With all the issues that Chicago needs to work on, I don’t think we need another.  Especially when it involves…unexpected pornography.  But here we are.

DNAinfo recounts one woman’s experience at Harold Washington Library:  sitting there, minding her own business, using the internet for the convenience of filling out online forms.  Her neighbor, however, was using the computer for that other thing the internet provides:  porn.  Specifically, said patron took off the privacy screen….did not use headphones…and was using his smartphone to record honest-to-goodness, hardcore pornography.

When she brought this to the attention of the security guard, they basically threw up their hands.  Because it turns out there’s a tricky balance between the First Amendment….and….well, you know.  In other words, its perfectly legal to watch porn at the library as long as people aren’t being….lewd.  And if they are being overly disruptive with their…umm…content, library officials might move those with the prurient interest in sex to another computer.

But as one librarian was quoted from the article, “it’s not my business what they look at.  Some people read dirty books.”

So…yeah.

My thought:  if you are using a smartphone to record something off the internet…well….you get it.   — [eric]