N2H2/Bess


	N2H2/Bess http://www.n2h2.com Filtering Categories http://www.n2h2.com/products/ifm/filtering_levels.php Typical Blocking Categories on Religious ISPs: http://www.mstar.net/support/filterpolicy.htm Examples of Blocking Categories/Criteria that Present Concerns N2H2 does not have categories that present concerns of discrimination and viewpoint discrimination based on language contained in the description of the category. Religious ISPs using N2H2 Millennial Star Network http://www.mstar.net A program of LDS World http://www.ldsworld.com The author would note that the Brigham Young University Journal of Law and Education recently published her article entitled "Legal and Ethical Issues Related to K-12 Internet Use Policies." (Volume 2000, No. 2).The publication occurred as a result of a request by the BYU Journal for the right to publish the document. This historical fact is pointed out as a demonstration of the fact that the author's philosophies and values are not entirely out of line with those who hold more conservative religious views. Religious Focus http://www.mstar.net/isp/default.htm "Your Home Your Values. Your Internet. Helping you maintain LDS values in your home." http://www.mstar.net "MSTAR.NET is committed to serving the LDS community with quality products and services. Our charter includes providing access to the copious quantities of good material available on the Internet while restricting the access to the bad.' Filtering Product There was a press release on the N2H2 web site noting a contract with the LDS Church. That press release was present for only a short period of time. The link to MStar filtering categories is set forth above. These are clearly a selection of N2h32 categories. There is no mention of N2H2 on the MStar site. However, MStar also offers eMStar (http://www.emstar.net), a program that serves the students of Brigham Young University and Ricks College. The Traveling with eMStar.net page (http://www.emstar.net/traveling.htm) provides the following in the instructions: "Set the proxy address to n2h2.sisna.com and the port to 8303 for the HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and Gopher settings. Click OK to close this dialog and then OK again to close the Preferences dialog." Influence on Blocking http://advance.byu.edu/bym/2000sp/pages/alumni5.shtml "BYU, MStar Offer Internet Access BYU is teaming with Millennial Star Network (MStar.net) to offer Internet service to BYU alumni and friends. And for every BYU-related subscriber, the network will return $2 to the university for its alumni programs. Designed with LDS families in mind, MStar.net focuses on creating a safer environment loaded with LDS information while including access to the "best of the Net." The service offers unlimited monthly usage for $19.95 per month and provides nationwide service with more than 2,000 dial-up locations, built on leading Internet-provider networks. ... (Please note: No filtering service is fool-proof or intended to replace parental involvement. The BYU Alumni Association encourages parents to work with MStar.net to eliminate objectionable content. MStar.net's World Web Watch feature allows users to submit questionable sites to the filter for review and blocking.)" Christianity.com http://www.christianity.com Crosswalk.com http://www.crosswalk.com The relationship between N2H2, Crosswalk.com, and Christianity.com is somewhat confusing. It appears that in 1998, Crosswalk.com contracted with N2H2 to provide filtering services, which Crosswalk private labeled "CrossingGuard." The services were provided free of charge, supported by advertising, which was the business model N2H2 was promoting at that time. At an unknown time, Crosswalk appears to have dropped this service and in September, 2000, Crosswalk entered into a revenue sharing arrangement with FamilyClick (which uses I-Gear). In October, 2000, Christianity.com contracted with N2H2 for filtering services. Then in April 2001, Crosswalk and Christianity.com entered into a partnership arrangement. There is no information on the Christianity.com site that reveals the name of the filtering product currently in use. The following are pertinent documents that track this story, the religious focus on the services, and their use of N2H2: Family-Friendly Web Search Launched By Didax Inc. http://corporate.crosswalk.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/ 0,,PTID79129%7CCHID201544%7CCIID505514,00.html "Crosswalk.com Corporate Channel - Chantilly, VA October 21, 1998 DIDAX INC. (Nasdaq: AMEN) today announced the addition of a comprehensive, filtered Web search tool to the award-winning crosswalk.com Christian Web site. The search tool, which combines Inktomi's industry-leading database of Web sites with N2H2's advanced filtering process, prevents adult-oriented and offensive links from even appearing in Web search results." Free Internet Filtering System Introduced by Didax Inc. http://corporate.crosswalk.