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Your Need for Speed, Adult Content on the Internet
By Eric Spellman
Many times, when I speak before
groups, I get questioned about some of the
adult information on the Internet. Usually, the questions come from
concerned parents or teachers. Being a parent myself, I understand
their
concerns. There are definitely places on the Internet that
I don't want my
children going.
But, you have to put it in perspective. There are definitely places
in our
COMMUNITY that I wouldn't want my children going. The Internet is
like any
community. Just as any town has churches, schools, and bars, the
Internet
has churches, schools, and bars. The solution is NOT to disallow
access to
the Internet altogether. After all, in this day and age, kids without
access to the Internet are labeled "disadvantaged" by their
teachers. The
Internet is the BEST resource for students to learn more about their studies
and the world.
The key is to "control" their access to the Net. Of course,
"how this is
done" is the subject of many debates on Capital Hill. Congress
attempted to
legislate this issue a while back. They wrote a bill called the
"Communications Decency Act" (CDA) and attached it to the
"Telecommunications Act of 1996." What the bill basically
stated, was that
it was "illegal for a minor to view indecent material on the Internet."
The Supreme Court threw out the CDA almost immediately. They cited
two
reasons: First, WHO got to determine the definition of "decent?"
Eric
Spellmann? Congress? The President? The word "decent"
is incredibly
subjective. Since it couldn't be defined in a black and white manner,
it
was unenforceable. Second, the Supreme Court quickly realized that
"inappropriate sites" would simply move to other countries to
escape our
laws. Remember: laws made by our Congress are only enforceable as
far as
our borders. We do not have the right to dictate the information
another
country puts on the Internet.
Today, the government is a little smarter when it comes to protecting
our
youth. The president and many congressmen have decided to back a
new
solution: one that doesn't infringe on First Amendment rights.
Filtering software is the answer. Here's how it works: Parents install
filtering software on their system. They lock it with a password.
The
software then monitors all information transmitted or received from the
Internet.
Kids are protected in three ways. First, the software comes with
a
predefined list of sites that are deemed inappropriate for kids.
If "little
Johnny" attempts to go to one of those sites, the software blocks
the
attempt and logs it for parents to view later. Most filtering software
also
comes with a utility to update those sites once per month. Parents
can add
to or delete sites from the list.
The second level of protection is at the "word" level.
If the software
detects certain language on a web page or an e-mail message, it will not
display it. This technique not only protects the kids from inappropriate
language, but can also be set up to prevent them from sending personal
information to strangers. Once again, parents can "add to"
and delete words
from this list.
Finally, the third level of protection involves an enforced timer.
Parents
can set the software to restrict Internet access to certain times of the
day. Not only does this curtail mischief; it prevents kids from
spending
too much time behind the PC. Homework and chores have to be done,
too!
So, which software is the best? Three titles spring to mind: Cyber
Patrol
(http://www.cyberpatrol.com), Surf Control (http://www.surfcontrol.com),
and
Net Nanny (http://www.netnanny.com). All three have received awards
for
their performance. However, after testing all three and talking
to many
parents, Cyber Patrol seems to get the highest marks.
Parents and teachers need to remember, though, that this software should
not
be used as a substitute to supervision. I believe strongly that
all kids
should be monitored by an adult while surfing the Net. School labs
should
always have a teacher handy to supervise and assist the students.
Before
allowing access to the Internet, schools should also have the students
and
parents sign off on a "Proper Internet Usage" agreement.
In my opinion, filtering software is a better solution than government
intervention. Think about it: It's not the government telling you
what you
CAN and CANNOT see. It's not your Internet Service Provider dictating
the
information you can view. The power is in YOUR hands. You
can turn it off
or on. YOU make the final decision about what comes into your home
or school.
One last thing: Filtering software is not perfect. It is meant as
a tool to
assist the parent and teacher, not to replace them. "Personal
responsibility" should be emphasized in both the classroom and at
home.
When it comes down to it, we should all be held responsible for our own
actions and those of our children.
I'll see you in Cyberspace!
Eric Spellmann is the owner of Spellmann &
Associates, a corporate
technology training facility in Amarillo, Texas. Besides his weekly
column,
he produces technology segments for his local CBS television affiliate
and
speaks at numerous conferences. If you would like to receive the
full
transcripts of his columns as well as the television segments he produces
for CBS, sign up for his FREE e-mail newsletter by sending a blank message
to NL@ERICSPELLMANN.COM
with SUBSCRIBE in the subject. Or, you can sign up at his website: http://www.EricSpellmann.com.