Some librarians grimaced last year as federal lawmakers considered the Deleting Online Predators Act — a bill that would have required libraries to block minors from using public computers to visit social networks, chat rooms, and perhaps some other sites.
But a newly proposed measure, also meant to shield children from bad guys on the Web, looks a bit more palatable to librarians. The Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, introduced yesterday by a group of five senators, focuses chiefly on requiring Internet-service providers to report child pornography, according to CNET News.
The bill calls on schools to develop educational campaigns about online safety, but it doesn’t ask librarians to clamp down on Web access. —Brock Read
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