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/ 0,,PTID79129\|CHID201548\|CIID505506,00.html "Crosswalk.com Corporate Channel - Chantilly, VA November 19, 1998 DIDAX INC. (Nasdaq: AMEN) today announced the beta launch of CrossingGuard, the first completely free Web filtering system that requires no additional software or filtered ISP account.... "This is a significant offering to our members," William Parker, CEO and president of DIDAX, said. "At crosswalk.com , we believe that people with conservative, family-friendly values shouldn't have to pay extra to keep inappropriate material away from their family. ... "We take our role as advocate for the online Christian community seriously, but you don't have to be a Christian to recognize that filtering Web content is an important responsibility for parents. We believe that offering it free to consumers, and recouping our costs via sponsorships, is a win/win for everyone and that it puts filtering in the same realm as free browsers and free email universally available at no cost to anyone who wants or needs it." The CrossingGuard free filtering system follows crosswalk.com's recent launch of a full-Web search engine filtered by N2H2, Inc. and powered by Inktomi. This filtered search (http://search.crosswalk.com ) prevents adult-oriented and explicit links from appearing even in search results pages. These two applications together form the core of crosswalk.com's safety advocate positioning for the online Christian community. ..." Crosswalk.com: Information for Christians, Not Just Christian Information GospelcomCover Story "Volume 11 \| March 1999 \| Issue 3 by William O'Flaherty (william@ccmag.com ) http://www.gospelcom.net/ccmag/ articles/covr399plus.html Interview with William Parker, President & CEO of Crosswalk.com Q: What do you want our readers to know about Crosswalk.com? First, we're the only broad-based Christian portal to the Internet. If you look at the research on what people do on the Web, we offer nine out of the top 10 activities - plus a whole lot more - all from a Christian point of view. We call it "information for Christians, not just Christian information," and it drives us towards providing all of life - things like personal finance, career development and management, music, entertainment, education - in a safe, family-friendly environment. Also, as a Christian portal to the Web, we recognize that the number one issue for the Christian community is using the Web safely and responsibly. That's why we've recently launched CrossingGuard, the only free server-level, continuously-updated Web filtering solution available - you don't need special software or any specific ISP - and a full-Web filtered search engine that uses Inktomi's leading database of Web sites along with N2H2's market-leading filtering system. Defense is now off the table.you can explore the world and get home safely from crosswalk.com." N2H2 Chosen to Provide Global Filtering Service to Christianity.com Company to filter all Christianity.com ISP traffic http://www.n2h2.com/news/releases/10-18-00.php (no longer online) "SEATTLE - October 18, 2000 - N2H2™, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTWO), an Internet infrastructure company specializing in filtering, Internet management, and content delivery services, today announced that the company's proprietary filtering service and filtered search function has been chosen by Christianity.com, an online network for Christian individuals, churches, and organizations. As part of the agreement, N2H2 will provide Christianity.com's global user network with a secure method for accessing appropriate Internet content. N2H2 will receive a per-user monthly subscriber fee for each ISP customer as well as a per-inquiry fee for each use of N2H2's private-labeled filtered search function residing on the Christianity.com Web site. Because we target one of the most conscientious user groups online, we made it a point to select the most reliable filtering service available," said Spencer Jones, Christianity.com COO. "N2H2 frees Christianity.com users and their children to search the Web without worry - and that's no small thing." Crosswalk.com Enters Into Revenue Sharing Agreement with FamilyClick http://corporate.crosswalk.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/ 0,,PTID79129%7CCHID294144%7CCIID505610,00.html "Crosswalk.com Corporate Channel - CHANTILLY, VA September 22, 2000 Crosswalk.com, Inc (Nasdaq NMS: AMEN), the premier Internet portal site serving the online global Christian community, today announced that it has entered into a revenue sharing agreement with FamilyClick to begin offering an advanced filtering and safety technology to its subscribers. Privately held FamilyClick, based in Virginia Beach, VA, is the leading provider of family-focused Internet services and a destination site at which families can find top-quality online content, www.familyclick.com. Crosswalk.Com Strikes Broad Strategic Partnership With Christianity.Com http://corporate.crosswalk.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/ 0,,PTID79129%7CCHID294144%7CCIID505652,00.html "Crosswalk.com Corporate Channel - CHANTILLY, VA April 24, 2001 -- Crosswalk.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMEN), the leading stand-alone Christian Internet portal, today announced a broad three-year strategic technology, content and co-marketing partnership with Christianity.com, the full-service Web network designed to bring technology solutions to the Christian community. Under this partnership, Crosswalk.com (www.crosswalk.com) will become a principal content provider to the Christianity.com network, will populate the Christianity.com network with its tools and applications, and is the recipient of a $1.2 million advertising agreement. Additionally, Christianity.com will become the primary Web content management and network infrastructure solution for Crosswalk.com. This partnership also clarifies both companies' focus and their individual roles in the Christian Internet market." Christian-Net http://christian-isp.com/ http://cnonline.net Religious Focus http://christian-isp.com/about.shtml "About Christian-Net What We Believe (Statement of Faith) We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible authoritative Word of God. ...etc" ... "What We're All About As you can tell by our prices, personal profit is not on the top of our list of concerns. What matters to us the most is that we are helping Christians stay safe on the Internet." Filtering Product http://christian-isp.com/filtering-features.shtml "Our