Intellectual Freedom News 10/19/18
October 19, 2018 – Collated by OIF Staff and News Editors
Intellectual Freedom Highlights
- Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression | Washington Post; “The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.”
- Appeasement doesn’t work | OIF Blog; “I asked the director, “Do you feel that you won over the folks who called you? Are they now library supporters?” The answer was no. In fact, they watched the library far more closely. They were now convinced of two things. First, the director could not be trusted. Clearly, she didn’t know her job. Second, but the good news was, she could be bullied into doing the right thing. But appeasement affected at least two other constituents, too.”
- Anyone can sue: Legal intimidation as a censorship tool | OIF Blog; “Of course, none of this means that the facts alleged in the complaint are true, or that the legal claims are valid. But given the costs of defending a lawsuit, and many organizations’ allergy to controversy, filing a legal complaint can function as an effective tool to intimidate and silence the target of the lawsuit, even if the lawsuit is baseless.The lawsuit filed by the Thomas More Society on behalf of the group “Pornography is Not Education” appears to fall into this category of legal bullying.”
Censorship
- Assigned book at Fort Myers school banned for vulgar, sexual content | ABC 7 (FL)
- The Good Censor document shows Google struggling with the challenges of content moderation | TechDirt
- Parents sue library group over graphic online porn in schools | The New American
Privacy
- Stronger Data-Privacy Protections for Students and Teachers Needed, Report Argues | Education Week
- Educator Toolkit for Teacher and Student Privacy: A Practical Guide for Protecting Personal Data | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy / Badass Teachers’ Association
- Sen. Markey: Kids Need Online Privacy ‘Constitution’ | Multichannel News
- NYC Libraries Take the Lead for Digital Privacy Week | Government Technology
- Libraries to help empower New Yorkers on digital privacy | Smart Cities World
- Library protects privacy of patrons | Indiana Gazette
- Legislation to upgrade NJ Reader Privacy laws clears committee | Monroe Now (NJ)
- TSA announces “biometrics vision for all commercial aviation travelers” | The Identity Project
- Apple will now let US users download all of their data | The Verge
- How Google is letting apps read your emails with privacy policy loopholes | C|Net
- Facebook Hack Included Search History and Location Data of Millions | The New York Times
See this week’s additional privacy news and updates on the Choose Privacy Everyday blog.
Net Neutrality and Broadband Access
- Iowa: Rural broadband, and the unknown costs of the digital divide | Columbia Journalism Review
- There may soon be three internets. America’s won’t necessarily be the best. | New York Times
- Net neutrality’s end will let power eat the internet | Foreign Policy
- Congress, more than a dozen states consider legislation to expand broadband access | Pew Trusts
- Filtering out the bots: What Americans really told the FCC about net neutrality repeal | Center for Internet and Society (Stanford Law School)
- Are you one of the 800,000 Tennesseans without broadband service? Here’s what the state is doing about it | Tennessean
- Ajit Pai killed rules that could have helped Florida recover from hurricane | Ars Technica
Access
- Anti-tax fervor closed their libraries. Now residents are trying to go it alone. | New York Times
- Harvard admissions trial opens with arguments focused on diversity | Chronicle of Higher Education
- From hotspots to school bus Wi-Fi, districts seek out solutions to ‘homework gap’ | EdSurge
- How miniature therapy horses help meet a need at the Arlington Heights library | Daily Herald (IL)
Internet Filters
- How are your schools protecting what’s on their computers? | WBRC (Alabama)
- The iPhone’s New Parental Controls Block Searches for Sex Ed, Allow Violence and Racism | Motherboard
Copyright
- ‘Meme bans’ and ‘link taxes’: a copyright reform explainer | Niagra Falls Review
Free Press, Social Media, and Fake News
- How Students Engage with News: Five Takeaways for Educators, Journalists, and Librarians | Project Information Literacy
- Juan Williams says there is no real separation between Fox News, Trump administration | The Hill
- Facebook accused of ‘censorship’ after deleting video on Christopher Columbus by Guardian journalist George Monbiot | Press Gazette
- Fewer mugshots, less naming and shaming: How editors in Cleveland are trying to build a more compassionate newsroom | Nieman Lab
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- Rutgers University cancels appearance of Fox News guest … which was about free speech on campus | Media-ite
- Kennesaw State, student group settle campus speech lawsuit | Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Chinese companies seek to buy U.S. campuses | Inside Higher Ed
First Amendment and Free Speech
- Supreme Court agrees to hear a case that could determine whether Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies can censor their users | CNBC.com
- PEN America files lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump for First Amendment | PEN America
- District judge dismisses Stormy Daniels’ claim of defamation against Trump | Constitutional Law Prof Blog
- Trump administration proposes tough rules on protests | The Hill
- We should protest proposed restrictions on White House protests | Freedom Forum Institute
- Arpaio files libel suit against the New York Times, claiming it undercut his chances to run again for Senate | Washington Post
Around the Web
- Hostility Toward LGBTQ Students May Be Rising in Schools, Survey Finds | Education Week
- The urge to censor, or: “Everything you think is true” | OIF Blog
- Some parents upset group gave Wellington Elementary students book with chapters like ‘Sex after 60’ | WPTV (FL)
- Father outraged over AIDS coloring book child received from school | WIVB
- Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. will finally make it to the big screen | W Magazine
International Issues
- Ontario school board accused of pressuring teachers not to teach ‘racist’ To Kill a Mockingbird | London Free Press
- Censorship under military dictators was bad. It may be worse in a democracy. | New York Times
- Dramatic slowdown in global growth of internet access | The Guardian
- Google’s CEO says tests of censored Chinese search engine turned out great | Wired
- Hungary officially ends gender studies programs | Inside Higher Ed
- GCSE textbook saying working-class pupils lack right attitudes to succeed to be rewritten | Independent
- Five galleries cease programming at Arts Commons after censorship controversy | Calgary Herald
- Experts: Clear definition of jihadi books needed before arrest | Dhaka Tribune
ALA News
- Public libraries invited to apply for $10,000 American Dream grants for adult literacy services | ALA Member News
- GLBTRT seeks nominations for 2019 awards recognizing outstanding service to the LGBTQ community | ALA News
- Nominations open for 2019 IFRT John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award | ALA Member News; “This award, presented annually, honors notable contributions to intellectual freedom and demonstrations of personal courage in defense of freedom of expression by a living individual, group or organization. The award consists of a citation and $500.”
- Volunteer to serve on ALA, Council, and joint committees for 2019 – 2021 | ALA Member News
- National writing contest launches to engage communities with literature | ALA News
- Nominations open for 2019 EMIERT Distinguished Librarian Award | ALA News
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