And from the politech archives: "Conservative groups oppose mandatory library filtering" http://www.politechbot.com/p-01424.html Background on Cyberpatrol and its parent company's threats against Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/cyberpatrol/ -Declan --- From: "D. Ian Hopper" <ihopperat_private> To: <declanat_private> Subject: RE: SurfControl says it opposes mandatory filtering in libraries Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 09:34:09 -0400 Message-ID: <NDBBLKAPMMCGKEJOBIOEGECPCDAA.ihopperat_private> MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal That's not news. Susan Getgood has been saying that from the very beginning: aD77Q92980 10-23-2000 15:27:33 Internet filter limitations at odds with youth-protection bill ^By D. IAN HOPPER= ^Associated Press Writer= ¶ WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Internet-filtering software pushed by Congress to protect children from smut online is blocking far more than pornography. It accidentally screens out innocent content like a Virginia lawyer's home page and a Texas home inspector's Web site. ¶ The software's uneven performance puts a snag in the politically attractive solution that Congress is trying to include in an education spending bill before it adjourns. ¶ The measure's supporters admit the tools aren't perfect and want communities also to study other ways to combat child pornography on the World Wide Web. ¶ "We need to make sure we're looking at the whole issue and everything that's out there. Filters won't be a cure-all," said Melissa Sabatine, a spokeswoman for Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., co-sponsor of the legislation. ¶ The White House and civil liberties groups worried about free-speech implications of filtering oppose the measure, as does, ironically, the maker of the most popular Internet filter. The bill's specific language impedes innovation, the company called SurfCONTROL contends. ¶ "Things that mandate specific technologies probably aren't the best solution here. Let the free market decide, and let us improve these products all the time," said Susan Getgood, a SurfCONTROL vice president. ¶ SurfCONTROL owns the two most-used filtering tools, CyberPatrol and SurfWatch. Its technology also powers America Online's Web filter. ¶ "My chief criticism is that I don't think it's necessary because schools are already doing what they need to do to protect their students," Getgood said. ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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