Blocking & Filtering Essay

URL Filtering – URL filtering secures application servers by controlling client access. Sites that are known to be malicious or contain inappropriate content are blocked to protect the organization. TMG groups URLs into dozens of categories, including those based on security, productivity and

Did you check your Facebook today? How about your E-Mail? If not, you may be missing something even now! In today’s fast-paced world of instant information, if you aren’t on the internet, you’re almost certainly uninformed. Networks and the internet make up an alarmingly large part of our life. We get our news (both personal and public) via the internet, we talk to friends, shop for things, pay our bills… but how vast is the monster that does all of this? This question, along with many others, is essential in the debate that rages on today: censoring the net. There are governments, not excluding our own, who believe in to some extent controlling who can access certain websites, and which are available to the general public. The very idea

When discussing internet censorship, one of the major concerns is what children can see on the internet. Internet censorship was a huge deal during the 1990’s and early 2000’s and it still is to this very day. The internet back then was much different than it is today. Back then, we could only access the internet from a computer and most people didn’t own one back then. Nowadays, most people have multiple computers and a cell phone that can access the internet. It was easier for parents to control what their children could have access to back then. Now, parents can still put restrictions on the router settings and set a timer for when the internet shuts off but kids can always just go somewhere else that may have internet access to view any

In this paper, I will compare and contrast Internet censorship in Canada and China. While China is widely known for censoring the Internet for political reasons, Canada remains relatively free of censorship. Through this paper I argue that the large differences between censorship in Canada and China are due to their inherent political systems. Currently, China is the leading country in Internet censorship technology, policy and practice. By comparing China, a secular country, to Canada, I intend to show one of the biggest contrasts in censoring ideologies in the world.

This paper addresses whether we should censor or block access to websites with controversial material. It looks at the issue from several sides: The relevant US laws that are in place, how censorship is used at the university and corporate levels, how other countries are attempting censorship, and finally what I feel about the topic.

Laws, enforcements, and censorship have been developed since the beginning of civilization. With freedom, comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes common sense. In a society or nation of few, laws and restriction tend to be smaller, and less complex. This is contributed by the fact that in small groups, their will be less diversity amongst them. In larger society ranging in millions to billions, the need for a more complex, organized government begins to form. No human is in fact alike, each person possess their own form of will, and much their own point-of-view. In a large mass society, it becomes tedious, and complex to try and rule by anarchy. The need for a common law amongst this

For many Packer students, the internet filters on their laptops are a complete mystery. A search or website is blocked, and the reasoning and technology behind it is generally completely unknown. Recently, there’s been a shift in the packer communities internet access, which has been equally as misunderstood yet substantially more jarring to the average student. Director of technology Jim Anderson wants to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the recent changes, saying “It’s not a change in policy it’s a change in technology, and when we change the web filter solutions that we use for the school we change manufacturers basically, and different manufacturers use different algorithms and different processes for categorizing websites… One

While elementary and middle schools have obvious needs for restrictions, Internet access at the high school level isn't as black and white. High school students are sensitive to their given rights, yet are officially minors under the law; teenagers are ever nearing adulthood, but are sometimes viewed as immature. So, high school administrators are challenged with designing an Internet policy that meets the educational needs of the students and the moral demands of society. Although software is being designed to "censor" the content of the Internet, student trust and responsibility might be a more reasonable route.

Although it may seem like censorship is only used for bad reasons, there are good reasons too. Censorship can protect children from websites that could be dangerous

All aspects of internet filters will be discussed including who chooses to use filtering software, why these groups use filters, how an internet content filter works, and the pro’s and con’s of implementing the use of filtering software.

Congress made an attempt to place content-based restrictions on school and public library internet use in the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2000. This act requires the use of some type of internet filtering software for all public libraries that attain funds from the Federal government (in the form of E-rate discounts or Library Services and Technology Act grants). Should a library refuse to comply with CIPA guidelines, that library would have to maintain its technological services without the government discount or LSTA grants. Holding to the CIPA guidelines, both the E-rate and LSTA stipulate that filters may be disabled or ‘legitimate’ sites unblocked by adults who request it, but it is unclear “whether libraries ‘must’ provide for such disabling” (Anten 79).

My research project explored the extent of internet censorship and its necessity to China as a form of societal protection. It discussed the advantages, disadvantages and impacts of censorship on Chinese society. As I researched the topic, I determined that censoring parts of the internet was more than just about protecting the young Chinese children from online predators and distressing content. My initial intention was to highlight the wrongfulness of widespread censorship however, as I researched, I was able to understand that censoring parts of the internet improved the Chinese economy, prevented cybercrimes from occurring while concurrently offering online safety. I discovered this by analysing several different websites, YouTube videos and conducting two interviews with people with expertise in the Chinese internet. My outcome, presented in the form of a feature article, explained that censoring parts of the internet benefits society more than it harms.

Freedom of speech and access to information within our public libraries is protected by the bill of rights of many national and international human rights organizations. These freedoms are specifically protected within our First Amendment rights in the United States Constitution and by the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights. It is written by both that all citizens should have the freedom to write, publish, and read what they wish, without fear of a government or other person persecuting or restricting them. However, the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000 made it American law that public libraries must use Internet filtration software to censor access to information deemed inappropriate for children. These regulations are meant to protect the innocent American youth from content considered profane, sexual, or violent; however, what has proven more dangerous than what children discover on the internet at their library is the misapplication of the law by the libraries themselves. Due to differing cultural contexts, political and economic climates, and contents of constitutionally protected information, different communities throughout the United States have different levels of freedom to information. While the government of the United States has the final say on what information can be accessed in federally funded public libraries in America, several libraries throughout the

Another time the internet web browsers have shaped the way the people see censorship is when the different browsers

Internet censorship is developing far and wide and influences us, regardless that as United States citizens, we have additional technological opportunities than what many other nations do. Numerous Americans underestimate the opportunities that living in the United States permits us. Whether we are sending electronic mail, posting on our social media pages, or seeking out the latest news, we are ensured the opportunity of self-expression and an inexhaustible amount of information right at our fingertips. Censorship takes control of people's expression, and many countries, governments, and leaders support it for this reason. Internet Censorship in the United States in comparison to different nations brings to light the global and ethical issue regarding the basic human rights of education, communication, and freedom.