What is the Children's Internet Protection Act and How Does It Work?

Information travels at breakneck speed online. Content is downloaded by users instantly. Sadly, some of this stuff is objectionable or dangerous, and some of the users are young. Online activity by kids is monitored by parents at home. However, schools and libraries provide computers for kids and teenagers to use. There, kids could experience less supervision and have access to improper material. To shield kids from hazardous internet information, Congress passed the Children's Internet Protection Act or CIPA. Seventy-five percent of American classrooms utilize desktop computers, according to EdTech: Focus on K-12. Administrators must thus completely comprehend how the Children's Internet Protection Act applies to school computers.

The Children's Internet Protection Act, passed in 2000 by the United States Congress, restricts children's access to explicit material. To qualify for certain federal grants, CIPA requires that public libraries and schools screen material on computers that have internet access. Content filters must prevent access to objectionable content to comply with CIPA. This includes anything detrimental to children, such as child pornography and offensive photos and videos.

In this article, we will discuss CIPA compliance. Detailed information will be given on the purpose, requirements, and implementation of CIPA. We will also discuss how CIPA protects you in school and how Zenarmor can help schools be compliant with CIPA.

What is CIPA Compliance?

What is compliance with CIPA? Many people have been wondering about this for a while. To qualify for E-Rate funds, libraries and K-12 schools must comply with this regulation requirement. The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), passed by Congress in 2000, serves as the framework for the rule. Using networks in schools or libraries, this federal statute aims to address concerns about kids having access to hazardous web content. The law was recently amended when Congress passed new safeguards for children accessing the Internet.

Preventing children from viewing offensive information online is necessary to comply with CIPA requirements. It also requires monitoring the children's safety anytime they engage in direct internet contact, such as through email and chat rooms. If followed, regulations for CIPA compliance can also give educational institutions the capacity to stop criminal activity, including hacking events and the illegal sharing of personal data.

One must first comprehend what "inappropriate content" is before deciding what constitutes CIPA compliance. Internet content is judged improper for kids by CIPA if it includes photos, photographs, or graphic image files that are suggestive of sex, nudity, or excrement. Likewise, CIPA deems improper everything that has no real literary, scientific, aesthetic, or political value for minors.

Both schools and libraries have a moral and legal duty to offer a secure environment for learning for both children and adults. A school or library that complies with all CIPA regulations has safeguards in place to limit access to unsuitable material. Compliance reduces illegal internet activity like hacking and the sharing of personal information. Additionally, illegal acts like child pornography and cyberbullying are banned. Compliance permits school and library managers to seriously limit or filter access to objectionable Internet content.

History of CIPA

The Web has given its users access to a wide range of information since its birth. However, it has also brought websites that are not suitable for children. There has always been pressure on the American government to control the Internet. The difficulty is knowing when to restrict free speech and when to safeguard children. Other than CIPA there were some other legal acts to protect children from the harmful effects of the internet. Below you can find brief information about the history and the different purposes of CDA, COPA, and COPPA.

The Communications Decency Act, a section of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, was the first federal statute to address this problem. It was against the law to send "indecent" content through an electronic medium. In 1997, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit alleging that the Constitution was being violated by the CDA, which was later overturned and deemed unconstitutional.

The Child Online Protection Act of 1998 served as the second federal law to address this issue (COPA). Similar to CDA, COPA was passed to "Restrict access by children to commercially distributed content over the World Wide Web that is detrimental to minors". In other words, all commercial websites that are accessible to kids and that have been judged "harmful to minors" have been made illegal. Once more, the ACLU and some other interest organizations prevailed in their efforts to have COPA declared illegal by a federal court because it restricts free expression.

COPA and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act(COPPA) of 1998 were both passed at the same time. The COPPA attempted to regulate unfair and deceptive activities and practices in connection with the gathering and use of personal information from and about children on the Internet. This law established privacy rules describing the use of any information a kid contributes to sites that are targeted toward children or gather information from children. Additionally, it enables parents to get such data while simultaneously forbidding the website from requesting their children's personal information. Children under the age of 13 are still subject to this law's enforcement.

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is more concerned with how children use and access the internet in libraries and schools.

The U.S. Congress discussed extending CIPA to cover "social networking" websites in 2006. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) have lately made more attempts to persuade Congress to alter the CIPA conditions to regulate, not an outright ban, students' access to social networking and chat room websites. Though they agree that "the Internet provides rich content, collaboration, and communication possibilities that may and do measurably contribute to a student's academic advancement and preparedness for the workforce", ISTE and CoSN do not want to outright outlaw these online communication channels.

What is the Purpose of CIPA?

The Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 was passed by Congress to compel educational institutions that receive certain federal funds to restrict access to child pornography, obscene content, and other materials that are detrimental to kids.