filtering software never has to be updated to include new web sites, because the site list is on the server. Our filtering server is constantly being updated by N2H2, our filtering partner, to ensure that even the newest porn sites are being blocked." http://christian-isp.com/dialup.shtml "Overview Our filtered dial-up access is the fast, easy, and safe way to get your family online. We are partnered with N2H2 and 8e6 Technologies to provide you the absolute best in Internet filtering to keep your family safe online." http://christian-isp.com/dialup-filtering.shtml This page describes Basic Filtering and Advanced Filtering Filtering partner for Basic is 8e6 Filtering partner for Advanced is N2H2 Integrity Online http://www.integrity.com Religious Focus No information about religious focus on home page. However, Integrity Online is referred to elsewhere as a Christian ISP. Examples: http://www.chritech.com/cgi-bin/search/search.cgi?ID=922062499 "Integrity Online Filtered Internet Access A nationwide Christian Internet Dial-Up Service. Offering filtered Internet Access and quality domain hosting. Striving to protect family values while offering a great internet service at affordable prices!" http://www.wesleyan.org/doc/safesurfinarticle.htm Safe Surfin' Christian Internet Service Providers Block Out Cybersleaze Before it Hits Your Modem. by Tim Ostermiller ... "I checked out four leading Christian ISPs for reliable access, ease of use, and features, to see if they delivered on their promise of blocking pornography. Here's what I found. Integrity Online ..." http://www.new-life.net/porn1.htm Handling Pornography from the Internet Identifies Integrity Online as a Christian ISP. http://dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/Access_Providers/ By_Region/North_America/United_States/Christian/ Identifies Integrity Online as a Christian ISP. Filtering Product http://www.integrity.com/filtering.htm List of categories indicates company is using N2H2. GoodNewsNet http://gnn.net/ourservices.html Religious Focus "Good News Net GNN is positioned as the Ozarks first Christian Internet Service Provider (ISP). At GNN we provide honest and fair service for families, churches, ministries, & Christian businesses." Filtering Product Is part of Integrity Online. FamilyLink http://www.familink.com/welcome.htm Religious Emphasis This page provides a link to Catholic ISPs and notes that FamilyLink uses N2H2. http://www.monksofadoration.org/access.html Filtering Product http://www.familink.com/filter/criteria.htm This link has the description of categories, which compares to N2H2 The Shield http://www.theshield.org/ Religious Focus The Shield is an Internet access service offered by Tennessee Temple University, a private religious university http://www.tntemple.edu/. Filtering Product and Reporting URLs http://www.theshield.org/ (An example of potential influence on blocking decision-making.) "We are committed to giving you the best in Internet service. Combined with N2H2, The Shield provides unparalled filtered technologies that will protect you and your family from the harmful media that circulates the web. N2H2 offers advanced filtering solutions that afford educators, parents, and businesses reliable protection against objectionable Internet Material. Identifying and examining the thousands of new sites that come online every day is a top priority at The Shield.Org and N2H2. We use a variety of techniques to manage the Internet's industry-leading site database. To find sites to review, N2H2 uses a sophisticated research process to continuously comb the Internet. This process identifies thousands of suspect sites everyday, helping N2H2 and The Shield find new sites to block and discover changes to existing ones. The Shield has over 600 individuals who search the Internet looking for sites to suggest for blocking. Another mechanism we use is feedback from our customers. Our filtering services feature a "request Page Review" link that allows customers to request that a site be blocked or unblocked. Each request is reviewed and a reply is sent within days. This feedback helps N2H2 and The Shield refine its list, while involving our customers in the filtering process and help organizations customize their own block list." ClearviewNet http://www.clearviewnet.com/ eMountain Communications http://www.emountain.net/ Religious Focus http://www.clearviewnet.com/about.html "Welcome to eMountain Communications, the information technology ministry of the Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust. (http://www.brethrenbenefittrust.org/) Filtering Product http://www.brethrenbenefittrust.org/news/230299d.htm Story telling about how found N2H2 and discussing creation of ClearviewNet "The dynamic filtering technology developed by N2H2 features a state-of-the-art Internet filter and search engine. By using the two in concert it is possible to screen out objectionable material before it can appear on a computer screen. Forty staff members at N2H2 work solely at monitoring the Internet and updating and reprogramming filtered sites. ... You might say this will be our church's America Online, using filter settings and search engine results that will reflect Church of the Brethren values. There will be no pornography, violence, hate, gambling, or alcohol-related content." Church Affiliate Program N2h2 apparently has a Church Affiliate Program where they provide free filtering services to the church in exchange for a marketing link to N2H2. The messages from two pages are provided. Note the similarity in text. The language clearly comes from N2H2. Covenant Presbyterian Church http://www.superior.net/~covenant/n2h2dl.htm "N2H2™ Internet Filtering Manager The Web is a wonderful, exciting place to explore, learn new things and