Introduction from one of my white papers ‘Content Filtering in Schools: Best Practices for K-12’. Some of my customers call it the infamous ‘Booby Paper’. Find out why! You can read the full White Paper online at http://www.cadinc.com/news/press/pr_20060503_contentfilteringinschools.htm
“I don’t care if they see boobies!” Yes, it was just as silly the first time I accidentally blurted that out, but it got the point across. That comment embodies the purpose of this document- to bring attention to the full spectrum of risks and considerations of Internet usage in schools. … I’ve come to realize that there is a large communication gap between the educators who have to deal with these issues in the classroom and the technologists who have to enforce policies behind the scenes. Included is relevant information also for parents, so they may be aware of these issues and can remain pro-actively involved in their children’s’ ‘virtual’ life.
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Very good whitepaper and contains great insight into the various technologies (and probably non-apparent to k12 administrators) that should be considered when filtering content. My organization deals with filter (CIPA mandate) at our local libraries and we also filter for our "corporate accounts". We manually select the various categorical mechanisms but are finding that more and more "offensive" material is showing up in blogging/wiki/social networking sites. Since the Web 2.0 craze is finding its way into the corporate arena, I think IT administrators will have to remain even more diligent in providing controls. HOWEVER, strong technology use policies at the organizational level should be implemented. It isn’t the responsibility of IT to protect the employee (or students).
Great topic for debate is the legitimate usage of offensive site. (i.e. research, forensics, etc.)