Nadine Strossen

Nadine Strossen is the president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization that works to defend Americans’ civil rights. She is also a professor at New York Law School. In the following viewpoint, Strossen opposes systems in which website producers rate the sexual and violent content of their products. She maintains that such systems will undermine free expression by coercing Internet providers to limit or discourage controversial speech. Sites that offer advice on topics such as AIDS may find themselves at the mercy of the “Internet gatekeepers,” she contends. Strossen supports efforts to provide descriptive information on Internet sites most appropriate for children instead of limiting everyone’s access to Internet sites.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Strossen, in what way are...