Solid Oak Software has vowed that Peacefire's reports about CYBERsitter "will be blocked wherever they may be". | We are thrilled that so many visitors have offered to mirror this site following national coverage in Wired Magazine. If Solid Oak Software finds any mirrors of this site they are likely to ban those as well. | Here's how to set up a mirror of this site so that Solid Oak Software cannot use a search engine to find it. |
Original copy of this page at:
http://www.peacefire.org/censorware/CYBERsitter.html
CYBERsitter:Where do we not want you to go today? |
Among other places:
Every fact on this page can be verified by
referring to the articles below, from HotWired and
Internet World magazine, or by downloading a copy of CYBERsitter
from the Solid Oak Software web site,
http://www.solidoak.com. Note: Solid Oak Software has violated the CYBERsitter user license agreement by denying us access to the latest version of the CYBERsitter filter file. Please notify webmaster@peacefire.org if you have a copy of the filter file updated after December 13, 1996 and any of the blocked sites listed here have been unblocked. |
CYBERsitter, a blocking
program from Solid Oak Software, is advertised as an Internet
safety tool that filters "offensive" content. Demo copies are given
away at the company web site, and the product is
also marketed by
Focus
on the Family, a long-standing backer of the
Communications
Decency Act.
A close look at CYBERsitter reveals an agenda that infringes on the rights of children, parents and teachers wherever the program is used. Despite the hype over "parental control" as an alternative to government censorship, it is Solid Oak Software that takes control when CYBERsitter is running on your computer. The ProcessWorld Wide Web censorshipCYBERsitter's definition of "offensive" content cuts a wider swath of censorship than almost any other program.
Behind the ScenesSolid Oak does not notify service providers when their sites are blocked. And unlike arch-rival Cyber Patrol, Solid Oak does not provide an appeals process for web authors whose pages are placed off limits.
What are we going to do besides talk about it?You can contact Solid Oak Software, the makers of CYBERsitter, by sending mail to support@solidoak.com or calling (805) 967-9853. Their President and CEO, Brian Milburn, can be contacted at bmilburn@solidoak.com. Do not put the word Peacefire or Haselton in the subject line as their e-mail software has been configured to reject all messages on this topic. Visit some of the following sites and encourage their makers to stand up to CYBERsitter and hold their ground:
Questions, comments, or tipoffs: webmaster@peacefire.org.
Sources and more information:
|
See also commentary in PC World at www.pcworld.com/annex/columns/rose/index.html.
First created November 5, 1996
Last updated January 24, 1997
Contents of this page Copyright © 1996 Peacefire. Contact webmaster@peacefire.org for permission to redistribute.