WhoPhD | Frivolous Diversions

Internet Filters

        Reporter: Helen Wellings

        After a lot of debate last year on pornography and
        offensive material on the internet, controversial new laws
        came into effect in January this year, designed to protect
        young minds. 

        Instead of the government banning X-rated and R-rated
        sites, they decided to give the Australian Broadcasting
        Authority $7 million to implement a policy of "protected
        access." That entailed such measures as an industry Code
        of Practice, including approval of internet filters.

        Software filters are supposed to block out inappropriate
        sites, in response to a database of taboo words and
        images. 

        But tests conducted by PC User magazine on 10 of the 16
        approved filters showed most of the leading programs DID
        allow offensive material through....violence, profanity nudity,
        partial, full nudity all sorts of different categories....... without
        parents even realising. The tests covered filters which are
        designed to sift while kids surf ... not those which provide
        pre-approved quarantined sites especially programmed
        for children.

        "Many of these filters fail to do what they claim to do," says
        John Hilvert, Deputy Editor of PC User magazine. He
        showed how easy it is to access offensive and illegal
        information that's totally unsuitable for kids. "They're very
        primitive they will do some things but on the whole they'll be
        very disappointed if you think this is an alternative to
        supervising your child's surfing on the net, says John.

        Of concern are the drug advocacy sites which give
        chemical information tips for safe shooting, how to get
        high, how to make your own deadly potions; bomb sites for
        destructive purposes, race hate sites, erotica and
        pornography.... all dangerous information in the wrong
        hands.

        PC User Magazine tested 10 government approved filters
        for their effectiveness, to see if they allowed or blocked
        access to unsuitable sites. 
        6 of the 10 filters tested did not block drug advocacy sites.

        Pornography & erotica - the tests found MOST filters
        opened the door to all sorts of sites you mightn't want your
        kids to explore. 7 allowed access to lewd animal acts!
        Race hate sites - 4 filters let you in. Bomb recipes for
        destructive purposes - 2 ACCEPTED those sites.

        "Net Nanny is probably the weakest and the most feeble of
        the lot definitely ...... Kid's friends might say there's a really
        interesting site you should see and they'll just click
        through," says John Hilvert.

        Net Nanny costs fifty dollars ... like most filters though, it's
        provided FREE by some internet providers to "protect"
        young users. But it stopped only ONE of the porn sites and
        accepted all of the drug advocacy ones.

        The biggest problem with these filters is that they can be
        easily disabled, and information on the net tells you how to
        do it.

        Another problem with many filters is that they block useful
        or educational sites. You might need to access material for
        homework, say on biology or race relations but the filter
        classifies those topics as taboo and won't let you in.

        For example if you look up nuclear bombs in world war 2,
        or information on breast cancer, these sites are blocked by
        many filters because they contain taboo words or images,
        as the PC User tests show.

        Peter Coroneos of the Internet Industry Association
        acknowledges the imperfections.

        "It's not farcical, it just represents the current state of the
        technology. The public should understand that the software
        does not replace parental supervision it's designed to work
        alongside it."

        The best adviceÉ

        ¤ Have child access to the net in a high traffic area like the
        lounge or kitchen. 
        ¤ Consider subscribing to an enclosed or quarantined
        station especially designed as suitable for kids.
        á Have a password and change it as your child learns to
        responsibly use the net ...or
        á use a filter with a TRACKING mode .. to track sites
        visited, rather than just block them.