A Conspiracy

[Aya Azura]

I know, I haven't been on in a while. School and Wiccan studies...

I hope that people read this, because this is really important. In my town, where are live, if I want to use the internet at the library, I wouldn't be able to go on withvox.

SonicWall
Reason for Registration: Forbidden Category "Occult/Cult"

I'm sorry, but what is ******** name give the town a right to think that they have ANY right to control which "cult/occult" religion which I choose the practice. I'm sorry, but this really pisses me off. I don't have the internet at my house, and this is the one place I can go, and I can't use WitchVox, because they don't like it. It's downright unconstitutional, what the hell happened to freedom of religion? So then, today, I went on msn to check my daily horroscope. (I don't trust those damn things at all, but they are still soooooo fun) and it said
SonicWall
Reason for Registration: Forbidden Category "Occult/Cult"

HONESTLY what the heck?

So, I wrote an article, and I'm going to put it in my High Schools newspaper, and the basis of what it says. This is so wrong, and people should try to help change it.

I have this same post on another guild, and I'm basically looking for people's opinions, and if you feel as strongly about this as I do, but the bottom line is that this IS wrong AND unconstitutional.  

[maenad nuri]

Libraries get more funding if they use filters on the computers. Most of the time, they aren't heavily filtered outside of the children's department, but the choice is up to the library how to best meet the needs of the community.

If it is a school library, then they use filters that aren't very well tuned.

It does suck

Peacefire.com has a great wealth of information on webfilters, their legality, and ways around them. Good luck.  

[Doctrix]

Is this a school library or a public library? Schools are often required to use filters in order to get state and/or federal funding. Public libraries, however, are required to have some non-filtered computers (at least they are in my location). For banned book week, a librarian came in to my classroom and said she even had signed a paper saying that she couldn't object if she saw somebody looking at porn in the library. Those computers may be in another section, so ask your librarian. It may be age dependent.  

[Henry Dorsett Case]

Nuri

Peacefire.com has a great wealth of information on webfilters, their legality, and ways around them. Good luck.

And, of course, if your library uses certain filters, good luck getting to peacefire - since some of the filters block Peacefire's site under every category. Part of the problem is that some of the filters are made by very conservative Christian groups that block any pages with which the group does not agree.

I'd say that your constitutional argument is weak, though - the Supreme Court has already upheld the Constitutionality of CIPA. Of note in the majority opinion is that the Constitutionality holds as long as the library will unblock a site or completely disable the filter for a specific adult user without significant delay.

Of course, if you're a minor, the opinion of the government is that you don't actually really have any significant legal rights besides the right to continue to live.  

[jaden kendam]

Henry Dorsett Case

Nuri

Peacefire.com has a great wealth of information on webfilters, their legality, and ways around them. Good luck.

And, of course, if your library uses certain filters, good luck getting to peacefire - since some of the filters block Peacefire's site under every category. Part of the problem is that some of the filters are made by very conservative Christian groups that block any pages with which the group does not agree.

I'd say that your constitutional argument is weak, though - the Supreme Court has already upheld the Constitutionality of CIPA. Of note in the majority opinion is that the Constitutionality holds as long as the library will unblock a site or completely disable the filter for a specific adult user without significant delay.

Of course, if you're a minor, the opinion of the government is that you don't actually really have any significant legal rights besides the right to continue to live.

The local library here has a section for adults and one for children. If you are under 18, you are not allowed in the adult computer section. Yes, they do check id's. I know that for a fact, cause when I shave and have my haircut, I supposedly look really young.  

[CuAnnan]

Wicca is a cult. I can see why the filter is blocking it.

Nuri

If it is a school library, then they use filters that aren't very well tuned.

I disagree with you on the "not very well tune" filters issue, Nuri.

Wicca is a cult. It is a relatively benign cult, BDSM and mysogonistic issues in mainstream Wicca asid, but it is a cult none the less. I would prefer my children to grow up learning about cults in an environment controlled by me and their mother* during their formative years, ie until they turn about sixteen taking into consideration the mental maturity of the children.

Wicca slips through the cracks on this one. It's a part of a subset of religions the vast majority that we hear of are dangerous. I think the school did the right thing in this isntance.

