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Passing Porn, Banning the Bible

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the when-will-they-ever-learn? dept.

Please read this press release from The Censorware Project. Their target today is Bess, a new piece of protect-the kiddies software from N2H2 that seems to be even more defective than some of its competitors. Look at the list of sites Bess bans (it's in the Censorware Project press release), and at some of the ones it allows to pass. Then laugh. I did, but sadly, because many U.S. legislators want this kind of software installed in all public schools and libraries. I could go on and on here, but why bother? Read the Censorware Project press release for yourself. It may lead you to a few porno sites, but at least they're ones that have passed Bess's scrutiny, and that's all that counts, right?

2 of 226 comments (clear)

  1. The WWW isn't a babysitter ... by wuzoe · · Score: 5

    I wish someone would stand up and tell the schools government, and parents that even with software, the www isn't a babysitter.

    Now, having said that, considering how people use it as a baby sitter, maybe filtering software isn't going in the right direction ...

    When I was learning to ride my bike, I was only allowed to ride on certain streets. My parents simply told me what streets I *could* ride on, they didn't try to list every street that I *couldn't* ride on. If filtering software worked this way, it would IMHO be better for corporations and libraries that want their net connected computers to be information appliances (no need to go to most sites) ... also parents would be able to set up their kids on a certain for-kids site and know they can't wander off ...

    I realize that this leaves most of the net unaccessable, but for the 12 year olds, and the libraries that want online news access, book reviews, etc. wouldn't this be "better"?

    Personally I believe that everyone should grow up and learn to live without censorware, but that isn't going to happen any time soon ... 8-(

    --

    --Wuzoe

    I'm a nice person. People like me.

  2. Damned Facts about N2H2/Bess by RobotSlave · · Score: 5

    I interviewed at N2H2 before taking my present job at a Large Internet Retailer in the same city. So here's a load of irony for you:

    1) Bess runs on Linux. Exclusively.

    Yes, the whole system. When a company or school (they have a near-lock on the academic market) decides to buy Bess, N2H2 sends out a tech to install a linux box (or boxen). Those boxen all talk to more linux boxen to keep the URL lists current.

    2) N2H2 funds free software projects.

    They paid for outside developers' time to get ipfwadm finished, and they are active in the perl circuit.

    3) Most of the people who work there don't think that censorware should be installed for anyone older than 12, but they can't say no to a client.

    4) Robots go out on the net and flag suspect sites, and the call on whether or not to block a flagged site is made by a human. So if something is being blocked, then someone decided to block it. The converse, of course, is not the case.

    5) They drag their feet when making offers to perl hackers, and the perl hackers go to work for Large Internet Retailers instead :).

    I'm sorry I came to this discussion late-- hopefully this post will bubble up a bit.