by Jamie McKenzie Source: 'From Now On' Magazine
Note (June 11, 1999): Since this article was published in May, it appears that SurfWatch has discontinued the practice of automatically blocking sites using the file names "adult.html" and "adult.htm." While there has been no formal acknowledgement of wrong doing or defamation of character by SurfWatch, From Now On takes pride in seeing the word "adult" restored to common usage. Even though the filtering of information by third parties is often represented as a gift to children . . . as some act of decency in an indecent world, some members of the filtering industry embrace and commit indecencies of their own. Some filters block perfectly legitimate information by relying upon crude word searching strategies which block articles on adult learning and breast cancer. These filters may defame the character of some individuals and information providers. They often announce that a site is blocked because it contains "sexually explicit" material even when no such material is present and they have not taken the time to check the content before characterizing it falsely. It appears that some filtering companies may insult first by blocking most sites which contain the file name "adult.html" until someone complains. They only retreat and apologize after being "caught in the act." They systematically defame and then retreat, damaging hundreds and thousands of reputations as a matter of course. We are seeing broad-based, wide brush attacks on the character of the electronic community with the disregard for individuals and providers we normally associate with Internet Spammers. They have invented a new form of insult . . . the electronic smear campaign . . . the SL@P. A SL@P is an electronic insult - an unfounded and defamatory label applied to a Web page without looking at it to check its contents. It is an electronic rumor, a digital dismissal, a gratuitous and indecent assault on the reputation of an unknown person. A SL@PPER is a company which indulges in indiscriminate SL@PPING without regard to the damage done to the victims of SL@P. An article on adult learning appearing here at From Now On was blocked by SurfWatch during April. Even though it contained no sexually explicit material, clients of SurfWatch were told that the article was blocked for that reason. This article you are reading right now was also blocked by SurfWatch before it was even published. They evidently block new files named with adult.html until they are asked to desist. If you are worried about your own site or other sites being unfairly characterized, you may test them by visiting http://www1.surfwatch.com/testasite/body.html A content provider or individual could be maligned on a daily basis for weeks and weeks without knowing that damage was being done and without knowing how many people had been erroneously told that they were harboring sexually explicit material. On April 23, a technology director e-mailed From Now On complaining that she could not reach an article written about adult learning. When the article was checked on April 23rd at http://www.surfwatch.com SurfWatch blocked it at both From Now On addresses (fno.org and fromnowon.org) stating that it was blocked for "sexually explicit material." Arbitrary, Capricious and Irresponsible This approach to blocking content is arbitrary, capricious and irresponsible. It apparently relies upon clues like the file name "adult.html" to filter and then label pages as "sexually explicit" without actually examining their content. If they were simply blocking the site, it would be one kind of damage, but they go a step further by labeling the content erroneously as "sexually explicit." This is defamation of character and false. We are witnessing an industry which uses crude measures to deliver "information security" and applies a standard that a page or a site is "guilty until proven innocent." List of the Falsely Accused The following 32 Web pages were blocked by SurfWatch for what they claimed was "sexually explicit material" when they were checked at the SurfWatch site during the week of May 10. None of them contained "sexually explicit material" as far as this author can tell. Visit and judge for yourself (if you do not have SurfWatch installed). Please notice the large number of respectable organizations SL@PPED in this manner. Blocked! 5/10/99 National Cancer Institute - Hodgkin's Disease Unblocked by 5/21/99 Very useful information from the Federal government for cancer patients which contains no sexually explicit material. http://rex.nci.nih.gov/INFO_CANCER/ADULT_HODGKNS.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 Helping Your Child Use the Library US ED Dept Unblocked by 5/21/99 US Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement - an article for parents which contains no sexually explicit material. http://ericps.crc.uiuc.edu/npin/respar/texts/helping/library/adult.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 Literacy Council of Alaska Unblocked by 5/21/99 A list of Adult Literacy resources which contains no sexually explicit material. http://zorba.uafadm.alaska.edu/fairnet/volops/agencies/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Lawrence (KS) Parks and Recreation: ADULT SPORTS (1999 WinterSpring) Unblocked by 5/21/99 A schedule of recreational activities which contains no sexually explicit material. http://zorba.uafadm.alaska.edu/fairnet/volops/agencies/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Sea Scouting: Sea Scouter's Training Award Unblocked by 5/21/99 Page describing how to become an adult scout leader which contains no sexually explicit material. http://www.sea.scouter.com/for_leaders/adult_recognition/adult-award.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Queensland University for Technology - Adult and Workplace Educators Unblocked by 5/21/99 A page outlining a range of Adult and Workplace Education programs offered by the University which contains no sexually explicit material. http://www.qut.edu.au/pubs/contprofed/adult/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 The Albany (Oregon) Public Library - Adult Services Unblocked by 5/21/99 A page outlining a range of Adult programs offered by the Library which contains no sexually explicit material. http://www.ci.albany.or.us/pages/library/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 The Southern Pine Beetle Adult Unblocked by 5/21/99 A high quality photograph of an adult beetle, part of a biology site, with no apparent sexually explicit material. http://everest.ento.vt.edu/~salom/SPBbiology/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 South Park Church Adult Ministries Unblocked by 5/21/99 A page from a church in Park Ridge, Illinois which contains no sexually explicit material. http://www.park-ridge.il.us/spchurch/frames/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 HyperText Psychology - GROWTH/Adult Unblocked by 5/21/99 Materials for a Wayne State - The College of Science - psychology course which contain no sexually explicit material. http://www.science.wayne.edu/~wpoff/cor/gro/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Royal Victoria Hospital Psychology Department Adult Services Unblocked by 5/21/99 Hospital services which contain no sexually explicit material. http://www.psych.mcgill.ca/labs/rvh/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Joy of Living - Adult Bible Studies Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.joyofliving.org/html/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Hackley Public Library links to sites of interest to adults Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.muskegon.k12.mi.us/library/adult.