The Flip Side of the First Amendment : A Right to Filter

This article argues that the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. American Library Association reflects a more realistic view of the Internet and its role in society than does the Court's previous decisions, and that the Court's opinion in ALA may pave the way for a First Amendment model that incorporates the rights of listeners or viewers to edit or filter the information they receive. For much of the public, living in a media-abundant world, the real challenge to communicative freedoms is not one of being free to speak as one likes, but of being free to avoid or reject what he or she finds offensive and degrading. This is particularly true with respect to violent and pornographic entertainment programming aimed at children