[Libs-Or] Rights, Responsibilities & Reactions Intellectual Freedom News - March 2023

[Jennifer Keyser]

Greetings from the Multnomah County Library Intellectual Freedom Committee!

The IFC Newsletter for March is now available. This month continues the
gathering of more dynamic and in depth articles on the censorship happening
across the U.S. We also offer a few articles on the hot topic of AI
–focusing on how it relates to intellectual freedom, primarily around
disinformation, information literacy and copyright. We expect more on this
topic in upcoming issues of the newsletter.

Rights, Responsibilities & Reactions
Intellectual Freedom Newsletter – March 2023

------------------------------

Recent Intellectual Freedom Articles

Libraries are at the front line of an ongoing threat to intellectual
freedom: Culture war in the stacks: Librarians marshal against rising book
bans
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/02/culture-war-stacks-librarians-marshal-against-rising-book-bans/>
(Washington Post, 21 min, includes audio version). The Librarians Are Not
Okay
<https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/03/book-bans-censorship-librarian-challenges/673398/>
offers another take on the impact of censorship among a myriad of other
issues on library workers (The Atlantic, 14 min). The New Republic looks at
how calls for censorship impact small towns, question the existence of
public libraries and are leading some library staff to unionize: Conservatives
Are Trying to Ban Books in Your Town. Librarians Are Fighting Back
<https://newrepublic.com/article/170920/conservative-book-bans-libraries-fighting-back>
(41 min, includes audio version). A look back at past cultural conflicts
provides insight on the current waves of discrimination: Tennessee's drag
ban rehashes old culture war narratives
<https://theconversation.com/tennessees-drag-ban-rehashes-old-culture-war-narratives-201623>
(The Conversation, 7 min) (censorship)

In Oregon, parents continue to pressure Crook County School District  to
censor books, however neutrality gets in the way of addressing the
anti-LGBTQ viewpoints: Anti-LGBTQ activism goes unchallenged at the top of
Crook County schools
<https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/24/anti-lgbtq-activism-books-crook-county-oregon-schools/>
(OPB, 10 min). One library  board member called for the removal of the
anti-LGBTQ board member, but was removed instead: Crook County Library
Board chair removed; Actions at board meeting cited
<https://centraloregondaily.com/crook-county-library-board-lgbtq-chair-removed/>
(Central Oregon Daily, 3 min). (diversity, inclusion, censorship)

Of note, authors speaking against censorship: Laurie Halse Anderson calls
the censorship of books
<https://www.inquirer.com/news/laurie-halse-anderson-central-bucks-school-board-book-policy-20230315.html>
the equivalent of “educational malpractice” (Philadelphia Inquirer, 4
min), Jodi
Picault was puzzled
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/10/ron-desantis-book-bans-martin-county-jodi-picoult/>
by her books about Holocaust survivors being pulled and labeled as adult
romance (Washington Post, 5 min), and James Patterson rallies fans to write
“polite notes”
<https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2023/03/14/james-patterson-maximum-ride-books-banned-florida-school-district-desantis/70008063007/>
to the governor of Florida after the removal of the Maximum Ride series
from a Florida school (Palm Beach Post, 4 min). (censorship)

Censorship is going beyond book bans: Experts say attacks on free speech
are rising across the U.S.
<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/experts-say-attacks-on-free-speech-are-rising-across-the-us>
(PBS News Hour, 7 min) and The drag show bans sweeping the US are a
chilling attack on free speech
<https://www.theguardian.com/culture/commentisfree/2023/mar/10/drag-show-bans-tennessee-lgbtq-rights>
(The Guardian, 8 min). (first amendment)

The School LIbrary Journal published a guide around recent legislation
targeting libraries:  State Fights: The Coalitions and Strategic Messaging
to Battle Bills Criminalizing Librarians
<https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/story/State-Fights-The-Coalitions-and-Strategic-Messaging-to-Battle-Bills-Criminalizing-Librarians>.
(legislation)