What are the Requirements of CIPA?

Below you can find the four elements of the CIPA requirements:

• Policy for Internet Safety: A technology protection measure that guards against access by adults and minors to obscene, child pornographic, or - concerning the use of computers with internet access by minors - harmful to minors' visual depictions is required for schools and libraries to adopt and enforce an internet safety policy. Any person under the age of 17 is referred to as a "minor". All the following must be addressed by this online safety policy:
  • access of children to objectionable content on the web and the internet
  • the protection and security when they use chat rooms, email, and other direct electronic contacts
  • internet "hacking" and other illegal acts by children
  • unauthorized access
  • unauthorized access to, use of, and distribution of personal data about children
  • measures meant to prevent minors' access to items harmful to minors The guidelines for schools must cover keeping an eye on kids' internet activity. As part of their CIPA certification as of July 1, 2012, schools must now additionally attest that their internet safety policies have been updated to cover teaching minors about appropriate online behavior, such as interacting with others on social networking sites and in chat rooms, as well as awareness of and response to cyberbullying.
• Measures for Technology Protection: A specialized technology that restricts or filters internet access is known as a technology protection measure. Although an administrator, supervisor, or other person authorized by the authority responsible for the administration of the school or library disables the technology protection measure during use by an adult to enable access for legitimate research or another legal purpose, the school or library must enforce the operation of the technology protection measure during use of its computers with Internet access. Through the use of a sign-in page where an adult user can affirm that he or she intends to use the computer for legitimate research or other lawful purposes, a library that employs internet filtering software, for instance, can set up a process for disabling that software upon request of an adult user. The federal criminal definitions for child pornography and obscenity are used by CIPA. (i) A picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that appeals to a prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion to minors; (ii) depicts, describes, or represents an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or a lewd exhibition of the genitalia in a patently offensive manner with respect to what is suitable for minors. When considered together, (iii) lacks significant literary, aesthetic, political, or scientific significance for minors. The local community decides what subject is suitable for children. According to the E-Rate program guidelines, "the school board, local educational agency, library, or other entity responsible for making the determination shall make a determination about whether a matter is unsuitable for children".
• Notice to the Public, Hearing, or Meeting: A proposed technological protection measure and Internet safety policy must be discussed in at least one public hearing or meeting, which must be held by the body in charge of managing the school or library. Public notice for private schools refers to the proper constituent group being informed. Even if the policy is changed, more meetings are not necessary unless mandated by local or state laws or the policy itself.
• Students' Education (schools only): Schools, not libraries, must offer their pupils some kind of Internet safety education. Education can be delivered through courses, outside lecturers, or obligatory reading. Information on social networking, chat rooms, and awareness and response to cyberbullying must all be included. Any further topics presented in this education are left up to the local community or school's choice.

What Institutions Must Comply with CIPA?

You now have a moral and legal obligation, if you run a school or library, to provide a secure learning environment. Making sure that your company complies with CIPA put more work on your IT personnel. It's crucial that you identify technical solutions that guarantee CIPA compliance with the least amount of additional expense and administrative effort.

Libraries and schools that use the E-Rate program to receive discounts for Internet connections or access are required to comply with CIPA. These businesses are required to offer children a secure internet environment.

In order to qualify for the E-Rate program's Internet connection savings, a school or library must demonstrate that it has technological security safeguards and Internet safety policies in place. Schools and libraries may take control of their networks by complying with CIPA. Internet access to potentially hazardous information, such as child pornography, should be blocked or filtered as part of the protective measures that institutions should implement.

A policy that forbids the unlawful disclosure of the private information of children is also necessary. When minors connect with other Internet users, libraries and schools must demonstrate that they are raising awareness about proper online conduct. Teenagers must o be made aware of the risks associated with cyberbullying, hacking, and other online threats.

Libraries and schools that are required to comply with CIPA must put in place a policy for keeping an eye on minors' internet activity. Additionally, a policy must be in place to guarantee children's safety when utilizing chat rooms, email, and other electronic communications tools. A school or library must have more than one public discussion with interested parties before adopting these rules. Such gatherings should provide the public with adequate notice.

As long as you verify that you are taking the necessary steps to be in compliance for the upcoming funding year, you are not required to be completely in compliance with CIPA's standards during the first funding year that follows the law's implementation date. If you are requesting a waiver due to state or local procurement laws or regulations or requirements for competitive bidding, you may also make this declaration in your second funding year for CIPA reasons.

How Does the Children's Internet Protection Act Protect You in School?

Five essential elements make up CIPA compliance: securing what minors may access online, who they can contact; who can access and share their personal information, and limiting hacking and illegal online conduct. CIPA protects you in schools by

• restricting access to offensive content

• ensuring safety while online communication

• safeguarding student privacy information

• preventing students from accessing information without permission

How to Implement CIPA Compliance?

