Web Filters

Online Storage Site Ordered To Filter Books

From the article:

Six book publishers have gained an injunction against file-hosting company, RapidShare. The Swiss-based ‘cyberlocker’ service must monitor user uploads to ensure that around 148 titles, many of them textbooks, are never made available to its users. Failure to do so could result in $339,000 fines, or even jail time for company bosses.

For those who don’t know, RapidShare is site where one can upload files for off-site storage and distribution. It’s that “distribution” that it’s well known for as thousands of people upload larger files to the service with the intention of allowing others to download. Though it’s well known in certain circles for hosting pirated content, it’s strange that the first shot fired against it should come from the publishing industry rather than the recording or motion picture industries.

Spam Filters Force Canada’s 2nd Oldest Magazine to Change its Name

One from Gary Price and The Resource Shelf.
Spam Filters Force Canada’s 2nd Oldest Magazine to Change its Name
Canada’s second oldest magazine — the venerable, Winnipeg-based history publication The Beaver — has been forced to change its name after 90 years because the title’s inadvertently sexual connotation is getting caught in spam filters and preventing the publisher from reaching a new, life-sustaining generation of readers online.

January 16, 2010 by Blake Internet Web Filters

Washington Supreme Court hears case on Internet filters

The state Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether it’s constitutional for public libraries to refuse to disable their Internet filters for adults who want access to sites that have been blocked.

Full story here.

June 23, 2009 by AndyW Internet Libraries Web Filters

Filtering in Washington State

From The Seattle Weekly:

Tomorrow, the State Supreme Court will hear Bradburn v. North Central Library Region (NCLR). The North Central Library Region is a system spanning Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, and Okanogan (WA) counties. Like other library systems that receive federal funds for Internet access, the NCLR is required to have the ability to block minors from seeing materials deemed “harmful” to them. Typically, libraries disable those filters at the request of adults.

Nevertheless, the NCLR has instead decided that it will judge the merits of each adult’s request to disable the filter. This, says the ACLU, “hampers adults in researching academic assignments, locating businesses and organizations, and engaging in personal reading on lawful subjects.” ACLU spokesperson Doug Honig says that the majority of requests to lift the filter has been denied.

The organization sent out a partial list of sites that have been blocked by the filter:

* The website of an organization encouraging individuals to commit random acts of kindness
* The Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra website
* The website of an organization encouraging women to carry to term by creating “a supportive environment for women in crisis situations to be introduced to the love of Christ”
* YouTube

June 23, 2009 by birdie Internet Legal Issues Libraries Web Filters

Ontario Proposal For Library Filters

A private member’s bill has put forward at Queen’s Park, home to the provincial legislature for the Canadian province of Ontario. The bill by Gerry Martiniuk is said to propose requiring Internet filtering at libraries in the province. The summary note prepared by staff at the provincial legislature discusses in simplified terms what the bill proposes. According to the status report on the bill, it has only had its first reading in the legislative process. Martiniuk’s statement upon introducing the bill is available online.

(h/t Connie Crosby)

June 11, 2009 by StephenK Internet Librarians Libraries Web Filters

San Jose rejects porn filters in libraries

A year and a half of debate over filtering pornography out of San Jose public library computers came to a head late Tuesday when the City Council rejected spending money on the technology.

“The fear is not based on fact,” said Tina Morrill. “We can use this money to keep our library hours longer.”

April 23, 2009 by Blake Libraries Web Filters

Budget May Affect SJ Library Porn Filter Debate

The hot-button issue of pornography filters in city libraries went before the San Jose City Council again Tuesday. Members of the council remained divided over questions of cost and censorship.
The porn filters could cost as much as $100,000.
Councilman Ash Kalra said, “We all are in favor of keeping pornography out of the eyes of our children. However, we have to understand, especially in these budget times, that we should prioritize where we’re spending our money and how effectively we’re spending our money.”

April 22, 2009 by Blake Censorship Librarians Libraries Web Filters

Fight Over Internet Filtering Has a Test Run in Europe

As European lawmakers debate how to keep access to the Internet free and equal — so-called network neutrality — they are inundated, not unsurprisingly, by lobbyists.

But the corporate envoys roaming the halls of Brussels trying to make their case, more often than not, do not represent the Continent’s myriad telecommunications and Internet companies, but rather those from the United States. Europe has become the world’s technology regulator. So the AT&Ts and Verizons are pitted against the Googles and Yahoos to shape European law in the hopes that American regulators will follow suit.

March 9, 2009 by Blake Google Internet Legal Issues Web Filters Yahoo

Viewing Filtering From The Outside

When library professionals get together and talk internet filtering, we often forget something vitally important. Sure we talk about freedom of access, how filtering supposedly coincides with collection development policies, and how to protect our patrons and such like.

One thing that seldom gets brought up, at least in conversations I’ve been privy to is “So, what do our patrons actually think about our filtering?” And it’s kind of rare to see any input from the outside, you know, from the people we’re actually supposed to be serving.

Twanna Hines is not a librarian. She’s a Funky Brown Chick. She’s a writer, an occupation I think we can all say we know something about. She lives in New York City and writes about dating, sex, and relationships. And as a patron, she was appalled to find out that the New York Public Library filters her site.

I have to wonder, how many of us can access the above links at work? And does it say anything about filtering when some of us might have to go home to read about what people think about filtering?

December 30, 2008 by Cyberpunk Librarian Internet Libraries Web Filters

Australian Web filter plan extends further

THE Federal Government’s controversial internet censorship plan may extend to filter more web activity than first thought, Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy revealed today.

In a post on his department’s blog, Senator Conroy today said technology that could filter data sent directly between computers would be tested as part of the upcoming live filtering trial.

“Technology that filters peer-to-peer and BitTorrent traffic does exist and it is anticipated that the effectiveness of this will be tested in the live pilot trial,” Senator Conroy said.

December 22, 2008 by Blake Censorship Internet Web Filters