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INTERNET FILTERS
A PUBLIC POLICY REPORT
APPENDIX B: Blocking Categories for Different Filters
Defined
Bess: Blocking Categories
- Adults Only: "[s]ites that are labeled by the author or publisher
as being strictly for adults";
- Alcohol: "[s]ites that advocate or promote the
recreational use of alcoholic beverages. This category can include,
but is not limited to, sites that contain information about drink
mixes, home-brew recipes, and drinking games";
- Auctions: "[s]ites that offer access to online
auctions. Online auctions are rarely monitored for content and
can contain rapidly changing material, potentially exposing users
to material that would otherwise be filtered under categories
such as Pornography, Weapons, Lingerie, or Violence";
- Chat: "[s]ites that offer access to online chat
rooms or downloadable chat software that enables users to converse
online by posting and receiving real-time messages";
- Drugs: "[s]ites that promote or advocate recreational
drug use. This category is not limited to controlled substances.
Sites that promote or advocate recreational use of prescription
drugs are also included. This category includes sites that contain
information about meth labs; growing, buying, or selling marijuana,
glass pipes, or bongs; mixing a legal substance with alcohol;
and various forms of fume inhaling";
- Electronic Commerce: "[s]ites that allow users
to make online purchases";
- Free Mail: "[s]ites that offer free Web-based e-mail
accounts. Such sites can expose users to harmful content delivered
via e-mail file attachments";
- Free Pages: "[s]ites that offer free Web site space,
such as Geocities or Talkcity. Although many of these free Web
site providers post rules and regulations about content, they
do not always adequately monitor these pages. Users often abuse
these services by posting offensive content under multiple user
names, making them difficult to track. Individual pages that have
been reviewed by N2H2 on such sites are removed from this category,
but are filed under other categories as necessary";
- Gambling: "[s]ites where you place a bet using
a credit card with the expectation of winning a prize";
- Hate/Discrimination: "[s]ites that specifically
target a group of people based on race, gender, sexual orientation,
religion, or ethnicity in a hateful, derogatory manner. The language
of these sites often includes racial slurs and is insulting, abusive,
and sometimes violent";
- History: sites containing material that falls into
one or more blocking categories--sexually oriented content, for
instance, or violence--but are "non-fictional and historically
significant";
- Illegal: "[s]ites that promote illegal activities,
or offer instructions or advice that can be used to commit illegal
activities. Such activities include making or distributing child
pornography, bomb making, hacking (breaching computer security),
phreaking (breaching phone security or phone service theft), lock
picking, selling pirated material (such as music, videos, software,
or fake IDs), and counterfeiting";
- Lingerie: "[s]ites that provide photos of models
wearing lingerie, underwear, or otherwise scant attire";
- Medical: sites containing material that falls into
one or more blocking categories, but for the purposes relating
to "the study or practice of medicine";
- Moderated: "sites that allow access to moderated
message/bulletin boards or chat sites. These sites must state
that efforts are made to prevent offensive material from being
posted";
- Murder/Suicide: "[s]ites that offer information
about committing murder or suicide, or that contain photos of
crime scenes or autopsies";
- Nudity: "[s]ites that contain photos or images
of bare or visible genitalia, pubic hair, buttocks, or female
breasts. This category includes only sites that contain non-pornographic
nudity (that is, nudity that is not sexually arousing or erotic)";
- Personal Information: "[s]ites that gather unnecessary
personal information, such as name, address, credit card number,
school, or personal schedules, that may be used for malicious
intent";
- Personals: "[s]ites that contain personal advertisements,
including information about mail-order brides, dating services,
escort services, or pen pals";
- Pornography: "[s]ites that contain material that
is sexually arousing or erotic. This includes photos, animation,
cartoons, and stories. Sex Sites that include descriptions or
depictions of sexual acts, specifically those without the intent
to arouse. Sexual merchandise and fetish sites also fall under
this category";
- Profanity;
- School Cheating Info: "[s]ites that promote plagiarism
or cheating among students by providing term papers, written essays,
or exam answers";
- Search Terms: "This category restricts access to
search results pages based upon key words that are known to return
offensive results. This helps to eliminate links to offensive
Web sites from appearing in search results as well as offensive
Web site descriptions";
- Sex: "[d]escriptions or depictions of sexual acts,
specifically those with the intent to arouse. Sexual merchandise
and fetish sites will also fall under this category";
- Tasteless/Gross: "[s]ites that include content
such as tasteless humor, excretory functions (vomiting, urinating,
or defecating), graphic medical or accident photos (containing
blood or wounds), and some extreme forms of body modification
(cutting, branding, or genital piercing)";
- Text/Spoken Only: "sites that contain material
that may be in another category, such as Pornography, but that
is strictly in text or spoken word format. For example, Text/Spoken
Only distinguishes written erotica from graphic pornography sites";
- Tobacco: "[s]ites that advocate or promote the
recreational use of tobacco";
- Violence: "[s]ites that include graphic images
or written descriptions of reckless violence or grave injury (for
example, mutilation, maiming, or dismemberment). This includes
graphically violent games";
- Weapons: "[s]ites that provide information about
buying, making, modifying, or using weapons. Weapons include,
but are not limited to, guns, knives, swords, or ammunitions."
"History": sites containing material that falls into
one or more blocking categories--sexually oriented
content, for instance, or violence--but
are "non-fictional and historically significant"; "Medical":
sites containing material that falls into
one or more blocking categories, but for the purposes
relating to "the study or practice of medicine";
"Moderated": "sites that allow access to moderated
message/bulletin boards or chat sites.
These sites must state that efforts are made to prevent
offensive material from being posted";
and "Text/Spoken Only": "sites that contain material that
may be in another category, such as Pornography,
but that is strictly in text or spoken word format.
