Dole, in a stump speech Monday in Bellevue, Wash., called on Congress to withhold federal Internet access subsidies from public libraries unless they install content filtering software on all computers used by patrons.
Pornography is off-limits to children but it is readily accessible to adults.
She also said that she has sent letters to House and Senate leaders detailing her library-filtering proposal. Some free-speech watchdogs pointed out that, beyond the First Amendment problem of restricting adult access to sexually explicit materials protected under the Constitution, such a move might also block adult library patrons' access to other online material. This would put health information at risk, since many filters block health sites. Technical glitches notwithstanding, the House this month approved a measure to restrict federal Internet access funds to libraries and schools using the filters on PCs accessed by youngsters. A similar bill is pending in the Senate.