Weiser library will be required to install filter on Wi-Fi access

Weiser library officials are waiting for direction from the state on how to comply with a law that requires libraries to filter Wi-Fi to prevent access to pornographic material on laptops, smart phones and other portable devices.
 The filtering mandate for public libraries in Idaho was contained in House Bill 194, which was signed into law in April by Gov. Brad Little.
 Lawmakers said existing law did not anticipate the use of personal laptop computers, tablets and smart phones gaining access through the publicly provided wireless access to the library’s internet.
 Public libraries in Idaho are currently required to filter obscene and pornographic materials from minors through computer workstations, and this law would add filters to Wi-Fi access.
 Idaho libraries have until July 1, 2020, to comply, which, in addition to filtering wireless access to the internet, will require libraries to post a notice in a conspicuous place in the library that an internet policy is available. The library board of trustees would also need to update the policy to include the new law.
 “We are aware of the law. We’re going to have to implement this,” library director Pat Hamilton said.
 The public-use computers connected to the internet at the Weiser library already have a filter on them, but it is turned off because minors are not allowed to use them due to previous issues.
 Under state law, computers that are used by adults (and not by minors) may be filtered, but it is not required.
 The Commission on Libraries estimated as many as 25-35 small rural libraries, including Weiser, Midvale and Cambridge, would need to install filters for Wi-Fi access to the internet. A modem or firewall for filtration of obscene content could cost $2,500, although some systems could filter through cloud services for less expense.
 The Idaho Library Association opposed the legislation, describing it as an unfunded mandate that will have “an outsized impact on small and rural libraries.” The ILA lobbied for more time to perform cost analysis and evaluate implementation of the law.
 According to the ILA, an organization called Citizens for Decency based in Rexburg has pushed for filtering legislation for minors over the past couple of years. The legislation this year was sponsored by Rep. Lance Clow in the Idaho House and Sen. Dean Mortimer in the senate.
 Library officials have said an unintended consequence of using filters on internet access could result in library patrons interested in researching some topics, such as breast cancer, would be blocked by the system based on keywords. Blocking all gambling sites may unintentionally prevent access to information about the Idaho lottery.
 According to the Idaho Commission for Libraries, libraries may be able to “whitelist” a site by adjusting the filtering software to allow for lawful research on topics that might be blocked. In some cases, the Wi-Fi filter could be turned off for a patron that needs access to content that is blocked.