| Chapter 2: | Framing the question: A review of the relevant literature |
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The Committee states, “While the issue of underblocking and overblocking should not, in and of itself, rule out filters as a useful tool, the extent of underblocking and overblocking is a significant factor in understanding and deciding about the use of filters” (p. 277). They go on to note that legal challenges to government-mandated filters focus primarily on underblocking and overblocking problems. In the end, one of their conclusions is that social and educational strategies, rather than technological strategies such as filters, are most useful.
In addition, Congress also requested the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) to “(1) evaluate whether the technology measures currently available adequately address the needs of educational institutions, and (2) evaluate the development and effectiveness of local Internet safety policies” (NTIA, 2003, p. 5). After balancing the importance of allowing children to use the Internet with the importance of protecting children from inappropriate material, the report concludes that currently available technology measures (filters) have the capacity to meet most, if not all, needs and concerns of educational institutions, although educators have significant concerns with underblocking and overblocking.
Meanwhile, schools have increasingly installed filtering technology for the protection of their students. Since 2001, the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires schools receiving the Federal Communication Commission’s Universal Service e-rate discount to install “technology protection measures” (i.e., filters) on computers with Internet access. According to Cattagni and Farris (2001), the e-rate program has been largely responsible for the increase in Internet access in public schools over the years. Even before 2001, many schools debated the pros and cons of Internet filters. As early as 1996, in a debate sponsored by the online journal Electronic School, Trotter (1996) anticipated schools across the nation opening up Internet access to their students, only to limit its use out of inappropriate fear of preoccupation with pornography, hate groups, and violence. On the other side, Splitt (1996) foresaw the constitutional problems that would inevitably arise from any official