For example, Text/Spoken
Only distinguishes written erotica from graphic pornography sites"
Cyber Patrol: Blocking Categories
- Violence/Profanity: "[p]ictures exposing, text or audio describing
extreme cruelty, physical or emotional acts against any animal
or person that are primarily intended to hurt or inflict pain";
"obscene words or phrases, either audio, text or pictures";
- Partial Nudity: "[p]ictures exposing the female
breast or full exposure of either male or female buttocks except
when exposing genitalia." This category does not encompass images
of individuals wearing swimsuits, "including thongs";
- Full Nudity: "[p]ictures exposing any or all portions
of the human genitalia." Cyber Patrol notes, however, that the
partial and full nudity categories do not extend to "nudity or
partial nudity of a non-prurient nature," citing as examples the
Web sites of National Geographic and Smithsonian
magazines and museums such as the Louvre;
- Sexual Acts: "[p]ictures, descriptive text or audio
of anyone or anything involved in explicit sexual acts and/or
lascivious behavior, including masturbation, copulation, pedophilia,
intimacy involving nude or partially nude people in heterosexual,
bisexual, lesbian or homosexual encounters. Also includes phone
sex ads, dating services, adult personal ads, CD-ROMs and videos";
- Gross Depictions: "[p]ictures, descriptive text
or audio of anyone or anything which are crudely vulgar or grossly
deficient in civility or which show scatological impropriety.
Includes such depictions as maiming, bloody figures, autopsy photos
or indecent depiction of bodily functions";
- Intolerance: "[p]ictures or text advocating prejudice
or discrimination against any race, color, national origin, religion,
disability or handicap, gender, or sexual orientation. Any picture
or text that elevates one group over another. Also includes intolerant
jokes or slurs";
- Satanic/Cult: "[p]ictures or text advocating devil
worship, an affinity for evil, or wickedness. A cult is defined
as [a] closed society, often headed by a single individual, where
loyalty is demanded, leaving may be punishable, and in some instances,
harm to self or others is advocated. Common elements may include
. . . encouragement to join, recruiting promises, and influences
that tend to compromise the personal exercise of free will and
critical thinking";
- Drugs/Drug Culture: "[p]ictures or text advocating
the illegal use of drugs for entertainment. Includes substances
used for other than their primary purpose to alter the individual's
state of mind, such as glue sniffing. This category does not
[SurfControl's emphasis] include material about the use of
illegal drugs when they are legally prescribed for medicinal purposes
(e.g., drugs used to treat glaucoma or cancer)";
- Militant/Extremist: "[p]ictures or text advocating
extremely aggressive and combative behaviors, or advocacy of unlawful
political measures. Topics include groups that advocate violence
as a means to achieve their goals. Includes 'how to' information
on weapons making, ammunition making or the making or use of pyrotechnics
materials. Also includes the use of weapons for unlawful reasons";
- Sex Education: "[p]ictures or text advocating the
proper use of contraceptives…. [T]his category will include
discussion sites on how to talk to your partner about diseases,
pregnancy and respecting boundaries. The Sex Education category
is uniquely assigned; sites classified as Sex Education are not
classified in any other category. This permits the user to block
or allow the Sex Education category as appropriate…. Not
included in the category are commercial sites that sell sexual
paraphernalia. These sites are typically found in the Sex Acts
category";
- Questionable/Illegal & Gambling: "[p]ictures
or text advocating materials or activities of a dubious nature
which may be illegal in any or all jurisdictions, such as illegal
business schemes, chain letters, copyright infringement, computer
hacking, … using someone's phone lines without permission
and software piracy. Also includes text advocating gambling relating
to lotteries, casinos, betting, numbers games, online sports or
financial betting, including non-monetary dares and '1-900- type
numbers";
- Alcohol & Tobacco: "[p]ictures or text advocating
the sale, consumption, or production of alcoholic beverages of
tobacco products, including commercial sites in which alcohol
or tobacco products are the primary focus."
CYBERsitter
- Adult/sexually oriented: "all adult oriented web sites";
- PICS Ratings adult topics: "all topics not suitable
for children under the age of 13";
- Sites promoting gay and lesbian activities: "sites
promoting the gay and lesbian life style";
- Sites advocating illegal/radical activities: "topics
such as bomb making, guns, drugs, etc. Basically anything that
would be considered illegal for someone under the age of 13";
- Sites advocating hate and/or intolerance: "topics
such as anti-religious or racist material";
- Sites promoting cults and/or occult activities:
"topics such as cult activities, witchcraft, Satanism, etc.";
- Chat rooms, sites, and chat servers;
- Popup Windows;
- On-line Games and Game Sites: "numerous game related
sites of all kinds";
- Gambling: "gambling, on-line casinos and other
wagering web sites";
- Sports and Leisure Activities: "topics like sports
news, MTV type sites, games, etc.";
- WWW Advertising: "[e]liminates banner advertising
from many major search engines, popular web sites";
- MS Macro Files;
- On-line Auctions;
- Violent Games: "game sites involving violent activities";
- Wrestling;
- Free E-Mail Sites;
- Illegal MP3 Sites;
- Job Search;
- Movie Sites;
- Financial Sites: "on-line trading, credit card,
and financial related web sites";
- Pokemon.
FamilyClick
"Full FamilyClick access"
- Crime: "[s]ites providing instructions on performing
criminal activities or acquiring illegal items";
- Hate Groups: "[s]ites that advocate intolerance
or hatred of a person or group of people";
- Pornography: "[s]ites intended to be sexually arousing
or erotic";
- Illegal Drug Promotion for Non-medical Drugs: "[s]ites
providing information on illegal drugs for non-medical use";
- Gambling Online: "[s]ites dedicated to participation
in wagering and gambling";
- Violence: "[s]ites that depict or advocate violence
that do not fall under the 'Hate Group' category"
- Chat: "[s]ites that are not DDR™ (Dynamic
Document Review) protected"
"Teen access" blocks all the above and
- Personals: "[s]ites dedicated to personals, dating escort services,
or mail-order marriages";
- Illegal Drug Promotion: "[s]ites advocating the
legal use of illegal drugs";
- Chat/Message Boards: "[c]hat sites and message
boards not specifically approved by FamilyClick";
- Non-FamilyClick Email Services: "[s]ites providing
interactive email services."
