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Filtering Links

Product Reviews

There have not been many reviews of Internet content filtering products and those that do exist generally apply to products parents are likely to use at home. It is important to read such reviews with that awareness. A filter that is a great fit for home use isn't necessarily going to work in a library. Aside from features that a library needs that parent doesn't require such as unblocking on request, many of the products and product reviews of home filters tend toward a certain agenda.

Still, it is worth reading any reviews you can find for filter products you might be considering. Understand that your best recommendation will be another library trying to accomplish what you are trying to accomplish. Read the reviews and talk to your colleagues. Find out what they are using, how they've set it up, and how happy they are with the results.

• Internet Filter Review
• GetNetWise.org
• Filter Review.com
• Smart Comparisons
• Updated Web Content Filtering Software Comparison.
• Test report prepared under contract from U.S. Department of Justice by eTesting Labs, October 2001.

Analysis

There are many issues for librarians to balance when considering filtering including free speech, access to information, privacy, and the digitial divide. Some of the articles in this section provide useful analysis of the larger issues associated with Internet filtering in a public library.

• American Civil Liberties Union, Fahrenheit 451.2: Is Cyberspace Burning? How Rating and Blocking Proposals May Torch Free Speech on the Internet. (New York: ACLU, March 17, 1997).
• Edelman, Ben, Sites Blocked by Internet Filtering Programs: Expert Report for Multnomah County Public Library et al., vs. United States of America, et al. (Cambridge, MA: Ben Edelman, 2002).
• Heins, Marjorie and Christina Cho, Internet Filters: A Public Policy Report, (New York: Free Expression Policy Project, Fall 2001).
• Hunter, Christoper D., Filtering the Future?: Software filters, Porn, PICS, and the Internet Content Conundrum, Master's Degree Thesis (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsyvlania, Annenberg School for Communication, 1999).
• Kaiser Family Foundation, See No Evil: How Internet Filters Affect the Search for Online Health Information. (Kaiser Family Foundation, December 2002).
• Nunberg, Geoffrey, The Internet Filter Farce: Why Blocking Software Doesn't--and Can't-Work as Promised, The American Prospect, 12, #1, (January 1-15, 2001: 28-33).
• Online Policy Group and the Electronic Freedom Foundation, Internet Blocking in Public Schools: A Study on Internet Access in Educational Institutions, (San Francisco, CA: Online Policy Group, June 2003).
• Willard, Nancy, Filtering the Internet," Education Week, vol. 21, #28, (March 27, 2002): 36, 39.
• Willard, Nancy, Filtering Software: The Religious Connection. (Eugene, OR: Responsible Netizen, February 24, 2002).
• Willard, Nancy, Who Defines Evil? Statement Regarding the Kaiser Family Foundation Study on How Filtering Affects Access to Health Information (Eugene, OR: Responsible Netizen).
• Willard, Nancy, Safe and Responsible Use of the Internet: A Guide for Educators(Eugene, OR: Responsible Netizen)

CIPA

In order to choose the right filter, be sure you know why you are filtering. If you are only filtering so that you can continue to get your E-Rate funding, be sure you have read the FCC regulations, the Supreme Court ruling and the numerous interpretations that have resulted from the ruling.

• American Library Association, Children's Internet Protection Act: CIPA Before the Supreme Court, ALA Briefs, ACLU Briefs, Government Briefs, (Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 2001-2003).
• Bocher, Bob, FAQ on E-Rate Compliance (Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction).
• Crawford, Walter, Coping with CIPA: A Censorware Special, Cites & Insights Vol. 3, # 9: Midsummer 2003.
• Heins, Marjorie, Identifying What is Harmful or Inappropriate for Minors: White Paper Submitted to the Committee on Tools and Strategies for Protecting Children From Pornography and Their Applicability to Other Inappropriate Internet Content, (New York: Free Expression Policy Project, National Coalition Against Censorship, 2001).
• Minow, Mary, Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) — Legal Definitions of Child Pornography, Obscenity and 'Harmful to Minors', LLRX.com, August 31, 2003
• National Telecommunications and Information Adminstration, " NTIA Report to Congress;Study of Technology Protection Measures in Secion 1703"
• U.S. Children's Online Protection Act Commission, Final Report of the COPA Commission Presented to Congress, October 20, 2000, (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2000).
• U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Children's Internet Protection Act: Study of Technology Protection Measures in Section 1703-Report to Congress. August 2003.
• U.S. Supreme Court, United States et. al. v. American Library Association, Inc., et. al., No. 02-361, Syllabus and Opinion of the Court. Argued March 5, 2003-Decided June 23, 2003.

  

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