The filtering problem

The internet is a kind of two-edged sword. On the one hand it has brought an abundance of information at the touch of a button, new information sharing, new ways of communicating and has brought down the geophysical dimensions. On the other, we cannot deny that unsolicited material in different formats has also been mingled. Additionally, this unsolicited material pops-up when unwanted.

For protection against malicious and intentional attacks, especially on vulnerable members of the population, we are installing filters everywhere – at home, in schools and even in public libraries. To a certain extent, filtering is a form of “censorship” and an obstacle to the concept of “freedom of information”.

Leaving this issue aside, I would like to highlight another peril regarding the use of filtering. No filter exists that only blocks the “bad sites”. The filters also block good sites. For example, with a filter one cannot do research on “breast cancer” or search universities like “Sussex”, because the software matches those words against the filter settings, which eventually, will be blocked. This is only a simple example. Regarding “pop-ups”, these can be completely eliminated by accessing professional websites and not just using the internet to kill time and embark on endlessly surfing mode. Also, the pop-up blocker can be set, but the user has to remember to enable it again when accessing professional sites such as the banks. This is because sometimes the bank’s site opens in a new window and thus the pop-up blocker needs to be temporarily unblocked. In addition, when using such sites the user can adjust the browser to accept pop-ups from these websites.

Therefore, filtering is not the solution to any setting, especially if we are envisioning the information and knowledge society. So what steps should we take?

Empowering children

The answer lies in the actual “empowerment” that has been suggested by the EU Deputy Secretary. To empower someone means to educate and teach him or her the necessary skills. Once he or she has acquired the skills, then he or she will be able to use the right skill for the right information. This is opposite of what filtering is all about. Maybe you as a reader have various questions, especially with regard to very young children or primary school children because they are given projects and asked by their teachers to use the internet. I have written an article on the subject of “School Projects” that may be accessed at .

At this stage, I would like to suggest some good practice which may help either at home or in public libraries.

• Parents should always pre-vet websites, bookmark them and use them later. To do this, the parents need to know what projects the children are working on. This might mean that the teacher either informs the parents through a simple note or else allows enough time so that parents can assist in this matter of pre-selecting the necessary sites and thus minimising the problem of the popping-up of unsolicited sites.

• Through the “History” button on the web browser, the parents can check the websites visited by their children. They can set this setting to a future date to be able to check periodically;

• Parents may ask their ISP for a list of visited sites or ask the ISP to assist if they locate or suspect foul play.

• If unsolicited material appears, parents should not make a fuss about it. They should just press the “red X” that appears on every window.

• Parents are encouraged to take courses specifically on internet navigation, which should cover the searching aspect.

• Parents are reminded not to plagiarise when accessing any type of resource, especially online information, which seems to be the preferred, although not necessarily the best, method.

• At home, computers should be placed in open areas within full view of the parents.

• In public libraries, computers should be placed in open areas within full view of the librarian. They can also be placed close to the doors, which might serve as a deterrent to the user who is trying to access unsolicited material.

• In public libraries, there should be a good ratio of librarians to patrons and librarians should have the necessary IT skills.

Some of these ideas may appear to be in contrast to privacy. However, the parents of young children have a duty to protect their children and here the issue is not about privacy but about education, including values for a healthier society. The age of adulthood is 18 and consequently, until children reach that age, parents have to continue to educate and empower.

In conclusion, my suggestion has always been and still is that we should have an “Information Literacy Programme” in schools. More computers will not help alleviate problems in connection with the proper use of information that covers a whole paradigm of themes. Therefore, my appeal is to empower children by helping them become “Information Literate Citizens” so that the society of the future will be sound in the knowledge economy and the knowledge society.

Claudio Laferla

Tarxien