Ben Allison, Peter Huene, David Paroulek, Robert Rossman, and Mark Shapiro

The Full Scenario

Academic Freedom in Virginia at Stake.
From: http://www.aclu.org/news/n070596a.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, July 5, 1996 RICHMOND -- The ACLU of Virginia announced today that it will soon challenge in court the constitutionality of a new law prohibiting state employees from accessing sexually explicit materials on the Internet. The ACLU says the state has the right to limit use of its computers to state business but that it cannot curtail academic freedom in the process. The new statute, which took effect on July 1, makes it illegal to use the state's "information infrastructure" to access or download materials with "sexually explicit content" as defined in an existing law restricting the sale or loan of such materials to juveniles. (The text of the new law follows.) "This is the result of grandstanding by lawmakers at the expense of a core constitutional freedom," said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis. "If the state does not want its employees to access the Internet for personal use, then they should say so. Or, if the concern is the downloading of obscenity by state employees, that is already against the law. But to deny teachers, librarians, and researchers the right to view material the state has deemed to be inappropriate for juveniles is an insult to academic freedom and a dangerous precedent." "If we applied the standard this law sets for the Internet to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts or the University of Virginia library, many widely seen and respected paintings and works of prose and poetry would have to be removed." "Private academic institutions can censor themselves, as can private employers, and even the privately operated media, but the very purpose of the state university is to promote unfettered inquiry and free exchange of ideas. In keeping with the traditions of Jefferson and Madison, Virginia should be the last state to even consider limiting access to the Internet, not one of the first." The ACLU has already received complaints from state-employed teachers and researchers, some indicating they may be willing to serve as plaintiffs. The ACLU expects to file suit by the end of the summer. How does this case differ from the earlier scenario regarding the use of the WWW for politicking? How does this affect you as students? Is this a form of censorship? Take a side -- on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia as employers or providers of education, on behalf of state employees, on behalf of students in State universities or community colleges, or on behalf of citizens of the Commonwealth.

Content Originally From:
http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/support/Debates/Scenarios.html#12