Monitory/Rights
An awesome piece by Twanna A. Hines detailing her first foray into electronic censorship:
I heard Facebook removed an obscene picture of a breastfeeding woman, and Craigslist tightened the reins on their erotic services section. However, like many people, I wasn’t overly-concerned with electronic censorship — that is, until it directly affected me.
…
I go to the library because the threesome that includes my work, laptop and little brown me are welcome there. At least I thought we were until we were thrown into the lot with child pornographers.
Settling in for a long day’s work at the Mid-Manhattan branch located on 40th Street and 5th Avenue, I ride the elevator to the second floor, set my personal laptop on the docking station table, tap into the free wifi and pull my chair to the table’s edge. Creativity, like all living sources, requires feeding; therefore, I write regular entries on my blog, www.funkybrownchick.com, to keep the momentum going.
“The site you are trying to access has been blocked by the New York Public Library,” the warning screen shouted. Sites containing visual depictions of obscenity, child pornography, and materials that are “harmful to minors” trigger the block.
I’d been banned, tagged as a “sex” website. Not surprising, I guess. I’m a dating, sex and relationships writer. I scribble articles about men who wear thongs, technology and sex, how to enhance consensual adult play with toys and other juicy topics that (I hope!) bring pleasure to people who read my work.
…
I mouthed off on Twitter, blasting my complaint to more than 1,400 of my followers. Dishing about the incident on my high-traffic blog — Funky Brown Chick, the same one that NYPL banned — I typed, “Book burning = bad. Banning sex ed websites = good. Okay. Got it.”
To be clear, I don’t expect NYPL to give underage patrons access to images of porn.
Where’s the line and who decides what’s on the wrong side of it?
The full article is a must read. Find it here.