get life-changing information! It's amazing that the Gospel message is just a mouse click away virtually everywhere on earth! With increased access to the Internet come unwanted exposure and solicitations of inappropriate content. These are easily managed with N2H2's Internet Filtering Manager. Because we care so deeply about you, we are providing this link to N2H2, a Seattle-area company that provides Internet filtering services to more than 40% of all school children online at US schools. The N2H2 Internet Filtering Manager assures parents their child's Internet experience will be rewarding and productive. It also provides the empowerment that stems from parental-controlled user settings tailored for each member of the family. The button below takes you to the download site where you may also view product information, overview and frequently asked questions (FAQ)." Overlake Christian Church http://www.occ.org/n2h2.htm "The Web is a wonderful, exciting place to explore, learn new things and get life-changing information! It's amazing that the Gospel message is just a mouse click away virtually everywhere on earth! As we all know, there are also those who use the Internet to promote content and discussion that can be inappropriate for your family. Because we care so deeply about you, we're allowing N2H2, a Seattle-area company that provides Internet filtering services to more than 40% of all school children online at US schools, to link to the Overlake Web Site. N2H2 has provided filtering services for the offices at Overlake Christian Church for more than two years. We have found the company to be both reliable and reputable. N2H2 has also agreed to donate services to Overlake in exchange for the link below which allows you to download a trial of their Internet filtering product for home FREE for 30 days." Note the similarity of language in the above two sites. The following sites also have links to N2H2: Christian Fellowship Church Ministries International http://www.cfcmi.org/index2.html First Christian Fellowship Church of Norfork http://www.cfcmi.org/FCFC_Norfolk/Youth/Church/ Grandview Assembly of God http://www.spirit.org/ N2H2Employee David Burt recently joined N2H2 where he serves as a corporate spokesperson. He is also responsible for managing the N2H2 site that provides information for schools related to the Children's Internet Protection Act. David Burt is a former librarian who ran a web site called FilteringFacts. Mr. Burt received funding from Family Research Council for the production of a study called Dangerous Access. When Mr. Burt left Filtering Facts to work for N2H2 he posted a Goodbye Message. This message is no longer available online. The text of the message read: A Good bye Message From Filtering Facts President David Burt April 20th, 2000 What a ride it has been, these last 3 years doing Filtering Facts. We have made incredible progress in our fight to protect children in public libraries from Internet pornography and pedophiles. The level of public involvement and awareness has never been higher, and every week I read about new victories where libraries are putting filters on computers. It is a very busy time to be an Internet child protection activist. Unfortunately, I no longer have the time necessary to play such an active role in the struggle. I am starting a new job in Seattle and moving with my family this week, and may focus needs to be on all these changes in my life. Filtering Facts began in July 1997 as a reaction to the American Library Association's policy on filtering software. My first efforts at activism were a web site consisting of about 10 pages of my diatribes against the ALA. From this modest beginning grew a resource that would network hundreds of activists around the nation, testify in federal court, and before government agencies, conduct important research, and make over 200 press contacts, including a debate on national television. I am very relieved that Jean Armor Polly will be maintaining these pages into the future. The e-mail messages I began sending in March of 1998 to about 25 fellow activists eventually grew in a weekly newsletter that would keep hundreds of activists informed of the latest developments in the battle to save America's libraries. I am so relieved that Kathy Valente of Citizens for Community Values will be continuing this important resource. The role I have played in raising awareness among activists about the library porn problem, and giving activists the ammunition they needed is the accomplishment of which I am the most proud. I have so much enjoyed many of the fine people I have worked with these last 3 years: Jan LaRue, Bob Knight, Crystal Roberts, and Chuck Donovan at the Family Research Council, Buddy Smith and Rusty Benson at the American Family Association, Karen Jo Gounoud at Family Friendly Libraries, Kathy Valente and Phil Burress at Citizens for Community Values, Bruce Taylor, Carol Clancy and Bob Flores at the National Law Center, Bruce Watson, Donna Rice-Hughes, Monique Nelson, and Shyla Welch at Enough is Enough, Cornelia Koehl at the Dr. Laura Show, Michelle Yezerski at Citizens for the Protection of Children, Sandy Zappa and Cynthia Walker at K.I.D.S, and Margaret Tweet at Save Our Kids, to name just a few of the hundreds of activists It has been my pleasure to work with. I will miss you all, and I know that many of you will be continuing this fight to the end, andI know we will win. We have come so far these last three years in raising public awareness of the dangers posed to children in libraries, and winning back parental rights in libraries. I will still be reachable by e-mail at dburt@afo.net, and all the information on the website will stay there. It has been a pleasure. David Burt, President Filtering Facts