Library Internet Filtering
Frankly, I think the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Children's Internet Protection Act case was wrong.
It is virtually always wrong to censor information, especially in a library. But that is how the law in the United States stands at the moment and if a library accepts federal funding it must install internet filtering technology on all of its internet enabled computers.
This website is about a particular internet filtering product IF 2K and its application to libraries.
This product is flexible, publishes its block list, is reasonably priced and it can be configured to meet library's particular requirements.
It is not a perfect solution but it is inexpensive and, with librarians' input, the least obnoxious filtering solution on the market.
Links
Jay Currie
IF 2K
Sunday, December 12, 2004
How Ugly is Sonic Wall
This ugly:I went to InstaPundit, and, starting at the bottom, clicked on his links and wrote down which ones were blocked by SonicWALL. Here, then, is the list, along with a few more I was able to find by clicking around from other blogs.
Across the Atlantic
Justene Adamec
Adragna & Vehrs
The Agitator
Charles Austin
Howard Bashman
Big Arm Woman
Bigwig
BitchGirls
Blogs of War
Edward Boyd
Capt. Scott's
Cato the Youngest
ChicagoBoyz
John Cole
Crooked Timber
Deinonychus
Kim du Toit
Electrolite
The Fat Guy
Dr. Frank
Fraters Libertas
Geek Press
Gut Rumbles
Gweilo Diaries
Andrea Harris
Jim Henley
IMAO
Iberian Notes
Kate
Kathy Kinsley
Alex Knapp
MadPony
Mudville Gazette
Dawn Olsen
Suman Palit
David Pinto
Right Wing News
Silent Running
Laurence Simon
Roger L. Simon
Skippy
Soundbitten
Spoons
Jim Treacher
Howard Veit
The Volokh Conspiracy
War Liberal
Oliver Willis
Winds of Change
Matthew Yglesias
Pejman Yousefzadeh
Zogby Blog
Eschaton
AgendaBender
Discount Blogger
Croooow Blog
Damnum Absque Injuria
Kin's Kouch
Jennifer's History and Stuff
Wizbang
Robert Prather
Rocket Jones
Snooze Button Dreams
Kausfiles
Publius
On the Third Hand
Ghost of a flea
If your blog is NOT LISTED above and you are linked by Glenn Reynolds, that means that as of last night, SonicWALL was not blocking you.
I am sure this changes from day to day, depending on what you have posted about. The problem is, dumb software like this does not distinguish between discussion of something and advocacy of it. So, if you merely talk about cults, guns, nudity, racism, gambling, pornography, weapons, or drugs, your blog will be censored.
classical values
Instapundit discovers overblocking
FOR THE RECORD, the "SonicWall Content Filter" used by Panera Bread on its wi-fi sucks like a bilge pump. I just tried to check an article in Arms Control Today and the journal is blocked because it has to do with "weapons." Jeez. Who runs SonicWall?One of Glenn Reynold's emailers suggests the problem may be over agressive settings on the filter....well, yes. Which is likely to happen regularily in libraries, schools and other enviornments where the network admin is working on the "better safe than sorry, 1st ammendment be damned" principle.
instapundit
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Some might call it spam
In 2003, the numbers of complaints received by the FCC rose to about 240,000.There is not much question that the push for CIPA and other filtering iniatives has come from small, tightly organized groups with their own, particular agendas.
Now that might seem like a pretty unlikely and massive shift in either the material being aired or the society experiencing those broadcasts. Well, it is unlikely. In fact, it didn't really happen.
If you take Janet Jackson's nipple out of the equation (and god knows we'd all like to at this point), 99.8% of all complaints to the FCC this year have come from a single organization: the Parents Television Council.
davenetics
Sadly, that is all it takes to force internet filters on public libraries.
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