Santa Ana Library Lifts Ban on The Liberal OC

I just got off the phone with Claudio Gallegos who reports users of the Internet terminals at the Santa Ana Library can now view TheLiberalOC blog which the Voice of OC reported last week was blocked.  There is no statement from Library officials or from anyone at the City of Santa Ana. The Orange Juice blog was, at last check, still blocked by the Santa Ana Unified District’s network and the Fullerton School District still blocks the Friends for Fullerton’s Future site (though with two recent posts by Travis Kiger and Tony Bushala, password sharing has rendered this network’s access as highly insecure and sets up this district for huge liability problems).

Even networks run by public entities are not necessarily “open” networks, but restricting access to a blog because it’s critical of said government entity is censorship.  Either ban them all or allow them all, and by all means set well explained rules on when, how and why employees can access sites.  Private companies can restrict access to certain web sites all the time; software known as a security information manager or security information and event manager can track every keystroke an employee makes, what websites they visit and when, what files they access, save, forward or print.

Looks like someone at Santa Ana City Hall chickened out when conforted with the news of the ban.  We certainly didn’t hold a gun to anyone’s head or fire a warning shot to have our access restored.  Our site was restored without a peep.

While censorship isn’t good, being stupid about accessing a network you’re not supposed to is just dumb.  Thanks of our pals at FFFF for their posts, videos and signed confessions (funny video giys — I enjoyed seeing a recent search being Freydel Bushala’s desktop; nice Tony checks up on her).  Just because you can gain access to the Fullerton Unified wireless network doesn’t mean you should.  Unauthorized access is still a felony.  Just because you can steal a pack of gum from a 7/11 doesn’t mean you should.  A fox in the henhouse…hardly.

But the good news again, if you want to read the Liberal OC at the Santa Ana Public Library, you can.

4 Comments

  1. I can see them preventing access from employee computers. The fact is, they have no business doing anything but conducting official business. And don’t give me that “I’m on break” crap either. It’s still the city’s computer. Now, the public access computers, that is a different story. No censorship of any kind save for that which is illegal.

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