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February 8, 2007
Does filtering protect kids?
In May, 2006, The Free Expression Policy Project "Internet Filters: A Public Policy Report, a detailed survey of tests and studies documenting how the widespread use of filters limits the free exchange of ideas necessary in a healthy democracy." This is the report updated from its original report in 2000. The report makes for some interesting reading regarding what our filters are protecting us from. As expected, many useful and legitimate pages get caught in the filtering algorithms and lists of blocked sites. But, so what for K-12 educators?
Under CIPA, any school that accepts e-Rate monies is required to employ filtering software to protect children from harmful content. Very few schools could afford to turn down e-Rate money so the reality is that we will have filters in the K-12 schools.
But private schools don't get the money and hence could opt to not install any filters. I don't know of any school that doesn't use a filter. Without a filter, the onus falls on educators to protect students (not that teachers are excused because filters are present). Certainly, teachers are still required to do that, but who can reasonably accept that as viable -- especially in 21st century classrooms where students are often working independently and often online.
A recent news story, Substitute teacher convicted in school computer porn case, takes us through an even more convoluted path. From the story,
A substitute teacher in the Norwich school system is facing up to 40 years in prison after being convicted of exposing students to pornography on a computer at the school. ... During the trial, Amero said any inappropriate images on her computer screen were from adware, which can generate pop-up ads and not from sites specifically keyed.
It further turned out that the computer was heavily infected with adware and spyware. The computer did have anti-spyware and virus protection, but the district had let the license lapse. BoingBoing has an interesting slant on the whole thing.
So, where does that leave us? May you live in interesting times!
Posted by Pat on February 8, 2007 11:50 AM
