Dakota County provides access to the Internet as an information resource. The Internet is a global electronic network without local, state or federal control over its contents. The Internet offers access to material beyond traditional collections and other electronic resources. The Internet also contains inaccurate and controversial material.

Dakota County meets the federal requirements for filtering the Internet as mandated by the Children’s Internet Protection Act or CIPA (PL 106-554). Our Internet policy along with filtering will be used together to make Internet use at Dakota County facilities as safe and enjoyable as possible for customers of all ages. As required by CIPA, customers 17 or older may request staff to unblock an Internet site that meets acceptable criteria noted below.

Dakota County also expects its customers to use the Internet responsibly and to respect the rights of others. Those who fail to do so risk losing County provided Internet privileges. When using the County provided Internet access, it is not acceptable to

• violate federal, state or local laws and regulations, including those governing obscenity, child pornography, and materials harmful to minors (including but not limited to Minnesota Statutes Sections 617.241 and 617.291 through 617.294; and Section 134.5, and PL106-554.
• violate copyright laws or database license agreements
• display or print graphics or text that is obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors
• engage in any activity that is deliberately offensive or creates an intimidating, disruptive or hostile environment for County customers or County staff 
• invade the privacy of individuals
• degrade, alter or disrupt equipment or system performance
• vandalize the data of any other user 
• gain unauthorized access to resources or entities.

Responsibility for a child’s use of the Internet rests with the parent or guardian. Parents are encouraged to work with their children to develop rules for the use of the Internet, including rules for the safety of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of electronic communications.

Consequences of violation of this Internet policy:

1. Customers will be asked to discontinue the activity. 
2. If they continue, they will be asked to leave the facility. 
3. If they refuse to leave, they will be considered trespassers and the police will be called to remove them. 
4. If the activity is thought to be illegal as defined by law (above), police will be called to deal with the customer.

Internet Disclaimer Statement
The Internet is a global electronic network; there is no governmental control of its users or content. Resources available over the Internet may contain controversial material. Parents of minor children must assume responsibility for their children's use of the Internet resources through the Dakota County connection. Information links often change rapidly and are unpredictable and response times will vary in speed. Not all sources on the Internet provide accurate, complete or current information. Filtering mandated by CIPA cannot block every potential harmful or offensive Internet site at every moment.

This page contains links to other Internet sites that Dakota County does not own or control. These links are provided for the convenience of the users of our site. However, the content of other Internet sites can change quickly, and Dakota County makes no representations concerning the content of those sites. The inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement, warranty or guarantee of the information, products or services, if any, described or offered at these other Internet sites.