What We Filter: back

Filtering or restricting access to the internet has several difficult questions attached to it. A few of these are:

  Why filter at all?
How to filter?
Who to filter?
What to filter?

The first three are very easy to answer, and the answer to those questions can be found in other documents here in the info section. The last item is much more complicated.

By filtering access we act as censors, deciding what is appropriate, and what is not. By choosing a filtered service you say that there is a need for censorship on the internet. We must decide which items on the internet should not be seen, and which items are appropriate.

Fortunately, the organization that provides us with the filter also maintains the database of inappropriate sites. Their criteria for filtering sites is aimed at families with children, and is therefore very thorough. Here is a list of the types of sites that we filter.

  Nudity and Pornography
    Prevailing US standards for nudity
Provocative semi nudity
Exceptions: Classical nudity in works of art

  Sexuality
    Images or descriptions of sexual acts
Descriptions of sexual acts or techniques

  Violence
    Images or descriptions of graphically violent acts
Graphic autopsy or crime scene images

  Crime
    Information on performing criminal acts
Illegal file archive
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  Drug Use
    Material promoting the use of illegal drugs
Exceptions: Educational materials

  Tastelessness
    Images or descriptions of excretory acts
Medical images outside of a medical context
Profanity within images, sounds, and multimedia files
Adult humor

  Discrimination
    Material advocating racial or religious intolerance

  Sites advocating body modification
    Tattooing
Branding
Piercing

  High risk sites (back doors to filtered materials)
    Public WWW proxies
Public gateways
Public access sites
Sites that are under construction but suggest inappropriate material

Some items are filtered that most would not consider offensive. Our service is designed for the family and since many young children now have access to the internet we filter the items that can greatly influence them.

If you have any questions about our service please contact us.

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