wrote:

> It’s no secret to anyone on the Internet that the World Wide Web is

> FULL of ungodly perversion, smut, pornography, and worse. It’s also

> no secret that the Internet can be the most VALUABLE TOOL to knowledge

> and our childrens future.

[snip]

>

> NOT ANY MORE!!!

>

> I’d like to introduce you to the most long awaited and sought

> after service, and without a doubt, long past due….

>

> The World’s First Family Friendly Christian Internet Service!!

>

> THE SOLUTION

> Global Family Network is proud to launch familyinternet.net. An

> alliance has been completed between Global Family Network, IDT (an

> international telecommunications company), and N2H2 (a company

> offering proven hardware and software that blocks hundreds of

> thousands of pornographic and foul language websites/pages).

A noble idea, but unlikely to work very well.

Much time and money has been spent in the search for effective internet filters. I am yet to see an effective one.

There are two methods which people use to block undesirable material.

1. Maintain a list of undesirable sites and block access to them. 2. Block certain keywords.

Method 1 has some limited effectiveness. You can block well known sites like www.playboy.com. However many nasty sites change location almost daily. Your list will never be up to date. This method will possibly prevent a novice user from finding undesirable material, but anybody who can use a search engine will get past it.

There is also the issue of who decides what is undesirable. While most Christians agree that pornography is undesirable, many will differ in opinion about artistic nudes, sexual education/counselling, chemistry resources (which might contain expolsives recipes). Then there’s the issue of undesirable, wacky cults etc. Who gets to decide which ones are undesirable?

The method has some benefits, but it will never be a complete solution.

Method 2 has a different set of problems. While the blocking of keywords means that the target is static (the list of undesirable words doesn’t change much), the filtering tends to cut out much more than you want.

If you block the word “sex” you also block Essex, Sussex and Middlesex, sextuplets, anything that uses “sex” to mean “gender” and resources like sexual abuse counselling. Many filters would also block “Louise Xaviour”

If you block “bomb” you can’t research Hiroshima Day, Bombay, or descriptions of ’64 Fords.

What you get is a clear case of babies and bathwater.

So what’s the solution?

1. Education

2. Supervision

3. Trust

Education is the best defense. If you can teach your children that pornography is disgusting and bombs are dangerous then they won’t try to access them. If you cannot, they will eventually find a way to get access. If not at home, then at school or a friend’s place.

Supervision is also important. If a child spends hours on the computer in a locked bedroom, the temptation to mischief can be very strong. A young boy will be less likely to download pornography if mum is likely to walk past at any moment. Put the computer in the family room/lounge room or some other common area. Don’t stand over them and supervise, but do take an interest in what they’re doing. Spend time together doing research and such. It’s good for both parent and child.

Build a trusting relationship. You eventually have to trust your children to cross the road, visit the library, and develop into an adult. If they really want to look at naked people, they’ll find them. At the newsagent, the video library, even the newspapers these days. You teach them, you supervise them, then you have to let them go. If you get the first two right the third will follow.

Michael Smith

Computer Professional and Father.