The Internet explosion over the last decade has given most Americans access to almost any information desired, providing a highway for pornography and other indecent material.

In fear of the effects this material might have on the nation’s youth, Congress last year passed the Children’s Internet Protection Act, which will take effect April 20. The legislation would require public schools and public libraries to equip their computers with Internet filtering software in order to prevent children from viewing indecent material.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Librarian Association and other organizations across the country are opposed to the legislation, claiming it to be a form of unconstitutional censorship. The ACLU filed a request for injunction on March 20 in an attempt to stop the act from taking effect.

Ben Stone, executive director of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, said he is against the federal government requiring public libraries to have Internet filters.

“The government has no right to cut you off and shut you off from that information,” he said.

Stone said the ACLU has not decided if it will file for public school libraries.

Another problem, he said, is the filters sometimes block more than they are supposed to.

“We call [filters] blocking software – they block a lot of stuff,” Stone said, “far more than what is necessary.”

Scott Dermont, automation specialist at the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave., said filters do not always work.

“We found that they did block sites that were objectionable, but they also blocked ones that were not,” he said.

Dermont said the filters often block words like “association” because of the first three letters in the word. He said they can even block certain politicians’ Web sites.

The Ames Public Library does not have filters on their main computers because it can be viewed as a violation of free speech, Dermont said. However, the library does have two computers available for youths and their parents in the Youth Services Department. These computers do have filtering systems.

“We felt it would be less likely for kids to stumble upon objectionable sites,” Dermont said.

Kathryn Serby, media specialist at Ames High School, said the school does not have any Internet filters because “sometimes they will block out sites needed for student research.”

The school does make an effort to keep kids off of objectionable sites by having supervisors in all computer labs with all screens facing them, she said. The computers help out as well because they track the sites students visit.

“The `back’ button is your best friend,” she said.

One of the main goals at Ames High, Serby said, is to help students “develop responsibility.” She said letting students surf the Internet without a filter helps them become more responsible.

Stone said if public libraries want to keep people from viewing indecent material on the Web they should “just put the computers in the middle of the room.”

“That is deterrence that works,” he said.

Dermont said the Ames Public Library puts monitors in the actual desk so others cannot see what is being looked at.

He said putting computers in the middle of the room is “kind of a double-edged sword. Some people just don’t care.”

Dermont said he is not opposed to the filters as a whole.

“I could see it in a home environment,” he said. “It’s a parent’s prerogative to do that.”

If the act goes into effect, the Ames library and schools will have to install the software.