[From December 1 EPIC Alert --Declan] ======================================================================= [2] EPIC Report Slams Internet Content Filters ======================================================================= EPIC today released a report that finds that "family-friendly" search engines typically block access to 99 percent of the material on the Internet that would be appropriate for young people. The report was released just prior to a White House summit that will examine the use of content filters and rating systems for the Internet. EPIC's study was based on a side-by-side comparison of an unfiltered Internet search engine (AtltaVista) with a filtered search engine. According to Net Shepherd, Inc., its Family Search retrieval service screens out material that is "inappropriate and/or objectionable for average user families." EPIC tested both search engines using such search phrases as the "American Red Cross," the "National Aquarium," and "Thomas Edison." The study found that the filtered search engine typically blocked access to 99 percent of the documents containing those phrases when compared with results returned by AltaVista. The EPIC report, "Faulty Filters," includes a survey of 100 search phrases in four categories -- schools; charitable and political organizations; educational and artistic groups; and concepts that might be of interest to young people. Marc Rotenberg, Director of EPIC, said, "We found that as information on popular topics became more widely available on the Internet, the filtered search engine was likely to block an even higher percentage. We further found that the search engine did not seem to restrict sensitive topics for young people any more than it restricted matters of general interest. Even with the very severe blocking criteria employed, we noted that some material which parents might consider to be objectionable was still provided by the software." The report was released at a press conference held at the National Press Club. EPIC said that it was joining with several other organizations to establish the Internet Free Expression Alliance (IFEA) to address the free speech implications of Internet rating and filtering proposals (see item below). The text of the "Faulty Filters" Report is available at: http://www2.epic.org/reports/filter_report.html ======================================================================= [2] Groups Establish Internet Free Expression Alliance ======================================================================= EPIC today announced that it is joining with 20 other organizations to establish the Internet Free Expression Alliance (IFEA). The new coalition will address the free speech implications of Internet rating and filtering proposals and promote the open exchange of information on the Internet. The formation of IFEA comes one day before the opening of an Administration-sponsored summit on Internet issues. President Clinton is on record as supporting the widespread use of content ratings and filtering techniques to create a "family-friendly Internet." At an earlier summit meeting last July, the President said that it "must be our objective" to ensure that the labeling of Internet content "will become standard practice." As detailed in the report EPIC released today, such rating and filtering systems can block access to a vast amount of valuable information; according to the EPIC report, 99 percent of all online material is typically filtered out by a new "family-friendly" Internet search engine. In a statement released at IFEA's inaugural press conference at the National Press Club, EPIC Legal Counsel David Sobel said, "It is troubling that the White House has so readily embraced an approach that has the potential to destroy the Internet as an educational resource." EPIC was a plaintiff in the historic ACLU v. Reno litigation, which led to last summer's landmark Supreme Court decision striking down the Communications Decency Act (CDA). Many other organizations that joined the CDA challenge are involved in the creation of IFEA. Alliance members include the American Civil Liberties Union, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the National Writers Union and the Society of Professional Journalists. For information on IFEA can be found at: http://www.ifea.net [...]