Article: Net filters sometimes block helpful health sites

Net filters sometimes block helpful health sites

Study questions use of most restrictive filter setting at schools, libraries

By JOHN SCHWARTZ New York Times News

Monday, December 16, 2002

Teenagers who look to the Internet for health information are blocked from many useful sites by anti-pornography filters that federal law requires in school and library computers, a study has found.

The filtering programs tend to block references to such health, sex and sex-related terms as "safe sex," "condoms," "abortion," "jock itch," "gay" and "lesbian." Although the software can be adjusted to allow access to most health-related Web sites, many schools and libraries ratchet up the software's barriers ...

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