Class Activity : Network and Ethical Issues

What is web filter?

A Web filter is a program that can screen an incoming Web page to determine whether some or all of it should not be displayed to the user. The filter checks the origin or content of a Web page against a set of rules provided by company or person who has installed the Web filter. A Web filter allows an enterprise or individual user to block out pages from Web sites that are likely to include objectionable advertising, pornographic content, spyware, virus and other objectionable content. Vendors of Web filters claim that their products will reduce recreational Internet surfing among employees and secure networks from Web-based threats [1]. 

Some Web filter products also provide reporting so that the installer can see what kind of traffic is being filtered and who has requested it. Some products provide soft blocking (in which a warning page is sent to the user instead of the requested page while still allowing access to the page) and an override capability that allows an administrator to unlock a page [1].

While a Web filter can screen out a certain amount of malware, security experts advise other forms of protection as well, such as the installation of desktop and network antivirus software. A Web filter is often installed as part of a proxy server and firewall [1]. 

Is it working?

The web filter rates the content of websites, and it can block some websites based on the content categories you decide are objectionable. Turning on the web filter should significantly reduce the number of objectionable websites your children might view, but it does not offer absolute protection. Because objectionable content is subjective, the filters might not block all of the content that you want them to block [2].

Many believe Web Filtering to be simply and straightforward. Install it, select what sites you want to block, and be done with it. As with any new technology that concept no longer works. Even with a Web Filter it’s important to understand and manage your system properly, not just throw it in and turn it on. Take time to review requirements and policies, explore currently available products, and learn how to use those products to their full potential.

Child Internet Protection

In 1998 a narrower version of the CDA required commercial Web sites to verify proof of age before giving users access to sexually explicit material considered obscene for minors. COPA was immediately challenged by the ACLU and other civil liberty organizations, and in 1999 a permanent injunction was ordered against its enforcement. On May 13, 2002, in ACLU v. Ashcroft, the Supreme Court directed a lower court to reexamine its ruling that COPA was unconstitutional. On March 7, 2003, the court again found that COPA was unconstitutional. On June 29, 2004 the Supreme Court kept in place the 1999 lower-court ruling against the enforcement of COPA, but ordered the lower court to consider whether recent advancements in filtering technologies could protect children more or less effectively than the criminal sanctions specified in COPA [3].

How do you see The Child Internet Protection Act from act utilitarianism viewpoints?

Argument for: 

•  Libraries do not provide X-rated magazines or movies so they should not be obliged to provide Internet pornography. Damage to children significant unless filtered.

 Argument against:

•  Filters are inaccurate and inconvenient. They restrict freedom of speech from some web publishers

Act utilitarianism evaluation.

1. Enacting the CIPA will result in fewer children being exposed to pornography.
2. Imperfect Web filters cause some legitimate Web sites to be inaccessible, making Web browsers in libraries less useful.
3. Adult patrons who ask for filters to be removed may be stigmatized as people who want to view pornography.
4. Some blocked sites may be associated with minority political views, reducing freedom of thought and expression.
5. Act Utilitarianism, due to the complexity of utilitarian calculus, could support or oppose the CIPA depending each person’s judgment. 

Reference

1. whatis.com – definition web filter
   http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/Web-filter
2. windows – how does web filter work
   http://windows.microsoft.com/en-MY/windows-vista/How-does-the-Parental-Controls-web-filter-work
3. nap.edu – Internet laws  
4. http://www.nap.edu/netsafekids/pp_li_il.html
5. Communication via the web
   http://www.cs.txstate.edu/~hd01/CS2315/Papers/Third%20Edition/PreFall2009/02/SP05/Communication%20via%20the%20Web.ppt