SF Library Offers 'Privacy Screens' to Block Porn

Apparently, running down to the public library to stream a little porn is a lot of people's idea of a rockin' good time, so San Francisco is responding by installing plastic "privacy screens" over computers, reports KTVU. The screens are meant to shield images from passing patrons who use the library for less nefarious reasons. The 18 screens are still in the testing phase, but librarians hope that they will help them avoid more draconian measures, such as filters or limiting 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," says the city's librarian. But others say the screens don't cut it, with one library patron complaining that he could still see the dirty images on one of the shrouded computers. Anti-porn group Morality in Media is pushing for libraries to get online filters that block such content. "It seems kinda messed up, people doing that kinda stuff in a public environment," says a patron. "I mean, people don't get on the bus and read Hustler in front of everybody." (More pornography stories.)