Gina Hicks

Ls521 sum02

07-05-02

Elective – Filtering

          Filtering             

  Pros

     Protecting one’s family from inappropriate material should be first on the minds of parents.  Educators and administrators also need to pay close attention to the material students can inadvertently “discover” on the Internet.  With advertisers preying on children by using flashy images to lure children to their sites, filters can provide “some” peace of mind for adults.  As a parent I try to keep my children safe from the dangers that I know about.  With 200 new pornographic sites emerging daily, filters can be viewed as necessary. Pornographers and pedophiles have more access to our children than ever before through library computers, school and home computers.  I want to know institutions are at least trying to protect my children by using filters.

 

 

 

Cons

     Conversely, filters can be ineffective toward all sites that should be blocked.  Parents and educators can have a false sense of security regarding children on the Internet. They could become lax as a result of thinking that all inappropriate sites are being filtered. 

Another problem with filters is the process in which pages are reviewed prior to being blocked.  The lack of a human review process can cause appropriate pages to be blocked because they contain a “keyword” that puts them on the blacklist.  Some examples of this happening have been with Vatican site, the Breast Cancer Legislation site and even sites representing politicians running for elections. If humans were reviewing these sites before placing them on the list, less appropriate pages would be blocked.  This topic leads to a few questions, “Who are these people making the decision as to which site is being blocked?” and “ Aren’t First Amendment Rights being violated?”

Filters can also make it difficult for students to get into their own school sites because their site may contain “keywords” that blocking software uses to block sites. This could make it difficult for students to complete assignments from school and home.  In addition, they could also be kept from appropriate sites that would help in completing research assignments.

 

Final Thought 

     Computer software programs should not replace adult supervision.

 

Summary

 

Positive aspects of  filtering                                Negative aspects of filtering

 

Children can locate less inappropriate                  Children can be blocked from              

sites than without filters.                                     legitimate research.

 

               

Children have less chance                                   Students still could view

of straying onto an inappropriate                        inappropriate sites.

Sites.

 

Less supervision needed by                                Adults supervision could get lax.

 adults.

.

200 New Porn sites daily.                                  First amendment rights violated.                                                                    

                                                                   

Small price to pay for safety.                            Software can be an

                                                                            expense for schools.

                                                                                                                                                                                              Who determines the                                                                                                             sites to be blocked?

References:

Peacefire.org - http://www.peacefire.org

Enough.Org - http://www.enough.org/search.htm

Other Reference:

I found this site:  http://www.webwisekids.com/  to be very easy to navigate and informative.