One Internet Provider Is Blocking Offensive Material At The Server Level

Mon., Oct. 12, 1998

Lynn Gibson Correspondent

For the porn industry, it is almost a sport to make up Web site addresses as similar to benign addresses as possible, so users will stumble upon smut, says Jim Catlin, youth pastor at Valley Bible Church in Veradale.

“That kind of deceptive labeling is common. Even if you’re self-policing, you’ll hit something.”

For that reason, Catlin didn’t want the Internet in his home for his children (ages 7, 10, 13 and 16) until he opened an account with Integrity Online, an Internet service provider that blocks offensive material at the server level.

Integrity Online is unlike filtering software (like Net Nanny or Cybersitter), which is maintained by the user.

Filtering products, like Net Nanny, are installed by the user and block access to a pre-determined list of inappropriate Web sites, chat rooms, and files. Yet they require the user to install monthly updates, which limits their effectiveness.

“The ultimate teen hacker challenge is to get around Net Nanny filters,” says Catlin, who is pleased with Integrity Online because its database is controlled at the server and is continually updated.

When a user attempts to access a blocked site through Integrity Online, a message appears on the screen: “Sorry, access has been denied.”

Users can make requests to Integrity Online to remove - or add - restrictions.

While some Internet users scream censorship, a growing number of families, like the Catlins, are eagerly joining Integrity Online and other providers like it.

“I explained to my kids that I’d rather not have to deal with this stuff myself or have them deal with it,” Catlin says.

Would he recommend families access the Internet without such a filter?

“No, in a heartbeat, I wouldn’t, especially if there are adolescent boys,” he says. “I’m pretty convinced a high percentage of high school boys are dealing with this.”

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