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Thread: internet filtering how it works

  1. #1

    internet filtering how it works

    Internet Filtering
    By
    Rwarren

    this if for education it will not tell you how to get around it but it will give a basic user a good undertanding of how it works...

    don't laugh to hard. and please feel free to question my termenology





    Now before I begin I must apologies if this paper shows internet censorship in a negative light, however out of my experiences and extensive research and the viewing of statistics, I have come to the conclusion that internet filtering as it is today is not doing what it is meant to be doing, thus this author is against it. Because this presentation is meant to be informative I will attempt to look at it from an unbiased point of view, then hopefully you can draw your own conclusions.

    The "Internet" is the word used to describe the world-wide network of computers. The word "internet" literally means "network of networks". The Internet is made up of thousands of smaller networks scattered throughout the globe. On any given day it connects roughly 20 million users worldwide. The World-Wide Web is mostly used on the Internet; they do not mean the same thing. The Web refers to a body of information - an abstract space of knowledge available via the Internet, while the Internet refers to the physical side of the global network, a giant mass of cables and computers.
    -Online Dictionary Encarta
    Having access to the Internet usually means that one has access to a number of basic services: electronic mail, interactive conferences, access to information resources, news groups, also the ability to transfer files.
    The World-Wide Web uses the Internet to transmit hypermedia documents between computer users around the globe. Much in the same way, nobody "owns" the World-Wide Web. People are responsible for the documents they author and make available publicly on the Web which is one of the reason we have filtering today.
    Since the reader now understands what the internet is it is time to go more in-depth to understand how filtering systems work. One of the things that one needs to know as a restricted internet user is how internet censoring systems work. There are two basic web censoring strategies. Personal computer based software, or server based software.

    Personal computer based software such as Net Nanny, Cyber Sitter, or Cyber Portal are software packages that can be installed on a personal computer. It allows the ability to control what is to be seen, or not seen

    Server based software such as N2H2/Bess is a little different. These technologies are manly used in schools, libraries, or government facilities. To understand this process one needs to look at what happens when typing something such as www.yahoo.com into the web browser. www.yahoo.com would be labeled as a request. The request would then be sent to the internet gateway server or proxy. The gateway/proxy server then sends the request to Yahoo’s server. Yahoo would then connect to the requesting computer, reversing the process that the requesting computer connected to it. Yahoo would then send the web page requested.
    Now that you have a basic understanding of how the internet works from a network, let’s look at how you are blocked from pages deemed inappropriate for viewing. First blocking software such as N2H2/Bess is installed on the internet gateway/proxy server. Once this is done the server begins to analyze every request for a website that comes through it. It does this using a combination of techniques.
    *It checks if the site you requested is on the block list.
    *If the site is not found on the block list the site itself is then scanned for a number of key terms such as adult, xxx, porn, nude etc.

    Now that the reader understands how it works, it is time to understand why it is put into place. Mainly filters were put into place at schools and libraries because the CIPA (Child Internet Protection ACT.) had passed congress and was signed by President Clinton during his term. CIPA basically states that all libraries or schools receiving federal funding are required to have internet access filtered or-else the school or library would have to pay every cent of the federal funding back to the government . This is all well and good but the problem is not the ACT itself it is the companies that make internet filtering software.

    Study Released on Internet Blocking in Schools
    Filtering Software Overblocks and Miscategorizes Websites
    Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release
    San Francisco, CA - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Online Policy Group (OPG) today released a study documenting the effects of Internet blocking, also known as filtering, in U.S. schools. The study found that blocking software overblocked state-mandated curriculum topics extensively -- for every web page correctly blocked as advertised, one or more was blocked incorrectly.
    The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires all schools and libraries receiving certain federal funds or discounts to install and use a technology for blocking visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or in the case of minors, "harmful to minors."
    "Restrictions on viewing constitutionally protected speech contradicts the primary educational mission of schools," said EFF Media Relations Director Will Doherty. "CIPA holds students and teachers hostage to Internet blocking software that does not and cannot fulfill legal requirements and likely prevents students from obtaining a well-balanced, globally competitive education."
    Researchers analyzed the extent to which blocking software blocks information related to state-mandated curriculum topics.
    The report drew the following conclusions:
    • The use of Internet blocking software in schools cannot help schools comply with the law because schools do not and cannot set the software to block only the categories required by the law, and because the software is incapable of blocking only the visual depictions required by CIPA.
    • Blocking software does not protect children from exposure to a large volume of material that is harmful to minors within the legal definitions. Blocking software cannot adapt adequately to local community standards. Most schools already have in place alternatives to Internet blocking software, such as adoption and enforcement of Internet use policies, media literacy education, directed use, and supervised use.
    • Blocking software in schools damages educational opportunities for students, both by blocking access to web pages that are directly related to the state-mandated curriculums and by restricting broader inquiries of both students and teachers. Teachers and students 17 years or older (most high school juniors and seniors) should be exempt, yet suffer the consequences of CIPA implementation.
    After testing nearly a million web pages related to state-mandated curriculums, the researchers found that of the web pages blocked, 97 - 99% of a statistically significant sample were blocked using non-standard, discretionary, and potentially illegal criteria beyond what CIPA requires.

