A new report, detailing the use of Internet filtering software in Utah public schools and libraries, offers a revealing glimpse into the real-world effects of blocking programs. Produced by the Censorware Project, the report analyzes approximately 53 million lines of actual use data obtained from the Utah Education Network (UEN) under the state freedom of information law. UEN maintains eleven proxy servers which provide statewide "filtered" Internet access to all of Utah's public schools and some of its public libraries. The product used to screen out objectionable content is SmartFilter, a software package produced by Secure Computing.
The data shows that less than 0.4% of all access attempts on the UEN system were blocked by SmartFilter, despite the overbreadth of the program's filtering criteria. "Very few people used the Internet to access sexually explicit material, and students were less likely to do so," says the report. "The problem of minors accessing sexually explicit material is considerably less than some organizations would have the public and Congress believe."
The report also finds that SmartFilter, like other filtering products, blocks access to a large amount of socially useful content. Users in Utah were denied access to the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution. the Bible, the Koran, all of Shakespeare's plays and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rep. Bob Franks (R-NJ) have introduced bills in Congress (S. 97 and H.R. 543) that would require libraries and schools to install filtering software as a condition of receiving federal Internet funds.
The report -- "Censored Internet Access in Utah Public Schools and Libraries" -- is available at: http://censorware.org/reports/utah/
The EPIC Alert - Volume 6.05 - March 25, 1999
Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C.
http://www.epic.org
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
[posted Fri, Mar 26, 1999]
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