July 21, 2017 – Collated by OIF Staff and News Interns

Intellectual Freedom Highlights

• Free Webinar | Get GIFy with it: How to go viral during Banned Books Week August 2, 2017 @ 1pm CST
• Controversial book to remain in Sauk Prairie school curriculum | Sauk Prairie Eagle (Wisconsin), “The Sauk Prairie School Board announced in a July 14 press release “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie will stay part of the ninth-grade English curriculum. The decision was made unanimously during a closed session meeting of the school board July 10.”

Censorship

• Conejo censorship sets chilling precedent | Ventura County Star (CA); “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”
• Graphic book pulled from Colorado Springs middle school | KOAA (CO); “Perfect Chemistry”
• Shuttered Mexican-American studies program back in court | The New York Times

Privacy

• U.S. appeals court upholds gag orders on FBI data surveillance | Reuters
• Security news this week: White House exposes the info of privacy-concerned voters | Wired
• Apple’s privacy pledge complicates its AI push | Wired
• Efforts to estimate scope of FISA intrusion on Americans halts under Trump administration | The Washington Times
• California heads effort to restore internet privacy protections | Legal Reader
• No one should have to guess meaning of surveillance laws | Human Rights Watch; “Court hearing highlights problem of secret Justice Department opinions”

See this week’s privacy updates on the Choose Privacy Week blog.

Net Neutrality

• Librarians Read FCC Title II Riot Act | Multichannel News
• Net Neutrality or continued innovation? Can’t we have both? | Forbes
• Assault on net neutrality looks out for big biz – not you | Chicago Sun Times
• Major tech firms, internet providers class over U.S. net neutrality rules | Reuters

Academic Freedom/ Campus Speech

• When is speech violence?  | The New York Times
  • Why It’s a Bad Idea to Tell Students Words Are Violence | The Atlantic
• The manufactured free speech crisis | The Detroit News
• Professor reinstated after GOP student assault accusation | The New York Times
• A tweet with consequences | Inside Higher Ed
  • On second thought…| Inside Higher Ed
• Trigger warnings ahead | Inside Higher Ed

First Amendment Issues

• Twitter Users Sue to Enjoin the President’s Twitter Blocking Based on Political Viewpoint | Lawfare
• Belle Plaine, Minnesota believes in religious freedom – but may not for Satanists | Newseum
• Full 4th circuit invalidates legislator-led prayer, could lead to Supreme Court review | Newseum

Around the Web

• Evanston librarian who criticized library’s diversity to be paid $110,000 severance | Chicago Tribune
• Game of Thrones made it abundantly clear why real medieval libraries chained their books | Time
• Judge tosses conviction of woman who laughed during Sessions hearing | The Hill
  • Retrial for former librarian in Sessions laugh case | American Libraries
• FY 2018 library funding remains uncut by House Appropriations Committee | District Dispatch

International Issues

• Public libraries no longer safe haven from hatred | Toronto Sun (Canada)
• China users report WhatsApp disruption amid censorship fears | ABC News
• Knesset passes law allowing courts to censor internet | Haaretz (Israel)
• French court refers ‘right to be forgotten’ dispute to top EU court | Reuters
• New TASCHA & IFLA report explores how access to information contributes to development | University of Washington iSchool
• The Irish writers banned in their own land | Irish Examiner

ALA News

• ALA council adopts interpretation on politics and equity, diversity, and inclusion | ALA News
• Open call for submissions to Journal of Intellectual Freedom & Privacy 
• Every child has a right to read; “Reading by Right” available in the ALA Store
• The American Library Association continues the fight for an open internet for all. In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), ALA questions the need to review current net neutrality rules and urges regulators to maintain the strong, enforceable rules already in place. Press Release
• At the 2017 Annual Conference in Chicago, ALA Council passed a resolution calling for libraries to preserve and make available factual, scientific data, information and literature both from government and citizen sources pointing to evidence of global climate change. The resolution is in response to the current Administration’s removal of data and information files on global climate change from the websites of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Action Plan on Climate Change. Press Release
• ALA Council resolution calls for libraries to create responsible spaces. As part of the Committee on Diversity report, this resolution is in response to a documented increase in hate crimes occurring in libraries.
  Press Release

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