Even with an increase in the number of devices connecting to their networks, schools are still required to keep their children safe both physically and online. Additionally, since 2020, 1:1 efforts have expanded quickly, and students are now able to access classes and online homework completion. Due to these difficulties, adhering to the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is more challenging and crucial than ever because of how frequently tech-savvy youngsters use the internet. In essence, CIPA demands K-12 to confirm that they are enforcing internet safety measures. Schools and libraries have to qualify for E-rate rebates.

You must make sure that your organization complies with the Children's Internet Protection Act, or CIPA, in full if your school or library wishes to benefit from E-rate reductions for services other than the telephone. While adhering to compliance requirements is occasionally challenging and perplexing when it comes to certain government regulatory measures, CIPA compliance is very easy and uncomplicated. A quick checklist of the CIPA compliance that your school or library will be directly accountable for is provided below.

• Keep an internet-connected computer's indecent or improper photos blocked or filtered by technological protection measures: The purchase, deployment, and maintenance of a web filtering system make this the most time-consuming process. The solution architectures listed below can all be included in this kind of measure:

  • Your Internet service provider includes web filtering as part of its service.
  • All networked devices have web filtering enabled via an on-premise device or hosted software program.
  • All networked devices are subject to web filtering thanks to a Software-as-a-Service program offered by a third-party provider.
  • Utilizing a locally installed filter program, web filtering is offered and made available on a per-device basis.

• The technological protection solution chosen limits or filters minors' access to improper materials and materials on the Internet and the World Wide Web. The CIPA defines unsuitable material as words, pictures, or both that:

  • vile children's pornography
  • when seen as a whole, it appeals to a prurient desire for sex, nudity, or excrement.
  • depicts, portrays, or symbolizes an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual interaction, actual or simulated perverse or normal sexual actions, or the obscene presentation of the genitalia in a blatantly inappropriate manner about what is appropriate for kids
  • Collectively, it lacks significant literary, aesthetic, political, or scientific values as they pertain to minors.

• A policy for internet safety must be developed and put into effect. An acceptable use policy might also be part of this, although it's not necessary. The CIPA-mandated Internet Safety Policy must make sure that the needed technical protection measures and its administration adhere to the following standards:

  • All Internet-capable computers used by students, visitors, and employees will have filtering available.
  • Filtering will only be deactivated for legitimate study or other adult-led, legal causes.
  • With regard to proper and safe online behavior, minors will receive instruction, supervision, and monitoring.
  • It is required that children have safe and secure access to online forums, chat rooms, and instant messaging.
  • Online misconduct that is not approved, including "hacking" and other illegal actions, will be outlawed.
  • It is forbidden to disclose, utilize, or disseminate personal information about children without authorization.

• A public hearing must be held to examine and approve the technological safety measure and the internet safety policy. The institution or library has to complete the following duties:

  • Give the meeting's public notice acceptably. The hearing can take place at a regular school board meeting in some school systems, but the necessary issues must be disclosed in advance.
  • Ensure that meeting attendees have the chance to comment.
  • Give sufficient evidence that the meeting was scheduled and held. An image of the organization's website or calendar, a copy of a brochure, or a notice from the media are all acceptable forms of verification. A minimum of ten years must pass before destroying any documents.
  • A copy of the formally revised Internet safety policy, which includes the date it was approved, must be kept. Along with the dates the modifications were adopted, copies of each Internet Safety Policy revision must also be kept. Again, all records must be kept for a minimum of ten years.

How Does Zenarmor Help Schools be Compliant with CIPA?

CIPA is a law designed to protect underage people online. You can quickly build Acceptable Use Policies that adhere to CIPA with Zenarmor. Zenarmor next-generation firewall is effective and efficient due to its real content screening technology. Using Zenarmor's incredibly straightforward policy administration, you may create Internet Safety Policies that adhere to CIPA. Zenarmor, which is utilized by K-12 schools, universities, school districts, and libraries in more than 100 countries, is the most recent "go-to" solution for educational institutions' content filtering and threat prevention needs. Unlike basic web filtering solutions, Zenarmor has robust enterprise-grade content filtering technology that enables businesses to install all-encompassing security measures for spotting and preventing malware and sophisticated cyber attacks. With Zenarmor, you can apply granular access controls quickly and without having to install any software on every device. Zenarmor provides real-time online categorization for hundreds of millions of sites through a cloud-based AI-powered database. Unknown websites fall within the 5-minute category. You can use access controls depending on users and groups with Zenarmor. Thousands of communication protocols and data properties are identified in the real-time threat databases to filter out malicious or undesired traffic, as well as cyber threats.

Figure 1. How Does Zenarmor Help Schools be Compliant with CIPA?