Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
With the rapid development and increasing sophistication of
Web sites and the corresponding evolution of filtering software, ef
fectiveness measures and comments about specific filters are in con
stant flux. Although many reviewers report that filtering software
can reduce the possibility of viewing objectionable material while
allowing access to other sites, objective reviewers seem to consis
tently conclude that no filtering software does a perfect job at both
tasks, and that, when it comes to children accessing the Web, such
filters cannot replace parental supervision.
The interested reader is encouraged to find recent reviews and
reports of filtering software to better understand the current state of
the art. Of course, vendors of the software tend to promote their
side of this matter, and you are advised to seek out objective review
ers who do not have a stake in their conclusions. You also may
want to locate materials from the Digital Freedom Network or to
search the Web for further examples of situations in which software
filters have behaved badly. Although examples can be humorous,
they also illustrate how difficult it can be to create an algorithm that
identifies exactly the “objectionable” materials and leaves other ma
terials alone.
Because parents have primary responsibility for their children,
some groups argue that parents can legitimately choose filtering
software as a tool in helping to screen what their children can view
on the World Wide Web. Informed parents should understand that
the software may still allow some objectionable material through,
or the software may block some appropriate material. Altogether,
however, parents may decide that imperfect filters are still prefer
able to not having filters at all. Of course, other groups argue in op
position, believing that filtering imperfections undermine any poten
tial value of the filters, that filtering software inhibits free speech,
and that the only effective approach to filtering involves active
parental oversight.
Parents are not the only users of filtering systems. The
September 25, 2001 issue of
PC Magazine
reports that “Today,
33 percent of businesses monitor employees electronically, which
includes examining their Internet activity, according to a recent
study by the Privacy Foundation, a grassroots public education
