SEATTLE — There’s a controversy brewing in the Seattle Public Library system after a local mom says she saw someone watching pornography on a library computer. And it turns out there’s nothing she could do to stop it.
Well, the library says this is really an issue about censorship and they’re not going to stop their customers from accessing information that is protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Still, some parents were shocked to hear that just about anybody can look at porn – right out in the open.
“It’s just shocking, i feel like i can’t really do anything,” said patron Ebony Booker.
Nearly a dozen computers sit out in the open at the Beacon Hill library branch. The desktops are available for anyone to cruise the Web, look for a job, or even look at porn.
“I’m sorry, somebody looking at porn, that should be something you do at home alone,” said patron Fredrick Reid.
The latest complaint was made at the Beacon Hill branch. The mom said she and her kids won’t come back until the computers are moved into a separate room away from the rest of the library.
The computers in the nearby children’s section cannot access adult content from the Internet; filtering software keeps the stuff from popping up. But the other computers don’t use any censoring software at all, and that concerns some parents.
“I just feel like it’s not very safe and I wouldn’t want my child to come across that information without my approval,” added Booker.
But not everyone is upset over this issue. Some people say there are legitimate, academic reasons to look up pornography on a public computer.
“A UW student was doing a paper on feminism and pornography, and they needed to do research for a dissertation,” said patron Zoe Wilson.
Seattle Public Libraries said they will call police if they suspect someone is looking at child porn or anything else that’s illegal.
In fact, in August, police arrested a 61-year-old man who they say was looking at child porn inside the Monroe library. The man was charged with viewing child pornography.
But most of the library patrons in Seattle agreed that policing the Internet should be a job for parents, not library employees.
“Libraries are not babysitters,” said Erin Okuno. “When I bring my kids here, I need to know where they are at all times and what they are looking at. Whether it’s a book, whether it’s a computer, whether it’s a magazine, until they’re old enough to make those decisions, I’m still their parent. “
And it’s not just the computers – the Wi-Fi is also free to the public without censorship.
And just like the library doesn’t censor what books people check out, they won’t censor what Web sites people look at either.
Samanthav28
This is exactly why I stopped supporting my local libraries. And insist my son not go. I saw this in the Everett Library when my son was younger. The library there also had the same attitude about patron's watching it. I no longer go myself. I feel so uncomfortable being there. When all you have to do is walk by on accident and see that. I encourage others to go buy their books these days. Libraries are no longer safe in my opinion for my family. Other people's immoral behaviors are favored and protected over my child's mental safety.
And if you have a school paper on porn. wow what a great excuse.
valkurareigns
Stop being so melodramatic.
Samantha VanDusen
Stop getting your rocks off in public places and you won’t have to worry about melodrama. Didn’t realize trying to teach your children in a library interferes with you or anyone else’s sex life. My bad for having some kind of cooth about myself and and find it completely inappropriate.
valkurareigns
I'm not sure where I stand in this debate and that's why it's fascinating to me, but I do know that no longer going to any library because there's a chance you might glimpse some porn if you walk by computers is irrational and paranoid. It's just porn — it's not going to kill you, and it's not going to turn your son insane.
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