| As with every life-changing invention that has a life altering impact, the Internet and its services (by this I mean chat boxes, news groups, forums, etc.) offer the perfect platform for people with less honourable intentions. Everybody immediately points a finger at websites displaying pornographic content. This is, indeed, the first type of content being displayed on mainstream websites that is inappropriate for children (and sometimes even for every human being). However, since the net's incredible rise in popularity, more and more types of inappropriate online content (gambling, websites that promote discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, gender, etc.) are stumbled upon by young children all over the world.
Unfortunately, no immediate action was taken. History has proven that something
has to get seriously out of hand, before the guys at the top find it worthwhile
to invest money to combat the problem. Consequently, the suppliers of this inappropriate
content have been a step ahead of the research groups for many years.
At this point however, we can notice a new trend with Internet filters being
developed at a higher pace than security updates and service packs developed
by a certain company producing operating systems. If you have ever asked yourself:
"How on earth will I find my way through all these security updates, service
packs and beta versions?" you will probably be faced with the same problem
when it comes to choosing the most adequate Internet filter. The final decision
has to be made by you, but this article might help weed out some of the less
efficient filters for you.
Recall and precision
Just like different brands of shampoo use different ways to fight dandruff,
Internet filters use various approaches. On the whole, however, every programme
is based around recall and precision.
An effective filter determines which websites should be filtered, and which
should not. In other words, the software should identify every pornographic
site, racist site, etc. available on the web. This is recall.
Now, the aspect that separates the men from the boys is the ability of the
software to label the websites found properly. Not every site containing the
word 'sex' should be filtered. Access to pornographic sites should be blocked,
but scientific sites on the subject of sex education might be allowed. This
ability to distinguish between websites is precision.
Recall and precision are inversely proportional to one another. If you use
for instance an herbicide that kills many types of weed, some beneficial plants
might be affected as well. If, on the other hand, you opt for a specialised
herbicide, the other types of weed will be left unharmed. Similarly, if a filter
is capable of identifying every website containing possibly inappropriate content,
some harmless websites will be blocked as well. However, if the software is
very specialised in finding only harmful content on a specific subject, much
inappropriate content will still be available for viewing.
The methods
There are three types of filtering techniques that are widely used nowadays,to wit: live filtering, using labels and secured surfing.
Live filtering
The first type of filter software scans every visited website for inappropriate
content. If an unsuitable word is encountered, access to the website is blocked.
Some of the second-generation filters are even capable of scanning pictures
but this does not work perfectly yet.
Pros:
-
A broad spectrum of unsuitable sites is covered.
Cons:
-
Appropriate websites might be blocked as well (a recipe for chicken breasts or a
travel agency in Essex, for instance);
-
Slows down browsing;
-
Based on vocabulary. Names of new porn stars, for instance, will not be included.
Labels
This filter technique uses labels to decide whether access should be granted. This means that the right-minded web designer can add a label to his or her
website (for instance: no religious discrimination, no nudity, etc.) Specialised
institutions gather these labels and pass them on to the software developers.
Pros:
-
Labels are in most cases verified by an official institution.
Cons:
Secured surfing
In this method, parents compose a list of websites that can be viewed by their
children. As new websites come into being, they can either be added to the list
or not.
Pros:
-
Parents have total control of the websites visited;
-
Ideal for really young children;
-
List evolves as the Internet evolves.
Cons:
-
Requires certain involvement from parents;
-
Very frustrating for more experienced children;
-
Nearly impossible for parents to stay up to date on every dodgy website that
is published on the net;
-
Kids quickly find ways around this filtering
Conclusion
Internet filters are available in different shapes and colours. Some are more
adequate for companies while others are specifically designed for parents wanting
to shield their children from inappropriate content on the web. If you would
like to have an Internet filter yourself, you might want to give We-blocker
a try. Contrary to many filters from known brands such as Norton and McAfee,
this filter and its updates are completely free. Moreover, this piece of software
is more efficient than some other filters you do have to pay for.
For more information, please have a look at the following websites:
Software:
General information
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