Officials in San Francisco have reportedly installed plastic privacy screens at the city’s main library to block pornographic images from the eyes of other visitors.
KTVU.com reports that 18 privacy screens have been installed at the city’s main library branch at Civic Center Plaza in recent weeks as an alternative to filtering Internet access.
"We're always looking for any kind of elegant solution that strikes a balance between the right to privacy and folks that want to use the library for any other intended purpose," city librarian Luis Herrera told the website.
Adrian Dumont, a regular library visitor, is a fan of the new screens because he sees “a lot” of users viewing pornographic material.
But Dawn Hawkins, executive director of the anti-pornography group Morality in Media, thinks even more should be done.
"I think it's definitely not enough," Hawkins said. "Even with those protector screens, people walking directly behind somebody can see porn. I mean porn in the library? There's no place for that."
As of now, the screens are being tested at the city’s main library branch. If they’re effective, more will be installed, the website reports. The library also plans to have a pop-up warning on computers asking patrons to be sensitive to other visitors.
Not everyone, however, is pleased with the new plastic shields.
"It didn't block much at all," library visitor Peter Ma told the website. "I just went there and saw exactly what he's doing."
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