In order to filter an Internet connection there must be a way to "see" each request for data that goes out, as well as the data coming into the connection. The way that this is accomplished is with a proxy server. This is a combination of hardware and software that looks at each request and determines if the remote location contains inappropriate data or not. Our filter system is designed and maintained by N2H2 in Seattle Washington. For the proxy server to work, there must be a catalog of Internet sites that contain items that are considered inappropriate. To see a definition of this material please see the document What We Filter . Generating this catalog is an enormous task that is never completed. There are approximately 10,000 new sites on the Internet every day. Because of this there is an occasional site that does not get blocked immediately. If a site is found that needs to be blocked, but is not, we will take immediate action and investigate the cause. We welcome any information about sites that will improve our service. Our filter is a broad based filter. It is designed to protect the family, in particular the youngest and most vulnerable. Therefore some sites are blocked that most of us would consider perfectly normal. (Please see "What We Filter" for more information) We have made provision to allow access to these sites as needed without compromising the integrity of the filter for the rest of the users. We feel that these few minor inconveniences are greatly overshadowed
by the safety that the filter provides.
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