Symantec/I-Gear


	Symantec/I-Gear http://www.symantec.com/sabu/igear/igear_educ/ Filtering Categories http://service4.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ igear.nsf/pfdocs/2000110911532640 Research Indicator The term Dynamic Document Review or DDR is often present on sites using I-Gear that do not specifically say they are using I-Gear. "Symantec I-Gear's patented Dynamic Document Review (DDR) provides real-time filtering technology that reviews Web documents on the fly, enabling safe use of search engines and new web pages not yet categorized." (http://www.symantec.com/sabu/igear/ igear_educ/features.html) Examples of Blocking Categories/Criteria that Present Concerns "Occult/New Age Sites 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." "Witchcraft" is frequent term used to describe WICCA, which is a legitimate recognized religion. Other "New Age" topics may also be considered to be religious topics, many of which may be founded in cultural traditions, such as Native American spiritual traditions. The inclusion of these kinds of sites in the same category as Satanism presents concerns related to both religion and race. Symantec has several categories related to Sex Education "Sex Education / Basic Sites providing information at the elementary level about puberty and reproduction. Includes clinical names for reproductive organs (e.g., penis). "Sex Education / Advanced Sites providing medical discussions of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, 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. Sex Education / Sexuality Sites dealing with topics in human sexuality. Includes sexual technique, sexual orientation, cross-dressing, transvestites, transgenders, multiple-partner relationships, and other related issues." Note that for a district to allow the category that will provide access to sexual orientation information, the district will necessarily have to allow access to a wide variety of information that is likely not considered acceptable in schools. Religious ISPs Using I-Gear 711.Net/Global Internet Ministries It appears that 711.Net/Global Internet Ministries was using I-Gear, but it appears that the company is now using 8e6 Technologies product. See the separate report about 711.Net. The evidence they were using I-Gear is as follows: The presence of the Symantec DDR trademark in many locations on their various sites http://www.711online.net/about_filtering.htm http://www.netcomply.com/Manage%20Internet/ quickcomply/index.htm. The following page on the 711.net site lists I-Gear categories. (http://www.711.net/signupisp/ctc/filter.htm). There is a news story online where a company official states that the company is using I-Gear http://www.spectatoronline.com/2001-05-09/ news_cover.html. Additionally, the filtering demo on 711.net shows an example of how the filter works. The site is reported being blocked under the category Sex/Acts which is an I-Gear category. http://www.711online.net/demo.htm These pages were all on the 711 site, along with the following statement of filtering in accord with Biblical standards, as of the date of the publication of this report. http://www.711online.net/filterphilosophy.htm "Upholding Biblical standards We use a sophisticated server-based filtering process to eliminate objectionable material. Tired of getting unsolicited obscene email? What about "pop-up" web pages? We completely block out inappropriate text and web content. We filter out the standard offensive material - pornography, profanity, and violence. In addition, we uphold our own set of standards...Biblical standards. We continue to filter hate groups, alternative lifestyles, and the occult." Family Click http://www.familyclick.com Religious Focus FamilyClick's religious emphasis is not readily apparent on the site. But is somewhat suspect when considering the background of the Company's CEO: http://www.familyclick.com/aboutus/ index.cfm?page_load=fcnewsfamilypc.cfm "FamilyCLICK featured in FamilyPC magazine (March 8, 2001) "FamilyClick, headed by Tim Robertson, son of Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, works with your existing ISP...." Family Click also has a relationship with Crosswalk, a Christian web site. 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. http://corporate.crosswalk.com/partner/ Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID79129%7CCHID201544%7CCIID505514,00.html Filtering Product Family Click does not name the filtering product it is using. However, it does reference the term DDR on the following page: http://www.symantec.com/press/1999/n991025.html. It is also quite easy to tell from the filtering categories that they are I-Gear categories. Also, there is a press release on Symantec's site that announces the relationship. Symantec Teams With Inktomi and Family Click CUPERTINO, Calif. October 25, 1999 - Symantec Corporation (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced strategic alliances with Inktomi and Family Click, to provide integrated content security solutions to home and business computer users through their Internet service providers. ... Symantec will license its I-Gear web filtering technologies to Family Click, who will offer the technology to its customers as an added value service integrated into their overall Internet offering. Influence on Blocking