Information Technology Acts
Almost every home, school, and library in the United States, has computers and access to the internet. Although computers are vital to children’s success in school, the Internet can expose them to inappropriate material and online predators. With the constant advances in technology over the years, the increase in Internet use by children and teenagers has resulted in concerns about preventing illegal Internet activities. In an attempt to mitigate crimes such as piracy, copyright infringement, accessing of pornographic material by minors, and identity thief, the United States Congress implemented several legislative acts to address these concerns (Harrison, n. d.). The following Acts addresses the ethical issues necessitating the creation of the acts and the advances in information technology.
Children Internet Protection Act, 2000
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law enacted by Congress to address the concerns about the access to offensive content over the Internet. Through the use of technology protection measures, CIPA requires public libraries and schools to place content filters on their systems to keep minors from surfing inappropriate sites. The Children’s Internet Protection Act was signed into law in December 2000, by President Clinton. Schools are required to enforce the Internet Safety Policy and filtering devices to block and filter yes or no lists, obscene, child pornography, or any material that may be harmful to minors. CIPA’s main purpose is to protect children from the dangers of the internet. Technology protection measures in the school environment can help protect children from these dangers.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 1974 The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that ensures the privacy pertaining to students records. Under the act, student’s educational records are protected. State and local authorities as