Intellectual Freedom News 6/12/2020
Highlights
- ALA statement condemning police violence against BIPOC, protesters and journalists
- ALA’s IFC Approves New Guidelines on Contact Tracing, Reopening Libraries, Video Surveillance
Digital file package
available at the ALA Store
Library Services & COVID-19 Resources
- ALA COVID-19 Response
- Pandemic Preparedness: Resources for Libraries | American Library Association
- ‘Moving Forward: Key Findings from New Libraries’ COVID-19 Response Survey’ webinar on June 12 to explore results, trends, and reopening practices
- Vital and Visible: Academic Librarians Lead On Distance Learning | Library Journal
- Distance Learning: Supporting K–12 Learners | Library Journal
- ABC News places spotlight on libraries’ response to COVID-19
Censorship
- Removal of pride display causes controversy | The Star (IN)
- Library president blames Facebook furor on miscommunication | The Star (IN)
First Amendment, Free Speech, and Civil Liberties
- Appeals Court Blocks White House From Suspending Reporter’s Press Pass | New York Times
- Is free speech an ‘inviolable’ right or a cover for ‘hostile acts’? | Washington Post
- Free Expression During the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Timeline | NCAC Blogging Censorship
- Cory Booker Wants To End Qualified Immunity For Police Officers | NPR
- Trump’s Warped Definition of Free Speech | The Atlantic
- Trump’s Words Are Not Meaningless Ramblings | The Atlantic
Privacy and Cybersecurity
- The Police Have Been Spying on Black Reporters and Activists for Years. I Know Because I’m One of Them. | ProPublica
- Of course technology perpetuates racism. It was designed that way. MIT Technology Review
- How to get the Most out of Signal and Encrypted Chat | Wired
- Democratic senators raise concerns over government surveillance of protests | The Hill
- Big Tech’s role in policing the protests | Wired
- The two-year fight to stop Amazon from selling face recognition to the police | MIT Technology Review
- Senator wants to know if police are using Clearview to ID protesters | Ars Technica
- The case for banning facial recognition | New York Times
- IoT Security Is a Mess. Privacy ‘Nutrition’ Labels Could Help | Wired
- Helping Privacy Survive COVID-19: Inspirational Tidbits from William Marden, NYPL Director of Privacy and Compliance | Intellectual Freedom Blog
- Schools Turn to Surveillance Tech to Prevent Covid-19 Spread | Wired
Additional privacy posts, news, and updates are available at the Choose Privacy Every Day blog.
Access
- Coronavirus lockdowns heighten income inequities of school-from-home | Axios
- Who’s not online in America today? | Pew Charitable Trusts
- Google-backed drones will drop library books so kids in Virginia can do their summer reading | Washington Post
Net Neutrality & Broadband Access
- Cox slows Internet speeds in entire neighborhoods to punish any heavy users |Ars Technica
- America’s Broadband Moment: Creating a Broadband Competition Policy Agenda | Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Copyright
- Facebook, Instagram join Twitter in removing Trump campaign videos over copyright complaints | Politico
- Internet Archive ends “emergency library” early to appease publishers | Ars Technica
- Free books online? Who could be against that? | Washington Post
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- The Coming Campus Protests | Chronicle of Higher Education
Fake News, Free Press, Social Media
- The Internet’s most important—and misunderstood—law, explained | Ars Technica
- Zuckerberg: Facebook will review policies after backlash over Trump posts |The Guardian
- Social Media Under Pressure Part 1: Trump Lashes Out at Twitter | NCAC Blogging Censorship
- Social Media Under Pressure Part 2:Protests, Polarization, and Social Media Regulation | NCAC Blogging Censorship
Around the Web
- A Day in the Life of… ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books | Intellectual Freedom Blog
- Fighting censorship with blockchain… and Minecraft | Decrypt
- Statements From Libraries and Library Organizations Re: Racism and Increased Violence | Library Journal InfoDocket
- Black and white: why capitalization matters | Columbia Journalism Review
International Issues
- Swiss parliament paves way for coronavirus tracing app rollout this month | Reuters
- Poland rolls out privacy-secure coronavirus tracking app | Reuters
- The Censorship of COVID-19 Data Around the World | Foundation for Economic Education
- The cost of coronavirus censorship | Abacus News
ALA News
- Six trustees elected to the Freedom to Read Foundation Board
- Freedom to Read Foundation Announces Recipients of Fall 2020 Intellectual Freedom Course Scholarship
- BCALA and the ALA Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table collaborate on new Black Lives Matter Comics Reading List
- ALA Executive Board stands with BCALA in condemning violence and racism towards Black people and all People of Color
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