[vox][OT response] Article: A parent's guide to Linux Web filtering

[Bill Kendrick]

On Thu, Jul 01, 2004 at 12:21:30PM -0700, Dave Margolis wrote:
> Does anybody see the real value in Web filtering?
> 

I tend to agree with the idea that parents should participate as much as
possible, and manually help prevent any nastiness from appearing
(and explain it if it does).  IANAP, however. :^)  (I am not a parent)

Same way with TV.  Fortunately, TV was far less raunchy when I was a kid,
so I don't think it was 'bad' that my parents gave me a TV when I was so
young.  Besides, what was I supposed to hook my Atari up to!?!?!

OTOH, I can imagine parents being very busy, etc. etc.
And with the kinds of things I've seen 8-year-olds do to Windows boxes
_on_purpose_, I cannot _imagine_ what could happen with all of the IE bugs
and other spyware/trojans/etc. crap flying around on Windows machines. <:^(

But, we're talking Linux, so that's MUCH MUCH MUCH less of an issue.
(Sandbox the kid into their own account, voila!  Computer, and your files,
are much safer to begin with, filtering or not!)


<snip>
> We try not to let our son watch violent cartoons, but his friends parents 
> let their kids watch Power Rangers and Yugio and all that stuff.

Power Rangers should be banner, period.  Not just because it's violent,
but because it's just a BAD show.  Horrible acting, bad camera angles, etc. :)

Err.. sorry, OT...


> 6. False positives?

Definitely an issue. :^/


I think one of the best places this could be used, though, are in public
situations.  But I think, for many of the reasons you stated above,
that it can go a little too far.

On the one hand, we have computers in libraries getting infected with
adware and popping porn banners up when noones even using them!

On the other hand, you don't want to inadvertently restrict certain things,
accidentally or not.


There needs to be a happy medium, and, having _no_ experience whatsoever,
MY expert opinion ;^) is that you filter content, but allow per-use
unblocking for immediate access to fasle-postivieyl-blocked content, and
constantly adjust and perfect the content blocking mechanism.

I see it as on-going, like the spam battle.  *shrug*

-bill!