Intellectual Freedom News 5/14/2021
Highlights
- Applications Open for FTRF Banned Books Week Celebration Grants; “Each year the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) distributes grants to support activities that raise awareness of intellectual freedom and censorship issues during the annual Banned Books Week celebration. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” Banned Books Week runs from Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2021 and the grants of $1,000 or $2,500 are offered through the Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund. Visit the Freedom to Read Foundation online to apply and learn more about past recipients and their projects. Deadline: June 4, 2021.”
Censorship
- Tammany schools avoid health books addressing gender identity, orientation after public outcry | NOLA.com
- Loudoun School Critics Target ‘Dirty’ Books as Recall Petitions Circulate | Loudoun Now
- Book ban request under evaluation | The Timberjay
- A Florida classroom offered a book inspired by the killing of Tamir Rice. Police decried it as ‘propaganda.’ | The Washington Post
- School halts use of fictional book in which a cop kills a Black child | South Florida Sun Sentinel
- A school district tried to address racism, a group of parents fought back | CNN
- Republicans announce federal bills to ‘restrict the spread’ of critical race theory | NBC News
- ‘Unbiased Teaching Act’ advances in the Arizona Legislature | KOLD News 13 (AZ)
- North Carolina House approves bill to limit teaching of race | Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Here’s why Bellingham school officials are being harassed by far-right websites | The Bellingham Herald
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Federal Court Permits Warrantless Device Searches at Border | Security Boulevard
- New Report: From the Filing Cabinet to the Cloud: Updating the Privacy Act of 1974 | World Privacy Forum
- Massachusetts Homes in on Facial Recognition Accountability | Government Technology
- Over 25% Of Tor Exit Relays Spied On Users’ Dark Web Activities | The Hacker News
More privacy news is available at the Voices for Privacy blog.
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
- 2 Oklahoma Boys Pulled From Class for ‘Black Lives Matter’ T-Shirts | The New York Times
- Students of All Ages Should Not Lose First Amendment Rights at School | First Amendment Watch
- Michigan GOP lawmaker floats bill to register, fine ‘fact checkers’ | The Detroit News
- Why the First Amendment can’t protect Trump on Facebook or Twitter | CNET
- Did DeSantis violate First Amendment with Fox News-only bill signing? | Tampa Bay Times
- ACLU sues Florida over law targeting ballot initiatives | The Hill
- Federal lawsuit challenging Florida anti-riot bill claims law targets Black protesters | The Daytona Beach News-Journal
- While Republicans Cry About Cancel Culture, They’re Canceling Democracy | Slate
- Biden administration revives anti-bias protections in health care for transgender people | The Washington Post
- New Lawsuit Argues That D.C.’s Ban on Dancing at Weddings Violates the First Amendment | Reason
- Fourth Circuit Finds Racist Slur Used by Former Military Officer Is Protected Speech | Courthouse News Service
- The Non-First Amendment Law of Freedom of Speech | Harvard Law Review
Access
- Fighting for libraries and eBooks | Cranston Herald
Net Neutrality & Broadband Access
- ISPs Funded 8.5 Million Fake Comments Opposing Net Neutrality | WIRED
- How the FCC Will Help Schools and Libraries Bridge the Digital Divide | Benton Institute for Broadband and Society
- The government wants to pay your Internet bill for a few months. Here’s what you need to do. | The Washington Post
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- The Academic Concept Conservative Lawmakers Love to Hate | The Chronicle of Higher Education
- ND governor vetoes penalizing state colleges over abortions | The Washington Post
- Statement on Academic Freedom at Columbia University | National Coalition Against Censorship
- Opinion: Rutgers will not stifle speech | The Washington Post
- The case for quoting the n-word in university classrooms | The Washington Post
Copyright
Social Media
- Whether it’s Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok or Twitter — GLAAD says all social media is unsafe for LGBTQ+ users | The Hill
- Lawsuit against Snap over teen’s suicide could test platform protections | The Seattle Times
- Clubhouse Bans Far-Right Figure Laura Loomer Over Reported Anti-Muslim Remarks | Newsweek
- Extending the Trump Ban Won’t Heal Facebook’s Deeper Sickness | Foreign Policy
- More than 40 attorneys general ask Facebook to abandon plans to build Instagram for kids | CNBC
- The Unseen Teen The Challenges of Building Healthy Tech for Young People | Data & Society
Journalism & Media
- ‘Direct Attack on the First Amendment’: Trump DOJ Secretly Obtained Washington Post Journalists’ Phone Records | Common Dreams
- Trump Justice Department secretly obtained Post reporters’ phone records | The Washington Post
Information Literacy & Disinformation
- ‘A Perpetual Motion Machine’: How Disinformation Drives Voting Laws | The New York Times
- Graphic novel tackles disinformation around COVID-19 Vaccine and critical 5G infrastructure | Yahoo! Finance
- These Moderators Are Fighting Disinformation on Reddit’s Largest Coronavirus Forum | City Beat
- Inside one network cashing in on vaccine disinformation | Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Secretaries of State Call for Help on Election Disinformation | StateTech
- Disinformation can hurt you locally, too | CQ Roll Call
- Opinion: How to Consume Media in the Age of Misinformation and Disinformation | Pepperdine University Graphic
- Fact-checkers can blunt the threat of disinformation | Poynter
- Facebook is observing a ‘steady growth’ in disinformation-for-hire services | Cyber Scoop
International News
- Microsoft’s LinkedIn Accused by Noted China Critic of Censorship | Bloomberg
- Palestinians denounce ‘censorship’ of content by Instagram and Twitter | WION
- U.K. Adds Anti-‘Censorship’ Clause to Online Safety Bill | Bloomberg
- Campus free speech law in England ‘likely to have opposite effect’ | The Guardian
- Lies on Social Media Inflame Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | The New York Times
Around the Web
- Banning My Book Won’t Protect Your Child | The New York Times
- The Philip Roth biography is canceled, Mike Pence’s book could be next — and publishing may never be the same | The Washington Post
- Lowell drag event met with some resistance | WZZM
- How ‘The Good Asian’ comic book series uses detective noir to explore anti-Asian racism | The Press-Enterprise
- People of color have a new enemy: techno-racism | ABC 17 News
- The Original Kings of Esports, or, Why Are Esports So Segregated? | The Atlantic
- Eight Unusual SFF Librarians Who (Probably) Won’t Shush You | Tor.com
ALA News
- ALA prepares for new Emergency Connectivity Fund implementation
- ALSC invites applications for the ALSC Research Agenda Grant
- Mary Davis Fournier named PLA executive director
ALA Publishing
Awards and Grants
- Calvert County Public Schools named National School Library of the Year
- Public Libraries Magazine announces 2021 Feature Article Contest winners
- Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award winner is Dr. Cindy Anh Nguyen
- Nicaragua 3D printing project wins 2021 International Relations Round Table (IRRT) Awards Mission Enhancement Grant
- Rebecca Caufman receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
- Matia Edwards receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
- Janet Parrish receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
- Chris Peeler receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
- Melissa Raymer receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
- Maryland Association of School Librarians receives AASL Chapter of the Year Award
eCourses and Webinars
- Learn Design and Marketing Skills with RUSA
- United for Libraries’ May 25 Learning Live session to focus on Friends of the Library & the Future of Booksales
Subscribe to future issues of Intellectual Freedom News, a free weekly compilation of news delivered to your inbox by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, including
- current book challenges in libraries and schools
- articles about privacy, internet filtering and censorship
- ALA activities, conferences and institutes, products, online learning opportunities, awards and grants, international exchanges, and more
- how to get involved and make the most of what ALA offers