"Pre-Teen access" blocks all the above and
- Revealing Attire: "[s]ites featuring pictures that
include alluring or revealing attire";
- Advanced Sex Education: "[s]ites providing medical
discussions of sexually transmitted diseases, sites providing
information of an educational nature on pregnancy and family planning,
sites providing information on sexual assault and sites providing
information and instructions on the use of birth control devices";
- Weapons: "[s]ites that display, sell, or advocate
the use of weapons";
- Games: "[g]ame sites designed for teens and older."
"Kids access" blocks all the above and
- Basic Sex Education: "[s]ites providing information
at the elementary level about puberty and reproduction. Includes
clinical names for reproductive organs."
I-Gear: Blocking Categories
- Crime: "[s]ites providing instructions on performing criminal
activities or acquiring illegal ite,s, inluding defeating security,
disabling, or otherwise interfering with computer systems (hacking
or cracking); unauthorized use of telephone or communications
equipment to place free calls or charge another's account for
calls (phreaking); deactivating copy protection or registration
schemes of software or hardware systems (pirating and warez);
construction and usage of munitions such as pipe bombs, letter
bombs, and land mines; and lock picking, spying, or general subterfuge
and defeating of security measures";
- Drugs/Advocacy: "[s]ites advocating the legal use
of illegal drugs for medical and personal use";
- Drugs/Non-medical: [s]ites providing information
on growth, distribution, and advocacy of drugs for non medical
use (typically mood altering). Does not cover alcohol or tobacco
products";
- E/Games: "[s]ites dedicated to games, gaming, game
tips, game downloads, interactive games, and multiplayer games";
- E/Sports: "[s]ites dedicated to professional and
amateur sports and sporting events";
- Interactive/Chat: "[s]ites providing interactive
and communication services, such as Webchat, bulletin boards,
and IRC";
- Finance: "[s]ites dedicated to personal finance,
banking, stock trading, and wealth accumulation";
- Gambling: "[s]ites dedicated to promotion of or
participation in wagering, gambling, casinos, or lotteries";
- Interactive/Mail: "[s]ites providing interactive
electronic-mail services";
- Intolerance: "[s]ites advocating intolerance or
hatred of a person or group of people";
- Job Search: "[s]ites dedicated to job searching,
job listings, resume exchanges, and head hunting";
- News: "[s]ites providing news coverage of regional
and international events and weather services";
- Occult/New Age: "[s]ites dedicated to occult and
New Age topics including but not limited to astrology, crystals,
fortune-telling, psychic powers, tarot cards, palm reading, numerology,
UFOs, witchcraft, and Satanism";
- Sex/Acts: "[s]ites depicting or implying sex acts,
including pictures of masturbation not categorized under sexual
education. Includes sites selling sexual or adult products;
- Sex/Attire: "[s]ites featuring pictures that include
alluring or revealing attire, lingerie and swimsuit shopping areas,
or supermodel photo collections but do not involve nudity;
- Sex/Personals: "[s]ites dedicated to personal ads,
dating, escort services, or mail-order marriages;
- Sex/Nudity: "[s]ites with pictures of exposed breasts
or genitalia that do not include or imply sex acts. Includes sites
with nudity that is artistic in nature or intended to be artistic,
including photograph galleries, paintings that may be displayed
in museums, and other readily identifiable art forms. Includes
nudist and naturist sites that contain pictures of nude individuals";
- SexEd/Basic: "[s]ites providing information at
the elementary level about puberty and reproduction. Includes
clinical names for reproductive organs (e.g., penis)";
- SexEd/Advanced: "[s]ites providing medical discussions
of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea,
and HIV/AIDS. May include medical pictures of a graphic nature.
Sites providing information of an educational nature on pregnancy
and family planning, including abortion and adoption issues. Sites
providing information on sexual assault, including support sites
for victims of rape, child molestation, and sexual abuse. Sites
providing information and instructions on the use of birth control
devices. May include some explicit pictures or illustrations intended
for instructional purposes only. May include slang names for reproductive
organs, or clinical discussions of reproduction";
- SexEd/Sexuality: "[s]ites dealing with topics in
human sexuality. Includes sexual technique, sexual orientation,
cross-dressing, transvestites, transgenders, multiple-partner
relationships, and other related issues";
- Violence: "[s]ites that depict or advocate violence,
including sites promoting violent terrorist acts against others
that do not fall under the 'Intolerance' category";
- Weapons: "[s]ites that display, sell, or advocate
the use of weapons, including guns, knives, and martial-arts weaponry."
SafeSurf: Ratings Key
SS~~000. Age Range
1) All Ages
2) Older Children
3) Teens
4) Older Teens
5) Adult Supervision Recommended
6) Adults
7) Limited to Adults
8) Adults Only
9) Explicitly for Adults
SS~~001. Profanity
1) Subtle Innuendo: Subtly Implied through the use
of Slang
2) Explicit Innuendo: Explicitly implied through the
use of Slang
3) Technical Reference: Dictionary, encyclopedic,
news, technical references
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic: Limited non-sexual expletives
used in a artistic fashion
5) Graphic-Artistic: Non-sexual expletives used in
a artistic fashion
6) Graphic: Limited use of expletives and obscene
gestures
7) Detailed Graphic: Casual use of expletives and
obscene gestures.
8) Explicit Vulgarity: Heavy use of vulgar language
and obscene gestures. Unsupervised Chat Rooms.
9) Explicit and Crude: Saturated with crude sexual
references and gestures. Unsupervised Chat Rooms.
