Bob Turner and I have always promoted Transparency of Filter Lists.

Transparency of a filter list means that it must be clear what specific sites are blocked or filtered.

Transparency means that filter lists can be verified by any third party to be correct and be verified to not contain sites that a blocked due to politically motivated reasons.

Frequently Un-asked questions with Bob Turner's Answers (1996)

Part1 - Hype and Positioning

Q...The recent bru-hah-ha regarding censorship & the Internet...how has this affected your business?

The CIPA has passed and now everyone has to come to terms with their essential hypocrisy. The filtering industry who seem to support this wonderful act (surprise) and armies of telephone calls and sales men get to work in earnest to provide their solutions to this “terrible problem” re: child protection and so many of them are claiming to be the best and most comprehensive solution.

Claims made by a filtering software company as to the number of URLs or sites their product will block cannot be substantiated unless that software has transparent lists. You have to have the block list to begin to verify any “blocked sites” claim. Filtering Companies that encrypt their lists so they cannot be viewed (almost all filtering companies) willingly trip into marketing myth-takes when they attempt to sell their products. It is too easy to be the biggest the best the most advanced blah blah blah…when no one can see the list.

“Without exception Internet Filters are used to eliminate that which is deemed to be “undesirable” by an individual or group that has power over other individuals or groups”…Bob Turner

I wrote this in 1997 and it was on our website. It is as true now as it ever was.

The Problem With Simple Keyword Filtering

This point alone brings up many questions that ought to be explored before “building”. Blocking the word sex is a “bad idea” This is called “keyword blocking” and over blocks beyond a tolerable level for a quality filter.

THE VANCOUVER PERSONAL COMPUTER USERS SOCIETY (VIPCUS) Presentation and panel discussion with Bob Turner in 1997.

This event is the text of a real audio broadcast.

Real Audio of this Interview are available at request.

INTRODUCTION: Clinton Husey (moderator)