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Library filters could block out educational sites
Saturday, August 28, 2004 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND (AP) - Shakespeare's plays, classic novels like "Moby Dick" and a Web site about the NFL's Super Bowl are among the resources that may be blocked to children younger than 13 under a proposal to filter Internet searches at Multnomah County libraries.
A proposal by library Director Molly Raphael would filter all Internet searches by children ages 12 and younger, unless parents or guardians want them to have unlimited access. Youths ages 13 to 16 could access any Web site.
"Filters are about 95 percent effective in blocking out English-language smut," said Stephanie Vardavas, president of the nonprofit Friends of the Library. "But they can also be pretty effective at blocking contents that may or may not be controversial but are certainly educational."
Vardavas said Internet filters aimed at blocking X-rated material also screened out a link to Shakespeare's complete plays and the full text of "Jane Eyre."
One filter even blocked a search for the site for the 30th Super Bowl because it was listed as Super Bowl XXX, she said.
"What it comes down to is that filters aren't good at assessing content," Vardavas said. "They're good at applying rules."
Library officials say there are scores of Internet filters on the market but their uses can vary.
The filter currently used by the county uses a "low threshold" that weeds out pornography, Raphael said, but also sites dealing with breast cancer and other subjects.
"It's not a perfect system, no matter what kind of filter you have," she said. "We're trying to provide some flexibility so parents can make a choice."
Proponents of filters argue that children need to be protected while using the Internet.
Raphael said the library has received relatively few public complaints about pornography on library computers.
During the 2002-03 operating year, library officials received 55 comments from patrons about Internet filters. Only a handful of those were complaints from people who said they saw another person viewing "objectionable material."
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Information from: The Oregonian
A proposal by library Director Molly Raphael would filter all Internet searches by children ages 12 and younger, unless parents or guardians want them to have unlimited access. Youths ages 13 to 16 could access any Web site.
"Filters are about 95 percent effective in blocking out English-language smut," said Stephanie Vardavas, president of the nonprofit Friends of the Library. "But they can also be pretty effective at blocking contents that may or may not be controversial but are certainly educational."
Vardavas said Internet filters aimed at blocking X-rated material also screened out a link to Shakespeare's complete plays and the full text of "Jane Eyre."
One filter even blocked a search for the site for the 30th Super Bowl because it was listed as Super Bowl XXX, she said.
"What it comes down to is that filters aren't good at assessing content," Vardavas said. "They're good at applying rules."
Library officials say there are scores of Internet filters on the market but their uses can vary.
The filter currently used by the county uses a "low threshold" that weeds out pornography, Raphael said, but also sites dealing with breast cancer and other subjects.
"It's not a perfect system, no matter what kind of filter you have," she said. "We're trying to provide some flexibility so parents can make a choice."
Proponents of filters argue that children need to be protected while using the Internet.
Raphael said the library has received relatively few public complaints about pornography on library computers.
During the 2002-03 operating year, library officials received 55 comments from patrons about Internet filters. Only a handful of those were complaints from people who said they saw another person viewing "objectionable material."
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Information from: The Oregonian
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