Local control of filtering

[Jobos]

I’ve been shown a document that needs returning to our LEA about internet filtering and the school needs to choose a level. Currently we have local control of filtering and have done for 2-3 years with no problems at all. Now reading this document it appears that if you have local control of filtering new websites are not added to the filter list which I always thought they were

 

Local control of filtering:

“when embc adds a newly discovered website to the blocked list which applies across the whole embc region it will not be blocked in your school”

 

Surely this is wrong? I thought local control was when the embc added sites to the list but the school could make exceptions and force the sites through plus block sites that are not on the list.

[kmount]

You are correct.

[sparkeh]

I thought local control was when the embc added sites to the list but the school could make exceptions and force the sites through plus block sites that are not on the list.

 

Yes that is the way it works, I can't see how you wouldn't get the new sites blocked, you are still using the same filter list as everyone else.

[GrumbleDook]

I will get a double check on this but not getting sites added to the list actually describes when a school rings up and a particular nasty site (which hasn't been categorised yet) is found and it gets added to the EMBC or LA wide black list ... you no longer pick up additiions to that.

 

You *do* pick up additions to the categories as they come in through NetSweeper (eg pr 0n, weapons, etc)

 

The same way you don't pick up changes to the generic black list, you also do not pick up changes to the generic white list.

 

Does that clear things up any?

[Jobos]

Thought so, thanks for the replies.

[Jobos]

I will get a double check on this but not getting sites added to the list actually describes when a school rings up and a particular nasty site (which hasn't been categorised yet) is found and it gets added to the EMBC or LA wide black list ... you no longer pick up additiions to that.

 

You *do* pick up additions to the categories as they come in through NetSweeper (eg pr 0n, weapons, etc)

 

The same way you don't pick up changes to the generic black list, you also do not pick up changes to the generic white list.

 

Does that clear things up any?

 

@GrumbleDook:

It's that time of year again and the filtering forms have landed on my desk. Looking at the attached image I would say schools are being moved away from local control by not giving the full picture.

 

[GrumbleDook]

@Jobos It's not that people are being moved away by not giving the full picture, but it forces schools to accept the responsibility ... something SLT should be doing anyway. You could view it as rather than spending ages going through whether you get whitelists and blacklists, etc ... just pointing out that it is up to *you* to manage it should then also raise the subsequent question of, "how are we going to manage it?"

 

This year our forms are going out in September but I will be chatting about local control of filtering at my next meeting with IT Managers ...

[Edu-IT]

For those schools with LCF, do you see the 'reports' tab in NetSweeper?

[sparkeh]

For those schools with LCF, do you see the 'reports' tab in NetSweeper?

 

Nope

[Edu-IT]

Thank you. :-)

 

Might have to ask nicely for it then!

[sparkeh]

Thank you. :-)

 

Might have to ask nicely for it then!

 

Mmm I think it should have shown up by now right?

[InvisibleIntellectual]

Mmm I think it should have shown up by now right?

 

Sparkeh - PM me your netweeper userid and I will look at your account for you

[sparkeh]

Oh, I spoke to LA who said it was delayed, there is a link now but its not functional.

[sparkeh]

Ahh the Cacti link in SUMS does nothing, you need to go to T2S and click 'network statistics'! *facepalm*