SS~~002. Heterosexual Themes
1) Subtle Innuendo: Subtly Implied through the use
of metaphor
2) Explicit Innuendo: Explicitly implied (not described)
through the use of metaphor
3) Technical Reference: Dictionary, encyclopedic,
news, medical references
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic: Limited metaphoric descriptions
used in an artistic fashion
5) Graphic-Artistic: Metaphoric descriptions used
in an artistic fashion
6) Graphic: Descriptions of intimate sexual acts
7) Detailed Graphic: Descriptions of intimate details
of sexual acts
8) Explicitly Graphic or Inviting Participation: Explicit
Descriptions of intimate details of sexual acts designed to arouse.
Inviting interactive sexual participation. Unsupervised Sexual Chat
Rooms or Newsgroups.
9) Explicit and Crude or Explicitly Inviting Participation:
Profane Graphic Descriptions of intimate details of sexual acts
designed to arouse. Inviting interactive sexual participation. Unsupervised
Sexual Chat Rooms or Newsgroups.
SS~~003. Homosexual Themes
1) Subtle Innuendo: Subtly Implied through the use
of metaphor
2) Explicit Innuendo: Explicitly implied (not described)
through the use of metaphor
3) Technical Reference: Dictionary, encyclopedic,
news, medical references
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic: Limited metaphoric descriptions
used in an artistic fashion
5) Graphic-Artistic: Metaphoric descriptions used
in an artistic fashion
6) Graphic: Descriptions of intimate sexual acts
7) Detailed Graphic: Descriptions of intimate details
of sexual acts
8) Explicitly Graphic or Inviting Participation: Explicit
descriptions of intimate details of sexual acts designed to arouse.
Inviting interactive sexual participation. Unsupervised Sexual Chat
Rooms or Newsgroups.
9) Explicit and Crude or Explicitly Inviting Participation:
Profane Graphic Descriptions of intimate details of sexual acts
designed to arouse. Inviting interactive sexual participation. Unsupervised
Sexual Chat Rooms or Newsgroups.
SS~~004. Nudity
1) Subtle Innuendo: Subtly Implied through the use
of composition, lighting, shaping, revealing clothing, etc.
2) Explicit Innuendo: Explicitly implied (not shown)
through the use of composition, lighting, shaping or revealing clothing
3) Technical Reference: Dictionary, encyclopedic,
news, medical references
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic: Classic works of art presented
in public museums for family viewing
5) Graphic-Artistic: Artistically presented without
full frontal nudity
6) Graphic: Artistically presented with frontal nudity
7) Detailed Graphic: Erotic frontal nudity
8) Explicit Vulgarity: Pornographic presentation,
designed to appeal to prurient interests.
9) Explicit and Crude: Explicit pornographic presentation
SS~~005. Violence
1) Subtle Innuendo
2) Explicit Innuendo
3) Technical Reference
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic
5) Graphic-Artistic
6) Graphic
7) Detailed Graphic
8) Inviting Participation in Graphic Interactive Format
9) Encouraging Personal Participation, Weapon Making
SS~~006. Sex, Violence, and Profanity
1) Subtle Innuendo
2) Explicit Innuendo
3) Technical Reference
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic
5) Graphic-Artistic
6) Graphic
7) Detailed Graphic
8) Explicit Vulgarity
9) Explicit and Crude
SS~~007. Intolerance
1) Subtle Innuendo
2) Explicit Innuendo
3) Technical Reference
4) Non-Graphic-Literary
5) Graphic-Literary
6) Graphic Discussions
7) Endorsing Hatred
8) Endorsing Violent or Hateful Action
9) Advocating Violent or Hateful Action
SS~~008. Glorifying Drug Use
1) Subtle Innuendo
2) Explicit Innuendo
3) Technical Reference
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic
5) Graphic-Artistic
6) Graphic
7) Detailed Graphic
8) Simulated Interactive Participation
9) Soliciting Personal Participation
SS~~009. Other Adult Themes
1) Subtle Innuendo
2) Explicit Innuendo
3) Technical Reference
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic
5) Graphic-Artistic
6) Graphic
7) Detailed Graphic
8) Explicit Vulgarity
9) Explicit and Crude
SS~~00A. Gambling
1) Subtle Innuendo
2) Explicit Innuendo
3) Technical Discussion
4) Non-Graphic-Artistic, Advertising
5) Graphic-Artistic, Advertising
6) Simulated Gambling
7) Real Life Gambling without Stakes
8) Encouraging Interactive Real Life Participation
with Stakes
9) Providing Means with Stakes
SmartFilter: Pre-Version 3.0 Blocking Categories
- Alternative Journals: "from personal 'E-Zines'
to literary and culturally-oriented publications. This does not
include electronic forms of mainstream magazines and newspapers";
- Art and Culture: "virtual art galleries and other
cultural topics, such as museums and country customs, and so on";
- Chat: "Web-based (via HTTP, not IRC) chat groups
pertaining to all sorts of subjects";
- Criminal Skills: sites that provide "either instructions
or identification of methods to promote, encourage, or provide
the skills to commit illegal, criminal activities. This includes
such examples as bomb making instructions, lock picking, computer
hacking, burglary, murders, rapes and so on";
- Cults/Occult: sites with material relating to "the
occult, cults, and other extremist views";
- Dating: sites discussing "topics related to dating
and relationship," such as "listings of personal advertisement,
tips for attracting a companion, and online dating services";
- Drugs: sites that "provide information on the purchase
and use of illegal or recreational drugs"--"including," according
to SmartFilter's current control list, "Freespeech.org-- Drug/Marijuana
archive." (No such archive was located on freespeech.org in March
and April 2001);
- Entertainment: "URLs pertaining to such things
as movies, television, music, hobbies, clubs, and amusement parks";
- Extreme, Obscene, or Violence: "URLs that may fall
into other categories, but push the limits of acceptability because
of their particularly graphic nature. These URLs are typically
extremely violent, gory, or horrific in nature and may be related
to sex, bodily functions, obscenity, or perverse activities";
- Gambling: "URLs that encourage betting money or
items on the outcome of games and contests. It includes sites
offering gaming, bookmaker odds, lottery pages, and bingo";
- Games: "URLs whose focus is traditional board games,
and role-playing games such as Battleship and Dungeons and Dragons.
