What are the similarities between the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Children's Internet Protection Act? neighborhoods (NCIPA)? Are CIPA and NCIPA necessary to protect our children? Are these really just acts of censorship? This article will compare the two laws and explore different interpretations of the 1st Amendment; specifically Article 13. It will then discuss the American Library Association's case challenging the acts against the United States in 2003. This article will show both sides of the case and how and why the United States won. on the Web which is educationally inappropriate and omnipresently vulgar (Chmara, 2010). CIPA and NCIPA are two similar laws that took effect on April 20, 2001. They were passed to implement web monitoring software for children. CIPA offers discounts through an E-rate or LIPA program if school libraries use web filters to block certain content. They can request discounts online. NCIPA uses the same filters and has the same concept, but it is used in public libraries and no discounts are offered. CIPA applicants are not eligible for discounts offered by the E-rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet Security Policy that includes technological protection measures. Safeguards must block or filter Internet access to images that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers accessed by minors) (Federal Communications Commission, 2001). CIPA and NCIPA do not actually keep a log of all websites visited. They do not keep track of the content viewed on a computer, but simply block access to inappropriate content at the first...... middle of paper ...... an unlimited amount of information that can be published by n anyone, anywhere in the world. This can be a wonderful thing, but sometimes too much information can do more harm than good. Our children are growing up faster and faster, with unlimited access to unlimited information that we never even imagined would be possible twenty years ago. I believe CIPA and NCIPA are absolutely necessary and should be applauded, not disapproved. They protect the innocence of America's youth. Parents should be able to rest assured that their children will not be subjected to any harmful material when they are searching for school or trying to play a simple, harmless game on the Internet. Parents can't always be there to protect their children, but CIPA and NCIPA can help give them peace of mind and step in to protect their children in areas beyond their reach..