With the public release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT
<https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/gpt-3/> and integration of
AI into Microsoft Bing search
<https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/02/07/reinventing-search-with-a-new-ai-powered-microsoft-bing-and-edge-your-copilot-for-the-web/>
(Google is opting for a slow rollout of Bard
<https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/technology/google-bard-chatbot.html>),
concerns around AI-generated misinformation have surfaced: Disinformation
Researchers Raise Alarms About A.I. Chatbots
<https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/technology/ai-chatbots-disinformation.html>
(New York Times, 13 min, includes audio version). The same tool that allows
for the creation of disinformation may be used to dispel it: Fact-Checkers
Are Scrambling to Fight Disinformation With AI
<https://www.wired.com/story/fact-checkers-ai-chatgpt-misinformation/>
(Wired, 9 min includes audio). Slate examines how AI may transform search
and filter information with the possibility of unreliable results: Closing
Out the Search Bar
<https://slate.com/technology/2023/03/chatgpt-openai-microsoft-google-future-of-search.html>
(Slate, 12 min). The buzz around AI as a new tool, overlooks that it
contains racial bias underlying the data and algorithms: ChatGPT: New AI
tool, old racism and bias?
<https://mashable.com/article/chatgpt-ai-racism-bias> (Mashable, 11
min). (information
literacy, disinformation)

Related, AI software is being used for deepfake videos that spread
disinformation, see Making Deepfakes Gets Cheaper and Easier Thanks to A.I.
<https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/12/technology/deepfakes-cheapfakes-videos-ai.html>,
The People Onscreen Are Fake. The Disinformation Is Real
<https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/technology/artificial-intelligence-training-deepfake.html>
(New York Times, 10 min and 8 min) and It takes a few dollars and 8 minutes
to create a deepfake. And that's only the start
<https://www.npr.org/2023/03/23/1165146797/it-takes-a-few-dollars-and-8-minutes-to-create-a-deepfake-and-thats-only-the-sta>
(NPR, 6min). AI adds a new twist on call scams: They thought loved ones
were calling for help. It was an AI scam
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/05/ai-voice-scam/>
(Washington Post, 8 min).  (information literacy, disinformation)

AI-generated works bring up questions around copyright, an area that is
currently being explored by the U.S. Copyright Office
<https://www.copyright.gov/ai/>. Recent rulings provide some insights: You
can’t copyright images made by A.I.
<https://fortune.com/2023/02/23/no-copyright-images-made-ai-artificial-intelligence/>
(Fortune, 5 min).  This opinion piece touches on concerns for artists
around AI, creativity and copyright: Why we need AI safeguards
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/14/artificial-intelligence-threatens-creative-artists/>
(Washington Post, 4 min). More on this subject as it unfolds in future IF
newsletters. (copyright)

NPR’s Planet Money examines how people seek out reviews to inform their
decisions, but often fail to discern fake from authentic reviews. Plus a
brief look at the implications of AI-generated reviews: Why we usually
can't tell when a review is fake
<https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2023/03/07/1160721021/why-we-usually-cant-tell-when-a-review-is-fake>
(NPR, 8 min). (information literacy, disinformation)

Additional Intellectual Freedom Reading and Resources

ALA Intellectual Freedom Blog: https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/ A blog
dedicated to intellectual freedom issues, and includes the Intellectual
Freedom News
<https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/category/intellectual-freedom-news/> –a weekly
roundup of IF related articles that are divided into key IF topics.

Oregon Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Toolkit
<https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/iftoolkit/home> (published February 8,
2022). A range of tools and resources relating to IF challenges and
policies created by the OLA Intellectual Freedom Committee.

------------------------------

Rights, Responsibilities & Reactions is a monthly roundup of Intellectual
Freedom News compiled by the Multnomah County Library Intellectual Freedom
Committee. We welcome suggestions of articles to include at
lib.ifc at multco.us.


*Jennifer Keyser *(she/her)
*Policy Coordinator Librarian*
Monday - Friday
971-429-4699
Multnomah County Library
multcolib.org
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