The category also includes video and online games, game reviews,
and any URLs that promote game makers such as Mattel";
- General News: "most online news and mainstream
trade publications, such as business, trade, and medical journals,
as well as high school and university newspapers";
- Hate Speech: "any sort of propaganda that would
encourage the oppression of a specific group of individuals. This
includes such things as derogatory speech against women, minorities,
and the disabled";
- Humor: "sites that intend to be comical or funny.
They include general jokes, comic pages, comedy clubs"--and Dilbert;
- Investing: "sites that deal with personal investments
and investment options";
- Job Search: "anything related to a job search";
- Lifestyle: sites that "contain discussions or material
relevant to an individual's personal life, whether it be unique
characteristics or orientation. The sites may include such things
as straight men's groups, gay and lesbian discussions, senior
citizen clubs, transgender issues, vegetarianism, naturism, and
more";
- Online Sales and Merchandising: sites offering
"the sale of any form of merchandise or service that will benefit
the individual only, such as the sale of clothing, accessories,
appliances, pets, etc. This may also overlap into other categories
such as the sale of sex merchandise, sports memorabilia, hate
speech paraphernalia, and more. It includes market promotions
and catalogue selling (for instance L. L. Bean)," but not "items
that will be of benefit to a normal business operation, such as
business supplies, and business-to-business selling";
- Opinion, Politics, and Religion: "any form of discussion
which covers topics related to, but not limited to politics, religion,
social values, and other non-work-related topics";
- Personal Pages: sites "typically related to the
personal or recreational activities and interests of the individual
author of the page, such as hobbies, socials, personal idiosyncrasies,
and more";
- Self-Help/Health: "anything either medically, organically,
or through support that will improve an individual's well-being";
- Sex: "URLs that reference, discuss, or show pornography,
pictures or videos of sex, or sexually oriented material. This
will range from all discussion of sex (including for example,
sexually transmitted diseases, safe-sex, teen pregnancy), bikini-clad
women and men, nudity, soft and hard-core porn, sado-masochism,
bestiality, child pornography, and so on";
- Sports: "any discussions or topics related to sports,
including sports teams, sports discussions, sports scores, sports
merchandise, and more";
- Travel: sites discussing "travel and travel-related
activities";
- Usenet News: "sites that provide Web access to
Usenet newsgroups";
- Worthless: "URLs that are neither harmful nor offensive
in a business or educational situation, and do not fall into any
of the previous categories. The usual content for these is along
the lines of useless things";
- Non-Essential: category reserved for user-selected
sites to be blocked on an individual basis.
SmartFilter: Blocking Categories Introduced with
Version 3.0
- Anonymizers/Translators: "Anonymizers enable anonymous Web browsing
though an intermediary to prevent unauthorized parties from gathering
personal information. However, anonymizers also allow users access
to ANY Web page and bypass blocking software. Language translators
that provide input of whole URLs for translation also act like
anonymizers. Language translators that translate only TEXT are
not blocked";
- Mature: "URLs that sell/advertise products you
must be over 18 to buy, such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms.
Items also to be rated as mature are adult humor; provocative
but not transparent lingerie photos; detailed text and images
explaining sexual problems/products; some adult topics in non-fiction,
fiction, poetry, and entertainment; and some usage of profanity.
. . . This category also includes URLs showing women or men dressed
in provocative or sexually seductive clothing (partially nude
or bikini-clad women and men)";
- MP3 Sites: "URLs that are for downloading, uploading,
or trading of MP3 files";
- Nudity: "URLs that include non-pornographic images
of the bare human body. Classic sculpture and paintings, artistic
nude photographs, some naturism pictures, and detailed medical
illustrations are included";
- Sex: "URLs that reference, discuss, or show pornography,
including pictures, videos, or text of sex acts, or sexually oriented
material. This includes soft- and hard-core pornography, sado-masochism,
bestiality, and so on"; [note modifications since previous version]
- Portal Sites: "Web pages that serve as a major
starting point for users when they get connected to the Web. Examples
are Yahoo, Excite, Lycos, CNET, Microsoft Network, AOL.com, and
many large Internet service providers (ISPs). Some services that
may be offered by portal sites include a directory of Web sites,
a search engine, news, weather information, email, stock quotes,
phone and map information, and sometimes Chat rooms, message boards
and forums";
- Webmail: "Web-based e-mail (via HTTP, not IRC)."
