Library censorware, open blacklists, *1997*

Everything old is new again.

As part of a discussion of "Open Censorware" issues, I dug out the following item about an open blacklist library censorware proposal, dating back to 1997. This is by the same censorware company which is now being pushed at http://libraryfilter.blogspot.com/

People might consider how old (and moldy) is this idea, and how it's been a practical failure for years.

Subject: "The USA National Library Filtering Plan"
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 23:43:55 -0800
To: [now-deceased fight-censorship mailing-list]
From: "James S. Tyre"

Well, our old friend Turner (Bob, not Ted) has hatched a new plan:
http://turnercom.com/plan.html

THE G7 INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY FILTERING PLAN

-put forward by Jeff Koftinoff and Bob Turner October 26 1997

USA Version

THE USA NATIONAL LIBRARY FILTERING PLAN

Premise 1

The National Library Filtering Plan is to filter out PORNOGRAPHY ONLY. All other subjects are too diverse and intangible for a National/international plan. Pornography is readily identifiable and there is a huge cross cultural demand for filtering this subject..

Premise 2

1. Let all communities that opt for NO FILTERING opt OUT of this plan and work it out in their own communities

2. For communities that opt POSITIVELY FOR FILTERING the following plan is suggested for immediate development and implementation.

Premise 3

1. The URL vocabulary (banned sites) is public. Encryption for the purpose of hiding the list is not a consideration. The National Library Banned Site List is Publicly and Freely available on the web.

Premise 4

1. The National Library Filter would Lease a Filter Engine from any filter producing software company capable of delivering such an engine and this engine would have the National Library filters own front end which would do exactly what was required to filter porn and would do nothing else. This would conserve library resources by allowing very inexpensive licensing and placing control in the libraries hands and out of third party ratings and software companies.

Premise 5

1. Such a large number of people on line at a large number of libraries across the many regions of the USA provides a unique opportunity for research on the Internet - its usage's and applications. Software has been donated for National Library Research that will upload all actions (in blocks of 500 workstations) to a data base at an outside server. This can be done anonymously to preserve privacy issues. Such research of this size would provide new information for the constant update required to augment the Banned Site List. Results of such research would be made public.

STARTING POINT

IDENTIFICATION

1. Identify the group capable of implementing/coordinating the USA National Library Plan
2. Identify the group capable of implementing the corresponding research component
3. Identify the Filter Engine to be leased.
4. Identify the front end that is desired
5. The donated research software is IF-RESEARCHER
6. The vocabulary is The Great-Global-Banned-Site-List currently about 16,000 Domains

for more information:
http://turnercom.com/plan.html

and/or contact Bob Turner turner@turnercom.com

********************

Please do note that their blocklist is freely downloadable, in plaintext no less! I'll let y'all explore it yourself, but:

They don't like kink: http://www.kinkos.com/

And they won't take any shit: http://www.kinoshita.com/

And if you don't like it, you can't lick it: http://www.lillick.com - a very old line, white shoe law firm, Lillick & Charles.

No sex, of course - http://www.morrisexport.com/ And don't even think about a trip to the http://www.nakedcity.com/ let alone seeking the http://www.nakedtruth.com/

Perhaps we need to http://www.restoreamerica.com/ But, alas, they won't let us.

Amazing!

-Jim

Oh. Almost forgot http://www.smutfree.com/ - Arizona's first smutfree ISP!

Subject: "The USA National Library Filtering Plan"
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 23:43:55 -0800
To: [now-deceased fight-censorship mailing-list]
From: "James S. Tyre"

At 07:43 AM 10/27/97 +0000, I wrote:
>Well, our old friend Turner (Bob, not Ted) has hatched a new plan:
>
>http://turnercom.com/plan.html
>
>THE G7 INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY FILTERING PLAN
>
> -put forward by Jeff Koftinoff and Bob Turner October 26 1997
>
> USA Version
>
>THE USA NATIONAL LIBRARY FILTERING PLAN
>
>

Hmmm, look what I just got (in response to another list post)

----------Forwarded Message---------- Date: Mon, 27 Oct 97 07:50:45 +0000
From: Bob Turner <bturner@direct.ca>
Reply-To: bturner@direct.ca To: "James S. Tyre"
cc: filt4lib@listserv.ci.escondido.ca.us

Hi Mr. Tyre

Thanks for responding to my request.
> Yes, I believe I may see the total picture, and its not pretty. Thanks to
> the downloadable list, in plaintext, I saw that one of the very first list
> entries was http://www.1-900-internet.com/ If anyone can explain to me how
> that site is pornographic, I would be most interested. Ditto
> http://www.1900autofax.com/

It is very interesting that the very first line/URL is not pornographic.

I agree. Thanks to your sharp eyes this imperfection on the very first URL can be deleted from the list in the very next update (within seven days). If only there were many more of you with the capability of adding and subtracting to our list.
> Wonder what I'd find if I spent more than 5 minutes looking at the list?

What you would find is a very large unencrypted list of pornographic domains...possibly the largest one in the world encrypted or not. This list can be added to subtracted from.... and is public. As suh it is very unique. As stated by yourself you have possession of the list in plain text. You may do with it what you will...it is now our list. It is my hope your care for this issue will contribute to an effective solution to this obvious problem. Subtracting from the list is an important element.

I wonder what would happen if you could find 5 minutes to add to it.

The fruits of your 5 minutes labours subtracting from it will be valuable and is appreciated. I look forward to recieving them and will act accordingly by verifying and deleting.

Best Regards

Bob Turner

By Seth Finkelstein | posted in censorware | on July 27, 2003 11:56 PM (Infothought permalink) | Followups