How they work How to choose one Where to get them Filters and labels are technological tools which have been developed to sort and block access to undesirable material on the Internet. Safe zones are an alternative to these tools for younger children. Filters and labelling tools don't replace the need for parental guidance in the home. Under an industry code of practice developed by the Internet Industry Association and registered by the ABA, Internet service providers are required to provide their customers with an approved filter.
Filters generally have a list of banned sites and keywords.
The program then blocks access to sites on the banned list or sites which include the banned words or phrases. Some products also block search engines from searching on unsuitable topics. Filter products can usually also block access to newsgroups, chat rooms and email. None of the filtering tools blocks all unsuitable material. Label tools attach labels to Internet sites, which can then be read by most browsers.