IP: Mandated Mediocrity

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 17:40:14 -0400
> From: Jamie McCarthy <jamie () mccarthy vg>
> Subject: Mandated Mediocrity
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> X-Mailer: Mailsmith 1.1.4 (Bluto)
>
> Mandated Mediocrity:
> Blocking Software Gets a Failing Grade
>
> A Joint Report of Peacefire and EPIC
> October 2000
>
> SUMMARY
>
> This report examines a software filtering product called "Bess,"
> manufactured by N2H2, Inc. The purpose of this report is to determine
> whether the software, as used in a typical school setting, blocks
> access to political and educational webpages that are appropriate for
> schoolchildren. Our conclusion is that many such pages are indeed
> blocked. This report makes no effort to establish whether this pattern
> is widespread, the result of flaws in the software, or other factors.
> It simply demonstrates that many web pages that would otherwise be
> available to students in schools are blocked when the software filter
> is in use.
>
> REPORT
>
> According to N2H2, their software products are in use in 17,000
> schools, which is over forty percent of all U.S. schools, affecting
> over 13 million students. Furthermore, Congress is currently debating
> whether to make this type of software mandatory in schools and
> libraries which receive federal funds. On this basis we believe that
> the study is both representative and timely.
>
> [...]
>
> The following webpages were some of the political and educational
> pages found to be blocked:
>
>    Campaign Finance Reform Links. Maintained by Ethan Jones.
>    Links to pro- and anti-reform groups, bills pending before
>    Congress, and state-by-state listings of laws and databases.
>
>    Campaign Finance Reform Talking Points. A primer for
>    Libertarians on the subject of campaign finance reform: how to
>    persuasively discuss the topic with those who believe
>    differently. The remainder of this website concerns many other
>    political issues, and the entire website is blocked.
>
>    [etc., etc.]
>
>
> See
> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/10/24/131226
>
> and
> (take your pick, it's the same report)
> http://www.epic.org/censorware/mandated_mediocrity.html
> http://peacefire.org/censorware/BESS/MM/
> --
>         Jamie McCarthy
>         jamie () mccarthy vg    <-- note change
>  http://jamie.mccarthy.org/