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February 20, 2004
IS YOUR BLOG ON THIS LIST????
I experienced a bit of a shock yesterday when I was away from home and was forced to use an institutional computer -- which had its Internet content "filtered" by "SonicWALL Integrated Content Filtering." Their stated goal is to help organizations: ....increase productivity and reduce legal and privacy risks by automatically enforcing acceptable use policies while minimizing administration overhead.More from their site: Category Blocking. SonicWALL CFS employs an innovative rating architecture that utilizes a dynamic database of millions of URLs, IP addresses and domains to block up to 50+ categories of objectionable and inappropriate Web content such as porn, hate, violence and others, providing network administrators with greater control to transparently enforce acceptable use policies.You thought your local library only censored pornography? "We selected SonicWALL based on the product's ease-of-installation and maintenance, high performance, and low cost -- about half as much as other comparable alternatives. Another boon to the Library is that SonicWALL comes with additional features such as firewalling -- which we never even budgeted for, but is included in the cost of the unit."Here's what's being censored (note that mere discussion is enough, because the software obviously can't distinguish between discussion and advocacy): Filtering CategoriesOK, now I don't mean to be alarmist, and I don't like to overreact. The first thing I noticed (and, what prompted me to do this research) was that my own blog was blocked. I could not read it, post to it, anything. I simply got a black page with a block in the middle which read "SONIC WALL CONTENT BLOCKED." "Well, that's just my web page!", I thought. They probably hate homos or something. And I talk about all kinds of controversial topics. "Let's try some others." Not being able to open my blog, I was unable to just click on favorite links (which kills me, because I know I have missed many of you), so I did the next best thing: I went to InstaPundit, and, starting at the bottom, clicked on his links and wrote down which ones were blocked by SonicWALL. Here, then, is the list, along with a few more I was able to find by clicking around from other blogs. Across the Atlantic If your blog is NOT LISTED above and you are linked by Glenn Reynolds, that means that as of last night, SonicWALL was not blocking you. I am sure this changes from day to day, depending on what you have posted about. The problem is, dumb software like this does not distinguish between discussion of something and advocacy of it. So, if you merely talk about cults, guns, nudity, racism, gambling, pornography, weapons, or drugs, your blog will be censored. Isn't it nice to know that in the future, there will be no more controversies? That's what I call a Utopia! For more on this creeping fascism (forgive the hyperbole, folks; I do know there's a difference between the Storm Troopers and content filtering!) watch the company's reassuring film about How It All Works. Meanwhile, if you want people to be able to access your blog, steer away from any discussion of controversial topics. A word to the wise.....
MORE: SonicWALL's website links to this article -- billed as "SonicWall's CEO shares his view on The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace." Surely the government isn't inadvertently pushing blog censorship? INADVERTENT MISSING LINK: I noticed belatedly that the above link to Frank J. goes to a page other than Frank J.'s own blog. That page is blocked, but so is Frank J.'s (I remember checking it independently.) So don't worry! Frank J.'s missing link really isn't missing! UPDATE (12/12/04): I just learned that Glenn Reynolds has linked to this post. Thanks Glenn, and welcome everyone. If you are coming here for information about SonicWALL -- please read my more recent post on the subject, which has valuable information on how to get unblocked. I followed a commenter's advice, and the last time I checked, my blog was no longer blocked. But yechh! What a nuisance! MORE: Anomalously, (as Glenn Reynolds points out) content like this is not being censored by SonicWALL. (Obviously, it takes discipline and quality control... and so forth.) Censorship, like pain, is all part of the Hedonistic Imperative; "an issue of social policy and ethical choice." If that's not socially redeeming, what is? posted by Eric on 02.20.04 at 12:53 AM
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TrackBack URL for this entry: http://classicalvalues.com/cgi-bin/pings.cgi/776 Listed below are links to weblogs that reference IS YOUR BLOG ON THIS LIST????:
» Why, It Must Be Free Speech Friday from Silflay Hraka
Silflay Hraka: Fine with the Red Chinese, but definitely out of bounds as far as SonicWALL Integrated Content Filtering is concerned. At least we're in good company.... [Read More] Tracked on February 20, 2004 10:59 AM
» More blogosphere blocking from Signifying Nothing
It seems the “enterprise web filter software” that Brock tested in September isn’t the only popular censorware product that blocks a large number of weblogs; Eric of Classical Values took SonicWALL’s web filter for a spin and, s... [Read More] Tracked on February 21, 2004 03:29 PM
» Censored from The Bitch Girls
