My local library's computer policy did a complete 180 in two years

Back in 2022, the public library in my town, Cedar Falls, had a dedicated computer with Tor Browser and a few privacy-focused chat apps pre-installed. It was a quiet spot where a few of us could meet and talk about sensitive community stuff without looking over our shoulders. I went in yesterday to check something, and that whole setup is just gone. The librarian told me they got a new city IT director who said those tools were 'a liability' and could be used for 'bad things'. Now every terminal has heavy monitoring software that logs every site you visit, and they block any site about encryption or secure messaging. It went from a small safe space to a panopticon because one person got scared. Has anyone else seen a public access point go from private to fully watched like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

tylerr391mo ago

Our school library did the same thing with their wifi, it's such a bummer lol.

rodriguez.jordan1mo ago

My high school blocked everything but research sites. Honestly, it made me focus better on actual homework. It's a library, not a free internet cafe.