Bobson Wong, executive director of the Digital Freedom Network, told Newsbytes today the EEOC's ruling does not mean filtering is the answer. The Newark, N.J.-based Digital Freedom Network fights censorship on the Internet and spotlights human rights violations around the world. The DFN is opposed to the use of filtering technology. According to Wong, Internet filters attempt to catch key words or letter combinations. Wong insisted the technology does not work.
Filters are dumb.
People do not understand how ineffective filtering is. It sounds good in theory, but it blocks a lot of stuff that should not be blocked. Wong said Peacefire, another cyber-rights organization, recently conducted a survey of Internet filters. He said Peacefire found that filters blocked the Cable News Network's home page because there was a link to a story about a naked statue. Wong cited several other instances where filtering software could not distinguish between actual pornographic writing and harmless words or word fragments.