Anthony Grattini

16 June 2003

Article Critique #2

Trotter, Andrew. “Anti-Censorship Tool Would Evade Porn Filters.”

Education Week 22 (2003): 10-11.

This article discusses a new software, courtesy of Uncle Sam, called Circumventor. It can be installed on any Windows-type computer with unfiltered access to the Internet, such as a home computer. That machine then can be a springboard for Web requests from computers, such as those in schools, which have filters. Such a setup makes it possible to retrieve unauthorized Web pages and rebound them to the requestor, past the filter’s outstretched arms. It was developed by the federal government to allow people overseas who live under repressive governments to get news and information online. Software programmer Bennett Haselton developed the tool. Haselton is better known as the founder of Peacefire, a nonprofit, Seattle-based group opposed to censorship on the Web.

I feel that if internet use is monitored closely at home and at school this tool will help prevent the issue of overblocking of valuable information. However, one must be careful when doing research on the internet, making sure that the information you are receiving is in fact true. Internet filters do spare students, as well as teachers, the nuisance of accidentally running into porn during internet research. I can recall one embarrassing story about porn and school based research. During my undergrad at Gettysburg my roommate and I were in a genetics lab typing up a paper. One student was sitting next to us getting help from our teacher. At the time she was just surfing the Web. She clicked on an advertisement and her whole screen filled up with hundreds of pop-up porn pictures. This was while the teacher was standing right behind her. It was embarrassing for her even though the teacher made light of the situation. They did, however, take a long time to clear the screen of all of the pop-up windows. Filtering programs help to prevent such embarrassing situations. However, they might also block information that is relevant to research that you wouldn’t be able to access unless you have an anti-censorship tool such as Circumventor.