create a national and international dialogue about public access to online sexual health information.