http://www.familyclick.com/aboutus/ index.cfm?page_load=about_legal_1.cfm "e. Monitoring and Reporting Offensive or Objectionable Content. By using the Service, you will help FamilyClick locate offensive or objectionable material on the Internet and report the identity of senders of mass, unsolicited email messages (known as "spam"). FamilyClick will make every effort it deems reasonable in its sole discretion to block its subscribers' and Authorized Users' access to offensive or objectionable content. ... "f. Our Response to Offensive or Objectionable Content and Spam. If the content qualifies in our sole discretion for screening according to our standards, we will put it on the "blocked" list as soon as reasonably possible. Simply email the web site address (or other information that will allow us to locate the content) to us at sitereview@responsiblenetizen.org." LifeWay Online http://lifewayonline.com/ Religious Focus "Biblical Solutions for Life" "LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention" Filtering Product http://www.lwol.com/Filter/ Mentions DDR and uses I-Gear categories Christian Purity http://www.christianpurity.com/ What Would Jesus View http://www.wwjv.net Sites link to each other and use common language, so they would appear to be run by the same company. Religious Focus http://www.christianpurity.com/aboutus.htm "About Us Because of the growing rate of Internet pornography, ChristianPurity.com has designed a filtered service that meets the needs of the entire family. ChristianPurity.com is committed to provide a top quality filtered service that blocks only web sites containing violence, pornography and obscenity. ChristianPurity.com's purpose is two-fold. First, to provide innovative, practical, secure and positive Internet solutions. ChristianPurity.com takes full advantage of the positive attributes of the Internet and filters out the negative. By filtering, we believe we can protect children and adults from harmful content and influence, improve productivity in the workplace, and improve the lifestyle and integrity of society as a whole. We readily endorse an Internet that provides a vast amount of information and communication that is beneficial to society. However, sites that contain pornography, hate speech, violence, and other destructive content clearly present a major problem. While we believe in freedom of speech, we firmly believe that parents have the right to assure that their children and homes be protected from exposure to subjects that may cause them harm. Secondly, ChristianPurity.com is partnered with evangelical ministries to provide additional revenue to help fulfill the individual callings of these ministries. Ten percent of net profits from ChristianPurity.com are contributed to the work of these organizations." Filtering Product This was difficult to determine from the site. The following e-mail from the company identified I-Gear as the product. "Subject: Re: Filtering Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 13:25:10 -0800 From: support <support@responsiblenetizen.org> To: Nancy Willard <nwillard@responsiblenetizen.org> I-Gear Technology: Violence, Sex, Pornography, Racism, etc. The filtering is designed for the whole family. Support@responsiblenetizen.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nancy Willard" <nwillard@responsiblenetizen.org> To: <Sales@responsiblenetizen.org> Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2001 12:26 PM Subject: Filtering > Hi. > I would like more information on your filtering. What filtering system > do you use and what categories of material do you block? > Thanks. > Nancy" Digital Imaging, Webbing, and Internet DIWI http://www.diwi.net/About%20Us.htm Religious Focus and Filtering Product "Ed has been living in Douglas County since 1973 and his wife Pam has lived here all her life. ...Ed and Pam are very active at Grace Baptist Church in Powder Springs, GA (pictured above) and have been attending for 4 years. If you're searching for a Christ centered / Bible believing Church, come & visit us at Grace and for more information on our ministries, visit www.GraceGa.org. Ed & Pam see the benefits of the Internet while also seeing its pitfalls and shortcomings. "The only way a responsible adult can have the Internet come into their house is with a 'tamper proof' filtering system" says Ed. There is just too much "filth" out there for curious minds to find. ... Over a year ago Ed started exploring the differences in filtered Internet options. After many months of research and testing, DIWI has partnered with a National Company, to provide the most advanced tamper proof filtering available, along with excellent technical support for new users. Internet Service Providers (ISP's) that "filter" access to the web have earned industry respect from, ChristSite.com, Best of the Christian Web, Dr Laura Schlessinger's Perspective Magazine, and Boardwatch Magazine. ... Back to the statement of "tamper proof filtering", DIWI employs a patented filtering technology that has consistently rated superior to the competition based on independent studies, tests, and evaluations. Our filtering system consists of a huge database of known sites that is updated daily. We also use Dynamic Document Review, which looks at unknown sites before they are displayed on your computer." (note the Symantec Research Indicator)