The Filter-Categories
iTECH Inc. users twenty-two filter categories to classify sites being filtered. These categories can be included or excluded from the filtering by the local site administrator. Categories like job sites and sports sites are typically blocked because of a concern for productivity in business settings. Categories like weapons and alcohol are typically blocked because of legal age issues in school settings. Pornographic materials are typically the category of primary concern and are blocked in most filter situations.
A common sense approach is used to classify a web page into its most problematic category. The categories are:
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| Adult check | x |
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| Alcohol | x |
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| Chat | x |
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| Child Porn | x |
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| Drugs | x |
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| Gambling | x |
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| Games | x |
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| Hardcore pornography | x |
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| Illegal activities | x |
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| Jobs | x |
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| Jokes | x |
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| Language | x |
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| Personals | x |
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| Shopping | x |
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| Softcore pornography | x |
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| Sports | x |
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| Streaming | x |
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| Tobacco | x |
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| Topical | x |
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| Violent | x |
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| Weapons | x |
x = default filter categories for the different products
1. Adult check: Adult
check sites generally uses credit card information to control the user to access to pornographic
sites. The adult check site is not in itself problematic, but it is the means for
accessing a large set of commercial adult web pages is obtained. Similarly, adult web page
designer sites, banner sites, and hosting servers are blocked because of links and use in
supporting adult pornography sites.
2. Alcohol: Alcohol sites include web pages
that promote an alcohol product, a distributor or a vendor. Typically, beer brewers have
pages which are primarily advertisements for their products. Since many states prohibit
alcohol advertising directed at young people, such sites are blocked.
3. Chat: Chat sites are high risk sites in that they can lead to physical harm from Internet sexual predators. Not only is their bad language and sexual topics on chat sites, but they are also used to arrange encounters between young children and adults for sexual purposes. It is in the nature of the dynamic communication of a chat site that they are uncontrollable. iTECH blocks all web page chat and leaves it to the local administration to override the block for specific cases. See U see Me pages are blocked for the same reason.
TOP4. Child Pornography: Laws covering pornography differentiate between pornography and pornography which involves the exploitation of children. In a large part of the world viewing child pornography is a criminal act for adults as well as children.. Included in this category are sites which claim to be presenting sexual material involving subjects who are under 18. Sites which appear to be sexually exploiting children will also be included here.
TOP5. Drugs: Sites that offer drugs and drug related paraphernalia for sale are blocked. Sites which advocate legalization of drugs are treated under the "topical" category. Discussions of drug use and drug impacts are not filtered.
TOP6. E-mail: Sites which offer free E-mail are open to irresponsible use. Typically, "hot mail" sites can be used to engage in pornographic, threatening and illegal activities in violation of local school Acceptable Use Policies. iTECH urges all organizations to provide responsible and fully traceable E-mail services like iWayMail to all Internet users.
TOP7. Gambling: Gambling sites include sites that offer access to gambling which is illegal for minors in most states. The blocking list includes gambling sites that are legal for adults as well as sites that are illegal in a given jurisdiction. Also included in this category, as inappropriate for young people, are sites that promote gambling locations, behavior and techniques. TOP
8. Games: Game sites include multi-player on-line games, role playing games, strategy games and action games. Also included in this category are game promotion sites and general game materials. Blocking of games is generally done because of the waste of time and resources involved. TOP
9. Hardcore pornography: Hardcore pornography sites are generally self identifying in that this material is illegal for minors and recognized to be illegal for minors by site authors. These sites contain graphic descriptions and depictions of sexual intercourse, masturbation and other sexual actions. Included in this category are prostitution, bestiality, scatology, fetish and masochistic sites. TOP
10. Illegal activities: The largest number of illegal sites are sources of bootlegged software and stolen music Also included in the illegal category are phracking, hacking and virus source sites. Sites which provide anonymous proxy services are blocked as illegal. In addition to computer related, illegal activities, this category includes revenge taking techniques, bomb building and commercial term paper vendors. TOP
11 Jobs: Job sites provide access to job offerings and for submission of resumes. These sites are optionally blocked for commercial operations where the management does not wish to provide the resources for the job searching activities of employees. TOP
12. Jokes: Jokes and other frivolous sites are not illegal, but are time a resource wasters. These sites might also contain inappropriate language and hold groups or segments of society up to ridicule. . TOP
13. Language: Sites, which use crude and racist language, are blocked. Many joke sites fall into this category. In general offensive music lyrics are blocked for grade and middle school students. TOP
14. Personals: Web sites which offer dating services and other mechanisms for introducing Internet users to one another are blocked. These sites, like chat sites, are an avenue for predator contact with children. Escort services, which explicitly offer sexual "services" are blocked under the category of "Hardcore." Other escort services are blocked under this category. TOP
15. Shopping: Shopping, auction and mall sites are optionally blocked as time and resource wasters for companies. Most e-commerce sites do not fall under this category. Shopping sites which offer primarily retail, non-commercial items, are blocked. TOP
16. Softcore pornography: Web sites which present sexual material in the form of swimsuit, lingerie, nudists and model depictions are included in this category. TOP
17. Sports: Sports web pages are optionally blocked as time and resource wasters for companies Most general news sites are not included in this category. TOP
18. Streaming: Streaming web sites are optionally blocked as time and resource wasters for companies. Stock tickers and similar sites which require continuous Internet feeds are included in this category. TOP
19. Tobacco: Sites which promote tobacco use, including tobacco corporate sites, are blocked since most states have laws regarding tobacco advertising and use by minors. Pro and con discussions of tobacco use are not blocked. TOP
20. Topical: Topics which are beyond the maturity level of younger children are included in his category. Examples include sites dealing with sexual orientation, sexually transmitted disease, abortion and hate sites. Typically, sites in this category are blocked for younger children, but not for students at the high school level. Sex education sites are filtered according to age appropriate criteria. TOP
21. Violent: Snuff sites and sites which depict or promote interpersonal violence are included in this category. Violent sports and games are included in this category. TOP
22. Weapons: Sites which advertise hand guns, automatic weapons and other such munitions are included in this category. Sites which provide for the Internet purchase of weapons are also blocked under this category. Discussions of gun rights issues and alternative points of view about gun legislation are not blocked. TOP