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Where to Start: Parental Guides, Online Safety Handbooks, and Positive Examples |
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Reviews of Blocking Software |
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Where to Get Filtering Software: Makers of Blocking Software |
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Evaluating Quality On The Net |
Software which automatically blocks or screens material on the Internet
When you are deciding whether or not to use blocking and filtering software in your home, please remember that buying and installing software on a computer cannot be an adequate substitute for spending quality time parenting your child. Many experts and successful parents who have survived the Internet experience agree that Internet-connected computers cannot be safely used as electronic baby-sitters, regardless of the sales pitch of some software vendors.
Where to Start: Parental Guides, Online Safety Handbooks, and Positive Examples
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Get Connected to Learning Using the
Internet Resources for teachers, kids, and parents. Includes a free online course on "Internet Basics." KidsConnect Internet Question-Answering Service 200+ volunteer school librarians answer questions for K-12 students. Also has help and referral resources for kids. Net Parents Links to blocking software, advice on safe access for kids, net rating systems, "kid-safe" sites, and other resources. NetSurfing Aids For Child Safety Resources for parents and kids, including links to several positive examples and links to "child protection software." Parents' Guide to the Information Superhighway. This advice is from the Children's Partnership organization. |
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Blocking software, like any other kind of software, varies in quality, and different
packages are intended for different sorts of users. Furthermore, every publisher of
blocking software has a different opinion of what kind of pages they should
"censor" . . . some have political or social agendas which they don't
necessarily advertise. Others "accidentally" block pages that you may want to
see. Thoughtful points and analysis from one part of the human family. Censorship Of The Internet Censorship Resource Guide, links to organizations against and two sites in favor of censorship. Specializes in U.S. government information and alternatives to censorship. Cookie Central Ever wondered what Internet browser "cookies" are about? Cookie Central explains these tricky devices, and helps you understand the threat they can be to your families' privacy. Children's Advertising Review Unit (Better Business Bureau) When children's advertising is found to be misleading, inaccurate or inconsistent with the Guidelines, CARU seeks changes through the voluntary cooperation of advertisers. CNET reviews - comparative reviews - 8 programs to porn-proof the Net Basically, software is no substitute for parental guidance. Most products can be defeated; those that can't are so restrictive that kids may be prevented from getting the most from their online experience. Their advice: supervise your children when they're online, just as you do during other activities. CRADLE - Cyber Rights And Digital Liberties Encyclopedia An interactive encyclopedia of terms related to Internet users' rights. Cyber Angels The online version of the Guardian Angels organization, heavy on what could go wrong online. CYBERsitter: Where Do We Not Want You To Go Today? This page exposes bias used in one filtering program -- CYBERsitter blocks access to sites that have information about safe sex, feminism, gay/lesbian rights, and progressive political causes, for instance. Families Against Internet Censorship This site has information about the US legal status of the Net, and links to blocking software. About blocking software they suggest "We urge you to carefully investigate how these programs work and what sites they block to make sure their judgments are ones you agree with." Fahrenheit 451.2: Is Cyberspace Burning? How Rating and Blocking Proposals May Torch Free Speech on the Internet 29 Dec 97 Factual and logical American Civil Liberties Union position paper. Faulty Filters: How Content Filters Block Access to Kid-Friendly Information on the Internet 29 Dec 97 Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) demonstrates several unflattering filter flaws Filtering Information on the Internet A special report from Scientific American. "Look for the labels to decide if unknown software and World Wide Web sites are safe and interesting." Information Filtering Resources A librarian's scholarly approach to filtering information. The Internet Advocate This is one of the best resource sites. It contains links which debunk inaccurate perceptions of pornography on the Net, links which promote positive examples of youth internet use, and links which will help you understand blocking software. The Internet Filter Assessment Project This is the most scientific and comprehensive attempt to evaluate the blocking software programs to date. Internet Filters and Monitoring Software This site has links and brief reviews for many of the blocking software programs. Internet Free Expression Alliance 29 Dec 97 Excellent resources from a large coalition of free-expression advocates. Internet Online Summit: Focus On Children (December 1-3, 1997), Washington, D.C. Hosted by AT&T, America Online, Microsoft, The Walt Disney Company, and Time Warner, this media event even has its own web site! Is My Child Safe on the Internet? This site has online safety basics and guidelines for kids, and links to blocking software. Links to Sites with Internet Safety Software Brief reviews of blocking software are available here. The Net Labelling Delusion: Protection or Oppression? Australian views on the labeling "solution" to censorship. Parental Control Software -- Comparison of Features A compact, useful table of features for six filtering programs. Parental Discretion Advised (from Scientific American CYBER VIEW) A brief, informative review of the current filtering landscape by Paul Wallich. "...it appears that blocking software neither allows people using it to reach all the information they should, given its criteria, nor does it keep them from all the information they shouldn't see." Platform for Internet Content Selection "PICS" is one of the content rating systems being promoted. PeaceFire Teenagers advocating for human rights. Talk to your kids; silence is far more dangerous than any information A large collection of free speech links. Teen Net Anti-Censorship Alliance Teens fighting censorship. United Federation of ChildSafe Websites An organization of websites labeled as "childsafe." Began activity in Fall 1997. |
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Bess Cyber Patrol CyberSitter Net Nanny PlanetView |
It's not called the "Net of a Million Lies" for nothing. The Internet gives access to information from all over the world. Some of it is vital and valuable. Some is incomplete . . . or erroneous . . . or out of date. Some is marketing hype presented as fact. And many pages are unsupported opinion, or political demagoguery. A few are, quite literally, the ravings of madmen!
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It's all there on the Net. How do you, and your child, divide the information from the
raving? The same way you do when you pick up a newspaper or a magazine: Consider the
source. Evaluating Quality on the Net Common sense from a distinguished librarian's point of view. Evaluation of Information Sources A long list of credited links from New Zealand. Librarians Information Online Network A large collection of annotated links to valuable resources. Peter Milbury's School Library & School Librarian Web Pages This site is the center of the K-12 school library world. Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources Points to consider from Esther Grassian of the UCLA College Library. |