Re: SEC: XStop and categories

[Nancy Willard <nwillard@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>]

As a general rule -- validated by the Kaiser Family Foundation study on
filtering --  the more categories you select, the greater the percentage of
appropriate sites blocked.

Why is your tech department deciding this? Are they information
professionals??? What is the rationale or evidence that supports a decision
that additional categories need to be blocked?

If students are getting into obscene and tasteless sites, then what is not
working right in relation to the objective of having students use the
Internet for quality educational purposes? How effective is your supervision
of students using the Internet? How well prepared are your teachers to use
the Internet for such educational purposes? Is the Internet being used
primarily for educational purposes or for "Internet recess?" Is someone
looking for a technological "quick fix" when a closer analysis should be
made of the underlying conditions under which students are using the
internet?

X-Stop has been used by the American Family Association as its AFA Filter --
filtering based on Christian principles -- for many years. This raises
concerns regarding what the company would consider to be "obscene and
tasteless." There is likely to be vast agreement regarding a good portion of
the sites that would be blocked, but perhaps some dissention over some of
the decisions. But since all of the information about what the company is
blocking is kept confidential, how can you be assured that decisions are
made in an appropriate manner?

Nancy

Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.

Center for Advanced Technology in Education
University of Oregon, College of Education
E-mail: nwillard@oregon.uoregon.edu
URL: http://netizen.uoregon.edu

Responsible Netizen Institute
URL:http://responsiblenetizen.org



>
> Date:    Thu, 27 Mar 2003 16:20:10 -0000
> From:    "Anderson, Julie LHS-STAFF" <AndersonJ@ISSAQUAH.WEDNET.EDU>
> Subject: SEC: XStop and categories
>
> Howdy,
>
> Our tech department says they have decided to add the XStop category of
> "obscene and tasteless" to the other two categories we are already blocked
> (pornography and chat). Do any of you with XStop have obscene and tasteless
> turned on? Do you find it is blocking a lot of legitimate sites that in no
> way meet the legal definition of obscenity. Censorware.net and Peacefire.org
> contend that it does, but the report is kind of old and I need more current
> info.

> Thanks,
>
> Julie
>
>
>
> Julie Anderson, Librarian
>
> Liberty High School                      425-837-4901
>
> Renton, WA 98059
>
> andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu <mailto:andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu>
=

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