    - Electronic Frontier Foundation

    more soon to come

  2. #2
    AFLAAACKKK!!
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    Should help some noob's understand how the internet works, nice info man very informative
    I am the uber duck!!1
    Proxy Tools

  3. #3
    The Doctor Und3ertak3r's Avatar
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    And it is a pity that you promised to controle your Bias.. only to have more than half explaining or backing up that view.. No I see the bulk of this "Tutorial" as a Political statement..

    The area that is on the subject, is certainly great for newbies..

    For the extra content.. A link to EFF would have been sufficient to back up your Point of View..

    Cheers
    "Consumer technology now exceeds the average persons ability to comprehend how to use it..give up hope of them being able to understand how it works." - Me http://www.cybercrypt.co.nr

  4. #4
    AO Ancient: Team Leader
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    Ok.... I'm in..... Allow me to put the counterpoint..... (Call me the Devil's Advocate here.... Don't worry - I've been called a lot worse.... In fact some people think I taught the Devil a few things he now knows....... )

    [Disclaimer]

    I am personally against any kind of censorship applied by anyone against anyone who is of "age", whatever that age may be in the culture they live.

    [/disclaimer]

    You sound like a young man, (or woman - whatever), that is a tad peeved by the "censorship" placed on you by you school and it takes you too long to get to the stuff you want on your home dial-up connection _or_ your parents are responsible enough to monitor or filter your activity at home.... That aside.....

    Laws: Well, I am against most laws being created to try to legislate the internet. They are generally ill conceived by ignorant people with bad advisors.... 'Nuff said about the laws...

    Filtering: Well this is a whole other issue..... I run a reasonably large network.... Everyone who has access to the network and it's services are adults.... and it really bothers me that I _have_ to filter them. They are adults in a work environment being paid by their employer to do a job... and they can't be trusted to do their damn job...... There's those who just go shopping at every opportunity, those who go house hunting or car buying... but then there's the real idiots..... These are the one's that go out and try to download stuff.... It's utter crap most of the time.

    The problem is that in all these people's "travels" they "pick up" crap that at a minimum _steals_ my company's bandwidth, at worst it divulges information that, under law, my company isn't allowed to divulge. At best the result is ignorant, at worst downright irresponsible...... Take it to it's logical conclusion and one day someone will do something silly enough to bring down my entire network..... The cost to my company would be more than it would like to afford. Now... remember.... these are "adults"....

    I shouldn't need to explain any further where "young adults" are concerned.......
    Don\'t SYN us.... We\'ll SYN you.....
    \"A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools.\" - Thucydides

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
    I really don't think you should have been greenied for this... quit your damn whining and make an educated statement..

    - contact user about this assignment: AP Poster: HTRegz
    +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

    do this again and you will be banned.

    the internet should not be filtered. but anyone, this includes gov, biz whatever has the right to say how their machines are used. the key words here are "their machines". maybe youd feel better if someone just there and watched for a user to do something inappropriate then have their ass expelled. save us all a bunch of money and the rest would get a better education.
    Bukhari:V3B48N826 “The Prophet said, ‘Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is because of the deficiency of a woman’s mind.’”

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    Originally posted here by Tedob1
    +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
    I really don't think you should have been greenied for this... quit your damn whining and make an educated statement..

    - contact user about this assignment: AP Poster: HTRegz
    +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

    do this again and you will be banned.

    I'm confuzzled? I'm going to be banned if I neg someone again?

    /me just wants to sleep but work just won't end


    Peace,
    HT

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    if you get negged, get over it. people dont like to see people complaining about anti-points no matter how nicely your complaint is worded. ive see many go bye-bye quick for doing it. its really bad form. please dont consider this a flame because its not meant that way. you got the golden tounge (fingers) dude you'll get by fine with that.

    =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
    I'm confuzzled? I'm going to be banned if I neg someone again?
    +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

    yup its been declared unconstitutional. it seems all the people getting negged are in the minority.
    Bukhari:V3B48N826 “The Prophet said, ‘Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is because of the deficiency of a woman’s mind.’”

  8. #8
    i apologize HT

  9. #9
    Senior Member Maestr0's Avatar
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    rwarren,
    I can see you put in some time on your post, but I suggest you hang around and read for a while before you start slapping **** up, you're likely to piss off some drunk guy. Just hang out and see if you can learn some stuff.

    -Maestr0
    \"If computers are to become smart enough to design their own successors, initiating a process that will lead to God-like omniscience after a number of ever swifter passages from one generation of computers to the next, someone is going to have to write the software that gets the process going, and humans have given absolutely no evidence of being able to write such software.\" -Jaron Lanier

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    ...you're still whining about it...

    If you get banned, you come back with another account, and make no mention of the previous account, don't whine about ap's, don't air your dirty laundry, and try to help where you can..

    ..it's not like someone is going to take away your birthday.

    cheers!

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