Eric says our site is being censored by a popular web filter. If we talk about guns or reloading ammunition, perfectly lawful and respectable topics, we're blocked. If I say that I had a drink last night, a perfectly lawful [Read More] Tracked on February 23, 2004 07:22 AM
Comments
Steven, I hate to disappoint you, but your blog was not blocked; it went through just fine. No problem loading Dean Esmay or Arthur Silber. (Frankly I was surprised.) As I said in my post, I dutifully went through every single link at InstaPundit, and carefully wrote down the blocked ones. All other links worked (last night at least). Apparently, hatred of Bush is not as offensive to SonicWALL as talking about weapons or gambling. Go figure! Eric Scheie · February 20, 2004 02:06 PM Up With Beauty was not obscene??! We need a new Supreme Court! Protect the children from liberal, libertarian, or libertine filtering software which fails to censor lewd, lascivious, libidinous Lesbian-worship! When the SSM fight is won (if ever), I'll be back to glorifying S&M. Dean and Rosemary recently ran two posts expressely dedicated to glorifying the F-word and the feminine C-word(s), and I'm proud to say I helped abundantly. As to Arthur, I think I went off on a tangent there. I wasn't thinking of your censorware but of Glenn Reynolds's response to my screed, and comparing it to the coronary that that venerable blog-father or blog-grandfather would have to be having if he ever read Arthur. I hope he does someday, because Arthur writes humongous 4-part and 7-part essays on super-serious momentous topics and complains that no one ever reads him or responds to his arguments. He's written the equivalent of a number of books on vital philosophical and political questions. Steven Malcolm Anderson the Lesbian-worshipping gun-loving selfish aesthete · February 20, 2004 03:33 PM I would have been * so * disappointed if the Flea had not been blocked. Ghost of a flea · February 20, 2004 10:43 PM After I went through the InstaPundit blogroll I ran as many of my blog friends whose URLs I could remember. I had no time to evaluate why some were blocked and others weren't. I was surprised to find so many were not blocked, especially the more deserving. (But I didn't want to list the unblocked -- for fear of hurting their feelings.) Steven, maybe you should consider a lawsuit against SonicWELL for not showing due consideration.... Eric Scheie · February 21, 2004 12:54 AM One solution, do as I do, have my site rated by ICRA, RSAC, and SafeSurf, so it will be blocked. Weird my employer ignores the ratings thou, it does block sites. Does tend to keep out the fundies. mog · February 21, 2004 12:09 PM I don't know that any government has ever pushed any censorship -- inadvertently. Steven Malcolm Anderson the Lesbian-worshipping gun-loving selfish aesthete · February 21, 2004 02:35 PM hey, thanks for letting me know i was blocked by sonicwall! i never even heard of sonicwall, but i guess they've heard of me! i didn't notice, was independent thought one of the parameters for blockage? skippy · February 22, 2004 09:37 PM I had a similar problem in Kuwait. The army uses websense as their evil filtering software. They can also ratchet it up and down to control bandwidth. ie when the shooting started, they blocked everything but .mil and financial sites. Very aggravating. It took them a while, but eventually they found chinpokomon (probably noticed me posting to it) and blocked it. bastards Kevin · February 26, 2004 10:15 PM |
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That description of Sexual Acts, masturbation, copulation [i.e., the embrace, as I call it], and heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, Lesbian intimacy or encounters, the mere mention of swimsuits under Partial Nudity, Satanic/Cult, devil worship, an affinity for evil and wickedness -- all of that. And the titles of those two controversial Christ movies, "The Last TEMPTATION of Christ", and then "The PASSION of The Christ". Ban the word "suggestive" -- it is too suggestive!
I must say that descriptions of pornography or obscenity, especially by those who would censor or ban them, are usually more arousing to me than the pornography itself. I'm a pervert.
I think my blog would be near the top of the list of those they would have to screen out, in terms of content. I noticed that Dean's World was omitted from your list. Does not Instapundit (Glenn Reynolds) link to Dean and Rosemary Esmay? He should, it would seem to be right up his alley, in terms of what they write about and their general point of view. Right after you, that's my favorite blog these days.
If you want to see a really shocking view of President Bush, filled with an unending stream or torrent of devastating facts and arguments, plus cussing and -- explicitly -- eternal damnation (or worse, says Arthur, if he could think of a punishment worse than eternal damnation), read Arthur Silber's Light of Reason. He's an Ayn Rand admirer. I don't know anybody, including any Leftist, who _hates_ Bush quite as much as does Angry Arthur, nor with better reason. If Glenn Reynolds wants to Instalanche somebody based on their white-hot hatred for this President and his policies, Arthur should be getting an Instalanche every day. I don't think our friend Jeff Soyer hates Kerry quites as much as Arthur hates Bush.