SurfWatch: Core Blocking Categories
- Sexually Explicit: "sexually oriented or erotic full or partial
nudity; depictions or images of sexual acts, including animals
or other inanimate objects used in a sexual manner; erotic stories
and textual descriptions of sexual acts; sexually exploitative
or sexually violent text or graphics; bondage, fetishes, genital
piercing; adult products including sex toys, CD-ROMs, and videos;
adult services including videoconferencing, escort services, and
strip clubs"--with the added note that "we do not block on the
basis of sexual preference, nor do we block sites regarding sexual
health, breast cancer, or sexually transmitted diseases (except
in graphic examples)";
- Drugs/Alcohol: "recipes or instructions for manufacturing
or growing illicit substances, including alcohol, for purposes
other than industrial usage; sites that glamorize, encourage,
or instruct on the use of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, or
other substances that are illegal to minors; alcohol and tobacco
manufacturers' Web sites; sites detailing how to achieve 'legal
highs': glue sniffing, misuse of prescription drugs or abuse of
other legal substances; sites that make available alcohol, illegal
drugs, or tobacco free or for a charge displaying, selling, or
detailing the use of drug paraphernalia"; this category is not
intended to encompass "sites discussing medicinal drug use, industrial
hemp use, or public debate on the issue of legalizing certain
drugs" or "sites sponsored by a public or private agency that
provides educational information on drug use";
- Gambling: "online gambling or lottery web sites
that invite the use of real money; sites that provide phone numbers,
online contacts or advice for placing wagers, participating in
lotteries, or gambling real money; newsgroups or sites discussing
number running; virtual casinos and offshore gambling ventures;
sports picks and betting pools";
- Violence: "sites portraying or describing physical
assault against humans, animals, or institutions; depictions of
torture, mutilation, gore, or horrific death; sites advocating
suicide or self-mutilation; instructions or recipes for making
bombs or other harmful or destructive devices; sites that make
available guns, artillery, other weapons, or poisonous substances;
excessive use of profanity or obscene gesticulation"; SurfWatch
does not, however, prohibit sites containing information on "news,
historical, or press incidents that may include the above criteria
(except in graphic examples)";
- Hate Speech: "sites advocating or inciting degradation
or attack of specified populations or institutions based on associations
such as religion, race, nationality, gender, age, disability,
or sexual orientation; sites which promote a political or social
agenda which is supremacist in nature and exclusionary of others
based on their race, religion, nationality, gender, age, disability,
or sexual orientation; Holocaust revision/denial sites; coercion
or recruitment in a gang or cult." SurfWatch defines a "gang"
as "a group whose primary activities are the commission of felonious
criminal acts, which has a common name or identifying sign or
symbol, and whose members individually or collectively engage
in criminal activity in the name of the group. A "cult" is "a
group whose followers have been deceptively and manipulatively
recruited and retained through undue influence such that their
followers' personalities and behavior are altered." In a cult,
according to SurfWatch's definition, "Leadership is all-powerful,
ideology is totalistic and the will of the individual is subordinate
to the group," and the group, furthermore, "[s]ets itself outside
of society." SurfWatch excludes from this blocking category Web
pages providing information on "news, historical, or press incidents
that may include the above criteria (except in graphic examples)."
We-Blocker: Blocking Categories
- Pornography: "[a]ny site that contains either graphic or text
depicting, describing or otherwise endorsing explicit or implicit
sexual acts, sex crimes, deviant sexual behavior, rape, sexual
products or services, sexually provocative attire, and/or gratuitous
total or partial nudity";
- Violence: "[a]ny site portraying or promoting injury,
death or torture of human beings or animals, gratuitous blood
and gore, cult or ritual violence, suicide, and /or malicious
property destruction. In addition, any site containing instructions
on how to carry out such violent acts, and illegal information
regarding weapons will be placed in this category";
- Drugs and Alcohol: "[a]ny site encouraging or glamorizing
the use of alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs, instructions for
manufacturing illegal substances, references to drug paraphernalia,
"drug culture", and promoting/selling alcohol and/or tobacco to
minors";
- Gambling: "[a]ny site that promotes or practices
gambling involving the use of actual money, illegal or otherwise,
in the form of on-line casinos, lotteries, or sports betting";
- Hate Speech: "[a]ny site that contains defamatory
speech or activity directed towards a particular group based on
race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or social
status, including sites by individuals and militant extremist
groups";
- Adult Subjects: "[a]ny site containing profane
and vulgar language, expletives, revealing attire, adult situations,
criminal activity, and any other subject generally considered
inappropriate for children";
- Weaponry: "[a]ny site containing legal information
regarding the purchase, use, design and manufacturing of firearms,
ammunition, military equipment, explosive devices and martial
arts or manually operated weapons. (Note: Illegal information
regarding weapons will be placed under the violence category.)"
WebSENSE: Pre-Version 4.0 Blocking Categories
- Abortion Advocacy: sites containing "[a]bortion advocacy," material,
"pro or con";
- Activist Groups: "[o]rganizations with a cause.
This is a broad category that can include environmental groups
and any other activist group not covered under other categories,"
with the added note, "No special exceptions are made for Freedom
of Speech activist sites";
- Adult Entertainment: sites containing "[f]ull or
partial nudity of individuals. This might include strip clubs,
lingerie, adult-oriented chat rooms, erotica, sex toys, light
adult humor and literature, escort services, password-verification
sites, prostitution, and so forth. Sexually explicit language
describing acts that would fit into this category are also categorized
here";
- Alcohol/Tobacco: "[a]ny site promoting, containing,
or selling liquor or tobacco products, or their accessories";
- Alternative Journals: "[o]nline equivalents to
supermarket tabloids, or non-mainstream periodicals. . . . This
category may contain materials that are sexual in nature";
- Cult/New Age: sites "[p]romoting or containing
information on witchcraft, black arts, voodoo, spirituality, horoscopes,
alternative religions, cults, UFOs. All religions not covered
under the Religion category";
- Drugs: "[p]romotion of illegal drugs and/or drug
culture information, or drug-related contraband," according to
United States drug laws;
- Entertainment: "[s]ites promoting or containing
information on movies, radio, television, books, theater, sedentary
hobbies, magazines (non-business related), music, pets, humor/jokes,
and sites containing downloadable software of an entertaining
nature." "Computer magazines containing technical information,"
however, "are not included in this category";
- Gambling: "[a]ny site that promotes gambling or
allows online gambling";
- Games: sites containing "[i]nformation about or
advocacy of board games, electronic games, video games, computer
games, or online games. Includes both hardware and software";
- Gay/Lesbian Lifestyles: sites containing "[i]nformation
about gay and lesbian lifestyles that does not contain sexually
explicit images or text. Dating services and shopping sites that
cater to gay or lesbian customers";
- Hacking: "[a]ny site promoting questionable or
illegal use of equipment and/or software to hack passwords, create
viruses, gain access to other computers, and so on. Does not include
security information sites";
- Illegal: "[p]romotion of information describing
how to commit non-violent, illegal activity," as defined by United
States law, "such as drunk driving, mail fraud, picking locks,
white or blue collar crime of a non-technical nature";
- Job Search: "[p]ersonal job/career search sites";
- Militancy: "[a]ny site promoting or containing
information on militia operations, terrorist activity, war, riots,
rebellion groups. Advocates of violence to overthrow government";
- Personals/Dating: sites geared for "[p]eople meeting
other people, personal ads, mail order brides. Sites combining
heterosexual and gay personals on same site are included here.
