The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a United States federal law enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children's access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. CIPA imposes certain requirements on schools and libraries that receive discounts for Internet access or internal connections through the E-rate program – a program that makes certain communications services and products more affordable for eligible schools and libraries.
Requirements of CIPA
To comply with CIPA, schools and libraries must:
Adopt and implement an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures designed to block or filter access by minors to pictures that are:ObsceneChild pornographyHarmful to minors
Provide reasonable access to unfiltered or blocked content for minors for educational or research purposes
Notify parents or guardians of the Internet safety policy and allow them to review the technology protection measures
Annually review the Internet safety policy and technology protection measures
Benefits of CIPA
CIPA has a number of benefits, including:
Helping to protect children from exposure to obscene or harmful content online
Providing parents and guardians with peace of mind knowing that their children are using the internet in a safe and responsible manner
Encouraging schools and libraries to adopt and implement internet safety policies and procedures
Challenges of CIPA
CIPA also faces a number of challenges, including:
The difficulty of defining and filtering "harmful to minors" content
The potential for overblocking of legitimate content
The cost of implementing and maintaining technology protection measures
The challenge of educating parents and guardians about CIPA and internet safety
Conclusion
The Children's Internet Protection Act is an important law that helps to protect children from exposure to obscene or harmful content online. However, CIPA also faces a number of challenges. It is important to strike a balance between protecting children and ensuring that they have access to the information and resources they need to learn and grow.
Recent Developments
In recent years, there have been a number of developments related to CIPA. In 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a new rule that requires schools and libraries to provide reasonable access to unfiltered or blocked content for minors for educational or research purposes. The FCC also issued a guidance document that provides schools and libraries with information on how to comply with the new rule.
In 2021, the FCC proposed a new rule that would require schools and libraries to use more sophisticated technology protection measures to block or filter access to sexually explicit content. The proposed rule also would require schools and libraries to provide parents and guardians with more information about the technology protection measures that are being used.
CIPA is an important law that helps to protect children from exposure to obscene or harmful content online. However, it is important to ensure that CIPA is implemented in a way that does not infringe on the First Amendment rights of students and library patrons.
