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/