(Dating and personals sites that accommodate only gay and lesbian
lifestyles are categorized under Gay/Lesbian Lifestyles)";
- Politics: sites with content that amounts to "[p]olitical
advocacy of any type. Any site promoting or containing information
on any political party, pro or con. This includes all registered
and otherwise officially recognized political parties. Excludes
all official government sites";
- Racism/Hate: sites promoting "[e]thnic impropriety,
hate speech, anti-Semitism, racial clubs/conflict";
- Religion: sites devoted to "[r]eligious advocacy,
pro and con. Limited to: Atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, Judaism and Shintoism";
- Sex 1: sites depicting "[h]eterosexual activity
involving one or two persons, hard-core adult humor and literature.
Sexually explicit language describing acts that would fit into
this category are also categorized here";
- Sex 2: sites depicting "[h]eterosexual acts involving
more than two people, homosexual and bisexual acts, orgies, swinging,
bestiality, sadism/masochism, child pornography, fetishes and
related hardcore adult humor and literature. Sexually explicit
language describing acts that would fit into this category are
also categorized here";
- Shopping: sites allowing for "[c]onsumer-oriented
online shopping. Includes real estate shopping. Excludes sites
that sell sex toys, weapons, alcohol, tobacco, vehicles and vehicle
parts or travel services. . . . Note: The entire site is screened
if the intent of the site is selling";
- Sports: sites dedicated to "[s]ports and sports-related
recreation. Team or individual activities, indoor or outdoor,
with a physical component. For example, body building, hiking,
camping, and football";
- Tasteless: "[h]ard-to-stomach sites, including
offensive, worthless or useless sites, grotesque depictions caused
by 'acts of God'";
- Travel: "[s]ites promoting or containing information
on travel, leisure, vacation spots, transportation to vacation
destinations";
- User Defined: "[s]ites that are not listed in the
Websense Master Database, but have been set up for screening with
the Custom URLs feature";
- Vehicles: "[a]ny site promoting vehicles, including:
cars, vans, trucks, boats/water craft, ATVs, trains, planes and
any other personal vehicles and vehicle parts. Vehicles in this
category do not carry weapons";
- Violence: "[a]ny site promoting or containing information
on violent acts, murder, rape, violent criminal activity, gangs,
gross depictions caused by acts of man, excess profanity";
- Weapons: "[a]ny site promoting or containing information
on guns, knives, missiles, bombs, or other weapons";
- and Web Chat: "[c]hat sites via http protocol,
chat rooms (non-IRC), forums and discussion groups. Home pages
devoted to IRC."
WebSENSE: Current Blocking Categories
1. Abortion Advocacy
Sites with neutral or balanced discussion of the issues
are classified under the main category "Abortion Advocacy."
1.1 Pro-life Sites
1.2 Pro-choice Sites
2. Activist/Advocacy Groups
Sites sponsored by or devoed to organizations
that promote change or reform in public policy, public opinion,
social practice, economic activities and relationships. Excludes
commercially sponsored sites (4, 13, 21), sites dedicated to electoral
politics or legislation (10.2) or to the abortion issue (1), sites
advocating hate or violence (16, 19, 28).
3. Adult Material
3.1. Adult Content. Sites featuring full or partial
nudity reflecting or establishing a sexually oriented context, but
not sexual activity (3.3); sexual paraphernalia; erotica and other
literature featuring, or discussions of, sexual matters falling
short of pornographic; sex-oriented businesses such as clubs, nightclubs,
escort services, password/verification sites. Includes sites supporting
online purchase of such goods and services.
3.2 Nudity. Sites offering depictions of nude or
seminude human forms, singly or in groups, not overtly sexual in
intent or effect.
3.3 Sex. Sites depicting or graphically describing
sexual acts or activity, including exhibitionism.
3.4 Sex Education. Sites offering information on
sex and sexuality, with no pornographic intent.
3.5 Lingerie & Swimsuit. Sites offering views
of models in suggestive but not lewd costume; suggestive female
breast nudity. Also classic "cheesecake" art and photography.
4. Business and Economy
Sites sponsored by or devoted to individual business firms,
but not supporting ecommerce (21) and not firms engaged in computer
or Internet businesses (13) or the sale of alcohol or tobacco (22.1),
travel services (26), vehicles (27), or weaponry (29). Includes
commercial real estate, but not residential real estate (21.2).
4.1 Financial Data & Services. Sites offering
news and quotations on stocks, bonds, and other investment vehicles,
investment advice; but not online trading. Includes banks, credit
unions, credit cards, and life insurance.
5. Drugs (as characterized by U.S. law)
5.1 Abused Medications. Sites that discuss or promote
or provide information about prohibited, scheduled, or otherwise
controlled or regulated drugs and their abuse; also, paraphernalia
associated with such use and abuse.
5.2 Prescribed Medications. Sites providing information
about approved drugs and their medical use.
5.3 Supplements/Unregulated compounds. Sites providing
information about or promoting the use of chemicals not regulated
by the FDA (as naturally occurring compounds, for example).
6. Education
6.1 Educational Institutions. Sites sponsored by
schools and other educational facilities or by faculty or alumni
groups, or that relate to educational events and activities.
6.2 Cultural Institutions. Sites sponsored by museums,
galleries, theatres (but not movie theatres), and other cultural
institutions.
7. Entertainment
Sites that provide information about or promote motion
pictures, non-news radio and television, books, humor, music, and
magazines (other than those devoted primarily to adult material
(3), business (4), electronic games (9), information technology
(13), alcohol and tobacco (22.1), health (11), hobbies (22.5), sports
(24), travel (26), vehicles (27), or weaponry (29)).
