Internet Filtering 2010

Outline Defining internet filtering Arguments for filtering Arguments against filtering Is it an issue in South Africa?

What exactly is internet filtering? Internet filtering is Internet censorship Internet filtering is a euphemism for censorship “It is control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet.” Wikipedia contributors 2010

What is censorship? “Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient to the government or media organizations as determined by a censor” ▫Wikipedia contributors 2010

What types of censorship exist? Moral Political Religious Military Other …

Moral censorship dominates the debate in S.A. – especially …

What is considered harmful or obscene? harmful matter is “matter, taken as a whole, which to the average person, applying contemporary statewide standards, appeals to the prurient interest, and is matter which, taken as a whole, depicts or describes in a patently offensive way sexual conduct and which, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.” California State Code ▫(Houghton Jan, )

“No filter, however, actually limits its categories to obscene material and child pornography because the current definition of obscenity doesn’t work on the internet.” ~ Lori Bowen Ayre, “Filtering and Filter Software” in Houghton Jan,

Guidelines for internet use by children and young people - Place computers in public places where everyone can see what is being viewed Take an interest in internet use; talk to young people about what they've seen. Monitor time spent online to ensure it does not become excessive Educate young people to use the resource sensibly (Internet Use Policies) Help young people to become critical users; "...is this information true?"

Guidelines for internet use by children and young people Warn young people about unsavoury sites and discuss the issues involved Compile lists of safe sites and chat rooms Access chat rooms by checking if it is moderated and by whom and finding out if the chat room has a clear terms and conditions policy? Does it have appropriate access control and password verification? Does it remind users of safety issues? Does the chat room give young people genuine opportunities to interact and shape the chat?

What are internet filters? Internet filter is a piece of software that, once installed on a computer, is designed to censor while you surf the Web. Websites that are deemed offensive according to the criteria incorporated into the software program will be blocked so that you will not be able to view them with your web browser.

How do internet filters work? The filtering software inserts itself between your browser and the internet connection. The programme interrupts all attempts to visit websites and checks this against a list of sites deemed unsuitable. The software can also prevent download of MP3 music, disable games and screen instant messages and s. It can also prevent anyone from divulging personal information. Most of these software products can also set up on-line time limits and keep logs of surfing activities.

Filtering by words, images, URL Some filters verify the requested URL against a list of permitted and prohibited (trigger) addresses. Some assess the content on a site dynamically & will block access to content that includes certain trigger words such as "porn“ or the presence of image files Some filters allow you to intervene - form a white list of “allowed but normally blocked” content (URLs or keywords) ‏ Some filters let you temporarily unblock something for a customer

Some filters on the market (not necessarily in S.A.) Bess SmartFilter Cyberpatrol NetNanny SafeEyes WebSense

Who decides on criteria for blocking? The developers of filtering programs These companies do not divulge the full extent of blocking as they regard these as “trade secrets”

The problems – LibrarianInBlack.net Overblocking Overblocking in library resources VictimsOfPornography.org DirtyPicturesBand.com Amazon and Google Book Search item pages TheSmokingGun.com Lesbian.org (a gay/lesbian support site) ‏ the Wikipedia entry for Hustler Magazine a UK breast cancer information site National Geographic images of beavers a search for “orgasm” in the Health and Wellness Resource Center database a search for “vagina” in the World Book Encyclopedia online Searches for the following terms in our catalog: lesbianism, how to build a pipe bomb, sexual positions

Underblocking & Workarounds Getting through to images by clicking on the “full size” links Some adult search terms consistently allowed through (women’s asses, big penises) ‏ Images of an adult sexual nature displayed on the search results page (some blocked, others not) ‏ Portal sites Clicking on “cached” version of webpage or image in search results Clicking on “full size” image link, even when thumbnail is blocked out Pages with images of an adult sexual nature but non-sexual text Plural word forms Pr0n instead of porn

Useful Websites nternetSafetyTips.aspxhttp:// nternetSafetyTips.aspx ces_internet_safety.htmhttp:// ces_internet_safety.htm johnson.com/dougwri/internet-filtering.htmlhttp:// johnson.com/dougwri/internet-filtering.html