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 Penn State's College of Health and Human Development - Graduate Study in Adult Development and Aging Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.hhdev.psu.edu/hdfs/Grad/adult.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 Oregon Health Division : Adult Immunization Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/ccfh/imm/adults/adultimm.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 adult lamprey Unblocked by 5/21/99 This sea lamprey page is part of a larger project about environmental issue pertaining to Hamilton Harbour in conjunction with McMaster University's Biology Dept. http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/Harbour /SPECIES/SEALAMP/ADULT.HTM Blocked! 5/10/99 Cancer Support Services - Colorado HealthNet Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.coloradohealthnet.org/cancer/support/css_adult.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 St. Charles Library - Adult Services Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.chicago.avenew.com/comnity/stcharls/library/ADULT.HTM Blocked! 5/10/99 The University of Western Australia Psychology: Blink Reflex in Adults Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.psy.uwa.edu.au/user/linda/biglab/adult.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 Pacific Northwest College of Art C.E. Adult Classes Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.pnca.edu/htmls/pro/ce/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 SPRINGFIELD ADULT BASIC AND LITERACY EDUCATION Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.wittenberg.edu/witt/commservice/agency/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Internet Master - The Adult Learner Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://outreach.missouri.edu/ne-imaster/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Auburn University Programs in Adult Education Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://webserv.duc.auburn.edu/academic/education/ved/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 adult Student Resource Center Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://jcweb.gmu.edu/maps/pages/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 LISTING OF IMPAIRMENTS - Oregon Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/disability/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 INSTITUTE FOR NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSURGERY AT THE BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER - Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://nyneurosurgery.org/inn/tumor/chemotherapy/adult.htm Blocked! 5/10/99 Suffolk University Education and Human Services Department - Graduate Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.cas.suffolk.edu/ehs/graduate/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 MELON -- Middletown Township Public Library Adult Programs Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.monmouth.edu/irs/library/melon/middletown/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Memphis College of Art Community Ed Adult Non-Credit Courses Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.mca.edu/comm_ed/ce_adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 The University at Albany- Learning Standards Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.albany.edu/twoyear/stwbestprac /webintro/matrix/adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 Adult Classes Recreational Pool - University of California - Davis Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu/recpool/rp_adult.html Blocked! 5/10/99 U of Minn Dept of Surgery CVT Fellowship Program Unblocked by 5/21/99 http://www.surg.umn.edu/surg/CVTsurg/CVTheart_adult.html Virtual Relief While the company claims to review complaints in order to protect people and sites from unfair ratings, I filled out their forms for both of my Web sites on April 23rd and had seen no change in one of the listings 19 days later. The only blocking they removed was the one which appeared on a listserv. Legal Relief The electronic frontier brings with it powerful ways to communicate information, some of which are healthy and beneficial. Unfortunately, these positive advancements are offset by other new technologies which can block legitimate information and damage the reputation of hundreds and thousands of people while hiding behind the excuse that they are protecting children. Fortunately, the court system offers injured parties the right to bring their cases before a judge and jury to demand an end to the defamatory practice and the award of damages to those whose character and Web sites have been falsely accused. This journal has asked that SurfWatch remove all blocking of articles on the From Now On web sites and to cease and desist the defamatory practice of affixing the "sexually explicit" label where none is justified. Note (June 11, 1999): Since this article was published in May, SurfWatch has discontinued the practice of blocking pages at From Now On which have "adult" in the file name. We have further requested a public apology from a high ranking company officer that may be republished in From Now On and on several educational listservs where SurfWatch clients can read it. We have also insisted that SurfWatch cease the apparent practice of blocking and characterizing of Web sites simply because of file names such as "adult.html" as this is plainly discriminatory, irresponsible and potentially defamatory. Note (June 11, 1999): Since this article was published in May, it appears that SurfWatch has discontinued the practice of automatically blocking sites using the file names "adult.html" and "adult.htm." While there has been no formal acknowledgement of wrong doing or defamation of character by SurfWatch, From Now On takes pride in seeing the word "adult" restored to common usage. If SurfWatch does not agree to these demands, we will proceed with legal action, including the possibility of a class action suit. Please let us know if you have experienced problems with information being unfairly blocked by this product at your library, school, university or business site. We would also like to hear if you have been blocked unfairly from reading materials. Please send an e-mail message to the Editor at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and we will send a list of questions for you to consider. Join us in putting an end to the SL@P! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? 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