Article ID: NN7
Last Updated: March 11/02

SUMMARY

The internet is an amazing source of information, but can also provide access to unwanted sexual and immoral material. Here are a few ideas to help those who wish to reduce their exposure to 'adult' material, either at home or in workplace/classroom settings.

DISCLAIMER

Nothing suggested here can be said to be 100% effective. Therefore Notorious Networks can not provide warrantees or guarantees as to the effectiveness of any method/product, and will not be liable for any failure or misuse of the method/product, and will not be liable for any resulting financial/emotional/spiritual loss or any consequent damages.

CONTENT

Below we suggest six ways that concerned adults can reduce access to objectionable material.
 

1. Activate Google's Safe Search feature.

Google has the most comprehensive index of websites on the internet. By default Google does not apply any type of discrimation to its search results. For example searching on the word sex can return both biology-textbook information and pornography. Here is how to turn on Google's filter:

1. Go to www.google.com/preferences and scroll to the bottom of the page.
2. Click on the button that says "Use SafeSearch to filter my results."

The people at Google can not guarantee that their filters will remove all adult websites, though they say that it is very effective. The SafeSearch filter can be turned off at any time by going back to the Preferences page.
 

2. Use MSN Websearch

The MSN websearch is a family oriented search-engine that prevents users from searching for adult contents. Enter the word sex and instead of providing results, MSN instead provides a blank page with a warning that you could have been exposed to objectionable material. Go to http://search.msn.ca/ to try it.
 

3. Use Content Advisor, Internet Explorer's built-in RSACI ratings tool

Microsoft Internet Explorer contains software to block unwanted websites. The only problem is that this technology requires that websites be rated with RSACI. Since the majority of websites are not rated, this is a nearly useless tool. Get more info here. It is possible to use content advisor to make a list of allowed sites, thus letting the user only browse those specific sites, and block all others.
 

4. Visit FilterReview.com and GetNetWise.org

Filter Review is a website run by the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families. Here you can research the various third-party commercial options for removing access to objectionable material. The focus is on "filtering software" which actively prevents access to websites based on lists of known URLs and keywords. Some of these software options may be appropriate for classroom use. Filter Review does not endorse any particular piece of software. GetNetWise also provides a similar function.
 

5. Use a professional filtering service, such as N2H2

N2H2 Inc., provides internet filtering software children in classrooms throughout the United States. According to the N2H2 website, they now provide filtering for over 16 million students. However, the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation (OSSTF) has concerns that N2H2 is using its software to market products to school children:

They boast reaching 13.5 million students who view four billion on-line pages per year. The catch is, while they filter sites for content, they tell their sponsors they can “let you be part of every Web page they [the students] explore...” and that they can “tailor a comprehensive program that drives your corporate and brand loyalty initiatives through scholastically-focused activities.” Commercial Alert shared this information in a letter to President Clinton and a list of senators prior to the November election. The letter urged them that “an effort to protect kids from pornography should not be the occasion to open them up for commercial predators. We urge you to ensure that any mandatory software filter provision for schools and libraries that receive federal technology funds also prohibits the filtering program from acting as an advertising delivery medium.” (Commercialization in Our Schools, OSSTF)

6. Create a list of allowed sites, and block all others

In a business or school setting it may be preferable to screen websites against a list of allowed sites. This will allow all computers to be uniformly configured to allow the same websites for student access, but to block all other websites not explicitly on the list of allowed sites.

For example, the site www.encarta.com could be allowed, and would optionally have a link in the Internet Explorer Favorites menu. The browser can have a default home page which would list all allowed sites. All computers in the school would access this list, and thus a student can move from PC to PC and not worry about being unable to access a site that they had previously been able to access on another computer.

 

CONCLUSION

Teachers or school/IT administrators should consult with their School Board and Teacher's Federation to determine if there is a policy on internet use and internet filtering. The School Board and/or Teacher's Federation may already have a recommended solution for implementation.

Parents, in addition to implementing some sort of filtering software, should not allow their children unsupervised use of the internet.

Parents and Teachers may also use Internet Explorer's Content Advisor to completely block all sites except for those explicitly allowed. An institution-wide list can be maintained, to allow uniformity of access. Allowed sites may be those such as TLC.com (The Learning Channel).

Businesses should consider either a) allowing full internet access, b) allowing access to only certain websites and blocking all others, c) allowing no internet access at all. Filtering software is not appropriate to use on adult employees, due the implicit negative morale issues of being monitored and controlled. Any internet access/blocking policy should be fully explained to the employees, and should be included in the employee contract.

RESOURCES

Covenant Eyes
Filter Review
GetNetWise
Google
N2H2 Inc.
Microsoft Internet Explorer's Content Advisor
MSN Web Search
National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families
OSSTF
PureIntimacy.org

 

END