Monthly and per project IT Support Chicago area

Posted by Peter Heinicke on 12/13/13 3:23 PM

CIPA: Protecting Schoolkids from Net Danger

Posted by Peter Heinicke on 9/19/13 3:52 PM

Imagine a school or library that has access to the web. What would that school need to do to protect kids from internet porn, gambling, etc. ? The federal government has already considered this and passed a law called "The Child Internet Protection Act" (CIPA) and the "Neighborhood Internet Protection Act" were passed by Congress on April 20, 2001 to address issues concerning questionable websites, such as porn or gambling or hacking, that children can get free access too. It is sad, but true that these questionable websites sometimes target children. These laws basically impose certain certifications and requirements on schools and libraries who receive funds from the E-rate Federal internet access and connection discount pricing package. Even if a school does not receive federal funds, it is highly advisable to restrict certain types of internet access. You can still be sued if you do not protect the kids from questionable material.

How does one become CIPA compliant? If you just block a list of websites, it won't work because the bad guys are always jumping from url to url and it would be an impossible chore for one person to scan the net for all sites of a banned category. So, you go out and buy a filtering and/or blocking device that plugs into the system between where your internet service enters the building and the first router in line after that. These usually (but not always) come with a subscription to monitor the incoming material and check it against a constantly updated list of banned websites. WebSense will sell you a server, for several thousand dollars or more, complete with custom CIPA compliant programming for your particular school or library, which includes the subscription. Sounds ok, right? Surprise, you are still not CIPA compliant! Yes, you have stopped all of the incoming questionable material and have severely restricted the kids’ access to Facebook and other social media while at school. At the same time you have restricted You Tube, but can still use it for selected very good and educational videos on You Tube. But YOU ARE STILL NOT CIPA COMPLIANT!