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Thursday, 25 June 2009
Access-Internet Filtering
Topic: Access-Internet Filtering

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Access-Internet Filtering

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paper submitted as partial fulfillment for EDUT 6115

Tracie Sammons

June 1, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 In and effort to solve the problem concerning the  transmission of pornographic or sexually explicit materials to minors, libraries have battled with the problematic content on the Internet and deliberated whether filters will solve the problem. This matter is affecting big cities and rural communities. Who does the responsibility of Internet filtering fall upon? Is it the responsibility of the libraries, school systems, or the government to monitor websites that children have access to when searching for information. Local libraries are feeling the pressure to install mandated filtering software.  McCarthy 2004 states the following:

 “Accompanying the explosive growth of the Internet have been concerns  about protecting children form viewing pornographic and other harmful images through cyberspace”. In the past few years, Congress has passed several acts to censor Internet sites available to children, but only the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) has received Supreme Court endorsement to date.”

The CIPA focuses on minors receiving and viewing inappropriate Internet transmissions. Unlike pervious laws that focused on those transmitting pornographic or sexually explicit material to minors; criminal penalties were placed on those who committed such crimes. “Signed into law in 2001, CIPA requires public libraries and school districts receiving federal technology funds to enact Internet safety policies that protect children from access to obscene or pornographic images or other visual depictions harmful to minors”

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(McCarthy, 2004). In essence, school and public libraries receiving federal funds for technology must install filtering software on their computers in order to receive federal subsides.  The CIPA doesn’t single out which filters must be used and requires that the filters can be disabled in certain situations for adult patrons. In more recent rulings the Supreme Court strengthened the discretion of public school personnel to reduce students’ lewd and vulgar expression and to censor expression in school-related activities for academic reasons. Public schools have the authority to adopt filtering software for school computers and most parents feel that it is the responsibility of the school to protect their children from viewing obscene materials. Filtering software is widely used across the nation, but not all districts have chosen to filter. “In fact, 53 percent of school libraries filter Internet access. In public libraries, the figure is much smaller: 21 percent” (Curry & Haycock,2001). Schools are more likely to use filters on all terminals, 49 percent of school libraries use filtering software on all library computers, and public libraries drops to five percent.  Public libraries that filter some computers have written comments indicating that filtered terminals are located in the youth areas. “School libraries got an earlier start with filtering software. Forty-six percent of schools with filters had installed them before 1999, compared with 33 percent of public libraries” (Curry & Haycock, 2001).   Regarding school libraries 36 percent of them have no plan to use filtering software on computers.  The number drops somewhat in high school, 33 percent, and increases somewhat in middle school, 41 percent.  Thirty-nine percent of elementary schools are not in the process to

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utilize filtering software access. In the public libraries, the figures is considerably higher, 69 percent, do not plan to install filtering software. The public and school libraries both have initiated the Acceptable Use Policy whether they filter or not.

Children often access Internet sites mistakenly through inaccurate searches for Web sites that are deceptive when children use childlike words such as toys, Britney Spears, Disney, Poke’mon, and real-time instant messages linked with sexual predators.

Olagunju 2006 states the following:

According to the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC 2008) about twenty percent of youngsters ages 10-17 who frequently use the Internet have been sexually importuned online, and about twenty-five were reluctantly exposed to material of naked people and sexual engagements.

Many pornographic sites abuse trendy names of children’s materials to confuse the Internet search engines. Child pornography is on the rise due to increased availability   and use of the Internet by youths. There are live photos of children and software that make distasteful animated images of minors on the internet. Images enhancing software makes it easier to create and share pornographic materials by way of the Internet. The libraries most important objective is to

provide patrons with the needed information in a timely manner and in the least restrictive environment.  Filtering often creates an issue when trying to

 

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access websites that are blocked by the network administrator. Some Internet filters underblock, making inappropriate sites accessible or they overblock, preventing access to appropriate sites. Overblocking Web sites can deny access to legitimate medical Web sites. A better choice for filtering is to use text filters in school libraries. The accessed Web contents are monitored by filtering on specific text entries. Many students are tech savvy and skilled at knowing how to disable or work around the filter. Installing filtering software often gives media specialists, administrators, parents, and legislators a false sense of security.   Several filtering software companies offer options for allowing access to blocked Web pages. “School librarians report that they often must go through their school local network administrator to have this done” (Schmidt,2008).This process can take hours, days, or weeks before the librarian knows if admittance has been granted. Sometimes the permission isn’t granted.  The patron is losing valuable time while waiting to see if availability to the Website is permitted. “I was concerned that students would rise in revolt after having Internet sites blocked as they searched for information” (Johnson, 2005). The filtering technology is difficult to maintain because of the speedy growth of obscene Web sites. “Content recognition is the latest filtering technology that employs the concepts of artificial intelligence such as neural network used to provide a more comprehensive content screening”( Olagunju,2008).

Children can access the Internet from homes, schools, libraries, cyber cafes, private and public sources. “Youngsters who access pornography on the

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Internet often hurriedly shift or minimize the computer screen as an adult enters the room” (Olagunju, 2008).  Some children erase daily history.  Internet filters do not always block inappropriate Web sites from being accessed by children.

“The government has taken the position that the filtering technologies are not effective at screening out every inappropriate Web site” (Olagunju, 2008). Children’s behavior is positively or negatively affected by friends, parents, family, teachers, and even strangers. Various sources of security and involvement are required to protect children from obscene and pornographic materials on the Internet. Some churches and schools have installed Internet programs that scrutinize and record sites visited by children and members.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for retrieving information, manage personal finances, shop online, listen to music, watch movies, communicate, and much more. Children should be monitored when engaging in any activity on the Internet. It is extremely important for parents, teachers, and media specialists to be proactively involved in teaching children about the dangers of e –mailing, chat rooms and sites such as FaceBook and MySpace. Educate children about viewing Web sites that are inappropriate. It is important to teach children to use search engines that are child friendly.  The combination of teachers, librarians, parents, and training on accessing the Internet with the help of filters and

legislation are  the solutions to eliminating indecent child pornographic materials on cyberspace.

 

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References

Curry, A. & Haycock, K. (2001). Filtered or unfiltered: Online submission,

            (Eric Document Reproduction Service No. EJ3625144) Retrieved

            May 20, 2009, from ERIC database.

Johnson, D. (2000). Maintaining intellectual freedom in a filtered world:

            Online submission, (Eric Document Reproduction Service No.EJ697382)

            Retrieved May 19, 2009, from ERIC database.

McCarthy, M.M. (2004). Filtering the Internet: The Children’s Internet Protection          Act. EducationHorizons, 108-11.

Olagunju,A. (2008). Harmonizing the Interests of Free Speech, Obsentiy        

            and Child Pornography on Cyberspace: The New Roles of Parents,

            Technology and Legislation for Internet Safety. Online submission, (Eric

            Document Reproduction Service No.ED502269) Retrived May 20, 2009,

            from ERIC database.

Schmidt, C.M. (2008, March). Those interfering filters! How to deal with the

            reality of filters in your school library. Library Media Connection, 54-55.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Posted by sammons10 at 11:21 AM EDT
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