*I presume you're ok with this Deo, I know I shouldn't discuss our family matters like this without clearing it with you but I figure since our relationship is so open it'd be ok. xp  

[maenad nuri]

reagun ban

Wicca is a cult. I can see why the filter is blocking it.

Nuri

If it is a school library, then they use filters that aren't very well tuned.

I disagree with you on the "not very well tune" filters issue, Nuri.

Except they aren't very well tuned, Reagun. These are the filters where you can't research Breast Cancer because it uses the word breast, and the only religions you can look up are most of the Abrahamic.  

[Deoridhe]

reagun ban

*I presume you're ok with this Deo, I know I shouldn't discuss our family matters like this without clearing it with you but I figure since our relationship is so open it'd be ok. xp

Well, I am expecting more conversation before the bundle of joy is on her way, but yes, I will be an internet control freak with my kids.

The filters are astonishingly bad, though. They block a lot of things I think kids should be able to look into.  

[jaden kendam]

Nuri

reagun ban

Wicca is a cult. I can see why the filter is blocking it.

Nuri

If it is a school library, then they use filters that aren't very well tuned.

I disagree with you on the "not very well tune" filters issue, Nuri.

Except they aren't very well tuned, Reagun. These are the filters where you can't research Breast Cancer because it uses the word breast, and the only religions you can look up are most of the Abrahamic.

I dont know what to say. Any filter can be bypassed very simply. While I was in college, we had to put filters in to block X rated material. The problem with that is that if you went through classifieds sections that had links to it, you could still see the material.

Also, I am sure that they do not want people looking at explicit things of anything. So, I guess in thier eyes, it is all or nothing.  

[Starlock]

This IS unfortunate. It's good that you're taking action against this, but I'm not sure how effective it will be. Witches' Voice is a well-reputed networking, news and info site for the entire Neopagan community; that site at least should be an exception to the filter, if not other sites that relate to Neopagan religions. Not sure I understand their reasoning behind preventing access to the occult or cult category; I could see explicit sexual and violent/hate material being censored, but this?  

[CuAnnan]

Nuri

reagun ban

Wicca is a cult. I can see why the filter is blocking it.

Nuri

If it is a school library, then they use filters that aren't very well tuned.

I disagree with you on the "not very well tune" filters issue, Nuri.

Except they aren't very well tuned, Reagun. These are the filters where you can't research Breast Cancer because it uses the word breast, and the only religions you can look up are most of the Abrahamic.

Oh, I'm sorry, I misinterpreted you. I thought you meant "those ones in particular" as opposed to "that brand".  

[maenad nuri]

reagun ban

Nuri

reagun ban

Wicca is a cult. I can see why the filter is blocking it.

Nuri

If it is a school library, then they use filters that aren't very well tuned.

I disagree with you on the "not very well tune" filters issue, Nuri.

Except they aren't very well tuned, Reagun. These are the filters where you can't research Breast Cancer because it uses the word breast, and the only religions you can look up are most of the Abrahamic.

Oh, I'm sorry, I misinterpreted you. I thought you meant "those ones in particular" as opposed to "that brand".

filters in general suck. I've been blocked from educational sites while at work.  

[PhantomPhoenix0]

Ah Witchvox behind a filter. I remember back in my fluffy days sending an email to the company that ran our school's filter, and asked them to remove it, as "it isnt a cult, it is a perfectly valid religion" or whatever my reasoning was. They apologized and removed the ban by the end of the week.  

[CuAnnan]

Nuri

filters in general suck. I've been blocked from educational sites while at work.

There are some very cool adaptive filters out there if your proxy happens to be a *nix varient. But they take about six months to educate.  

[Henry Dorsett Case]

reagun ban

Nuri

filters in general suck. I've been blocked from educational sites while at work.

There are some very cool adaptive filters out there if your proxy happens to be a *nix varient. But they take about six months to educate.

Good luck getting the government to approve buying a program that doesn't come configured straight out of the box. That, and in order to be able to disable the filter on a case-by-case basis, most people involved seem to believe, rightly or wrongly, that the filter needs to be installed on each separate computer, not on a proxy. This is what happens when you let people who have very little technological expertise draft funding bills that require effort on the part of another without involving a regulatory agency to draft responsible concepts based on expert testimony and facts.