Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 00:59:42 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "P. U. (Uli) Kruppa" <root@pukruppa.de> Cc: "Clayton Tycksen" <clay@tycksen.com>, <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: freebsd box as a porn filter? Message-ID: <004001c11416$98887400$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <20010724090818.I16237-100000@localhost.de>
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A number of years ago the public library here started putting in Internet-connected PC's with the idea that the community members unable to afford a computer or Internet access could use them for research, etc. The folks that originally installed them were well meaning but ignorant in the ways of the big bad Internet. (they obviously didn't talk to any network administrators before doing it, but that's par for the course) They almost immediately started having problems and tried various filtering software, etc. Finally about 3 years ago they finally managed to hire someone smart enough to come in out of the rain, who immediately threw away all of the filtering software. Then they went through all the library branches and reoriented all of the systems in such a way as the screens faced the checkout desks and had unobstructed visibility. The porno problems disappeared. The interesting thing I thought was that back when some fools in Congress were considering mandating filtering software for schools, the library here testified against it, as it was expensive and didn't generally work. It's kind of a low-tech solution but effective for that environment. While you can't generally do this in a corporate environment with offices, most decent managers have their own methods of finding out what their employees are up to that are just as effective. Too many times we in the industry are too quick to attempt technological solutions to what are basically human problems. Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com >-----Original Message----- >From: P. U. (Uli) Kruppa [mailto:root@pukruppa.de] >Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2001 2:12 AM >To: Ted Mittelstaedt >Cc: Clayton Tycksen; freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >Subject: RE: freebsd box as a porn filter? > > >On Mon, 23 Jul 2001, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote: > >> VGA16?!??! What about the Hercules Graphics Adapter? There's a >> xserver for that! ;-) >> >> (they can dither down the hicolor images to 16 colors if they are really >> desperate) >> >> Or maybe you could designate a certain time period during the day >> as "free porno time" and let them go to town then. :-) >Three or four years ago I'd made fun of this, too. >But if you care to have a look at my typical users on >www.2000d.de >you will see one sometimes has to respect other people's >sentiments. :-) > >Uli. > >> >> >> >> Ted Mittelstaedt >tedm@toybox.placo.com >> Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate >Networker's Guide >> Book website: >http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com >> >> >> >-----Original Message----- >> >From: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >> >[mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of P. U. (Uli) >> >Kruppa >> >Sent: Monday, July 23, 2001 11:17 PM >> >To: Clayton Tycksen >> >Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >> >Subject: Re: freebsd box as a porn filter? >> > >> > >> > >> >The best porn-filter is a good old vga16 video-card. >> >You simply will not be able to see anything. >> >Perhaps you can tune down XF86 ? >> > >> >If you whish to block a particular address you can just add >> >it to your /etc/hosts . Any request for it will be sent to >> >your own machine - and there is nothing undesireable. >> > >> >Place the workstations in a way that your users can't be >> >sure not to be watched. >> > >> >Uli. >> > >> > >> > >> >On Mon, 23 Jul 2001, Clayton Tycksen wrote: >> > >> >> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 15:58:47 -0600 >> >> From: Clayton Tycksen <clay@tycksen.com> >> >> To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >> >> Subject: freebsd box as a porn filter? >> >> >> >> Dear FreeBSD, >> >> >> >> I'm relatively new to Unix. A good friend of mine has converted me to >> >> FreeBSD, and I'm enjoying it. >> >> I do have a question- as the administrator of a small network, I'm >> >> wondering if it's possible to set up FreeBSD on a box and have it >> >> perform filtering of pornography. I realise that I can set up a FreeBSD >> >> box to perform packet filtering (although I still need to figure out how >> >> to do that, exactly). But I'd like to prohibit nodes on our network >> >> from viewing pornographic material, and a few other general websites. I >> >> do not have an external 'router' per se - We have an ISDN connection to >> >> our ISP (which does not provide filtering). >> >> >> >> I've looked at available hardware designed specifically for spam and >> >> porn filtering for networks, but the price of the hardware is too high >> >> for my small network of 15 nodes and 2 servers. >> >> >> >> Any suggestions? >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Clayton Tycksen >> >> Network Administrator >> >> Zoll & Tycksen, LC >> >> >> >> tel (801) 685-7800 ext 15 >> >> fax (801) 685-7808 >> >> cell (801) 913-2208 >> >> >> >> text msg: help@ztlaw.com >> >> >> >> ******************************************************************* >> >> >> >> To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >> >> with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message >> >> >> > >> >*--------------------------------------* >> >| www.pukruppa.de www.2000d.de | >> >| Wuppertal - Germany | >> >*--------------------------------------* >> > >> > >> >To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >> >with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message >> > >> >> To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >> with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message >> > >*--------------------------------------* >| www.pukruppa.de www.2000d.de | >| Wuppertal - Germany | >*--------------------------------------* > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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