In 1999, the notion of the Children’s Internet Protection Act was brought to the U.S. Congress. Just over a year later, the act was signed into law by President Clinton. The CIPA addresses the danger of exposure to explicit, obscene and inappropriate material online. Consequently, all schools, libraries and other public institutions must uphold the requirements of the CIPA or lose E-Rate funding.

The requirements of the CIPA are detailed at length on the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) website. However, the essential requirements are as follows: “Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene, (b) child pornography, or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal.”

Currently, institutions that comply with the CIPA use a range of methods and technological tools to ensure the safety of their child users. One of the more inexpensive techniques is the use of privacy filters. Obviously, privacy filters alone will not achieve CIPA compliance. However, when used in conjunction with other methods, it can prove to be very effective.

Chiefly, the use of privacy filters reduces the danger of casual observance of obscene or inappropriate material that is being viewed by an adult user. In public institutions, such as libraries, both adults and children use free internet access. Therefore, it is wise to protect children from inadvertently viewing material that an adult may be accessing.

When exploring privacy filters, it is advisable to view the range offered by ViewGuard Privacy Filters, as it encompasses almost all makes and models of computers and monitors.