7.1 MP3. Sites that support downloading of mp3
files or that serve as directories of such sites.
8. Gambling
Sites that provide information about or promote gambling
or that support online gambling. Risk of losing money possible.
9. Games
Sites that provide information about or promote electronic
games, video games, computer games, role-playing games, or online
games, but not board or card games (22.5); also sites that support
or host online games. Includes sweepstakes and giveaways.
10. Government
Sites sponsored by government branches or agencies; all
levels of government (i.e., *.gov)
10.1 Military. Sites sponsored by military branches
or agencies (i.e., *.mil)
10.2 Political Groups. Sites sponsored by or providing
information about political parties and interest groups focused
on elections or legislation.
11. Health
Sites that provide information or advice on personal health
or medical services, health insurance, procedures, or devices, but
not drugs (5). Includes self-help groups.
12. Illegal/Questionable
Sites that provide instruction in or promote crime (except
computer crime (13.1)) or unethical or dishonest behavior or evasion
of prosecution therefore.
13. Information Technology
Sites sponsored by or providing information on computer-
and Internet-industry firms.
13.1 Hacking. Sites providing information on or
promoting illegal or questionable access to or use of communications
equipment and/or software.
13.2 Proxy Avoidance Systems. Sites that provide
information on how to bypass proxy server features or to gain access
to URLs in any way that bypasses the proxy server.
13.3 Search Engines & Portals. Sites that support
searching the Web, news groups, or indices or directories thereof.
13.4. Web Hosting. Sites of organizations that
provide hosting services, or top-level domain pages of Web communities.
13.5 URL Translation Sites. Sites that offer online
translation of URLs including those that offer online language translation
of Web sites by submitting the URL of the target site.
14. Internet Communications
14.1 Web chat. Sites that host Web Chat services,
Chat sites via HTTP, on-IRC chat rooms. Home pages devoted to IRC.
Sites that offer forums or discussion groups.
14.2 Web-based Email. Sites that host Web-based
email. Any Web based email service, either browser or software based.
15. Job Search
Sites that offer information on or support seeking employment.
16. Militancy/Extremist
Sites that offer information on or promote or are sponsored
by groups advocating antigovernment beliefs or action.
17. News & Media
Sites that offer current or real-time news, including
those sponsored by newspapers, magazines, trade and academic journals,
radio and television stations and networks, wire services; but not
current financial quotes (4.1) or sports (24).
17.1 Alternative Journals - On-line equivalents
to supermarket tabloids or non-mainstream periodicals Note: This
category may contain material which is sexual in nature.
18. Premium Group 1
Premium categories available with Websense Enterprise,
v4.2. Default category set is "monitor-only" unless purchased.
18.1 Advertisements. Sites that provide advertising
servers.
18.2 Freeware/Software Download. Sites whose primary
function is to provide freeware software downloads.
18.3 Instant Messaging. Sites that enable instant
messaging
18.4 Online Brokerage & Trading. Sites that
support active trading of securities and management of investments.
18.5 Pay-to-Surf Sites. Sites that pay for people
to surf or pay to email.
19. Racism/Hate
Sites that promote the identification of racial groups,
the denigration or subjection of groups (racially identified or
otherwise), or the superiority of any group.
20. Religion
20.1 Non-traditional Religions. Sites that provide
information on or promote religions not listed in 20.2 and on other
unconventional religious or quasi-religious subjects, including
cults.
20.2 Traditional Religions. Sites that provide
information on or promote Buddhism, Baha'i, Christianity, Christian
Science, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Shinto, and Sikhism;
also atheism.
21. Shopping
Sites that support online purchasing of consumer goods
but not including sexual paraphernalia (3.1), investments (4.1),
computer software or hardware (13), supplements (5.3), alcohol and
tobacco (22.1), travel services (26), vehicles and parts (27), or
weaponry (29). Included are sites exclusively devoted to selling
sports or religious goods.
21.1 Internet Auction. Sites that support the offering
and purchasing of goods between individuals.
21.2 Real Estate. Sites that provide information
on renting, buying and selling residential real estate.
22. Society and Lifestyle
Sites that provide information on matters of daily life,
excluding sex (3), entertainment (7), jobs (15), sports (24), and
those topics covered in subsections below.
22.1 Alcohol & Tobacco. Sites that provide
information on, promote, or support the sale of alcoholic beverages,
tobacco products, and any associated paraphernalia. Excludes self-help
groups like AA, which are in Health.
22.2 Gay & Lesbian Issues. Sites that provide
information on or cater to gay and lesbian lifestyles, including
those supporting online shopping; but not sexually oriented (3.1,
3.3) or issue-oriented (2).
22.3 Personals & Dating. Sites that promote
interpersonal relationships, excluding those of exclusively gay
or lesbian appeal.
22.4. Restaurants & Dining. Sites that list,
review, advertise, or promote food, catering, or dining services.
22.5 Hobbies. Sites that provide information on
or promote private and largely sedentary pastimes, but not electronic,
video, or online games (9).
23. Special Events
Sites devoted to a current event that requires separate
categorization owing to objectionable content, bandwidth demand,
or potential effect on productivity. Some such sites will disappear;
others will be reviewed after 90 days for possible reclassification.
24. Sports
Sites that provide information on or promote sports, active
games, and recreation.
25. Tasteless
Sites that cannot be categorized elsewhere but offer offensive,
grotesque, frightening, lurid, material with no redeeming value.
26. Travel
Sites that provide information on or promote various travel-related
services and destinations, including those that support online purchase
or reservations.
27. Vehicles
Sites that provide information on or promote vehicles,
including those that support online purchase of vehicles or parts.
28. Violence
Sites that provide information on or promote violent activity.
Sites containing excessive profanity may be classified here if not
under Tasteless (25).
29. Weapons
Sites that provide information on, promote, or support
the sale of weapons and related items.
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