At 01:18 PM 3/5/96 +0000, Mike Attayek wrote:
>Our school system has a pilot WAN and internet access project with a large
>telecommunications co. We have, as they say, direct access to the
internet, >ie, no firewall. Could someone elaborate on the risks which our
school >children may be exposed to by not operating behind a firewall?
I think that you are confusing a firewall with a filter to autocensor the
sites the kiddies can see.
A firewalls purpose is to keep people from the outside world from hacking
your site. Some firewalls will allow configuration to allow you to deny
connections to certain verbotten sites, but it is usually a pain to
configure as such. (And the really good smut sites change every day.)
There are tools that will keep the kiddies from finding socalled
"objectionable" words, thoughts, and ideas from their tender little brains.
(They are called "busybodies" and the PTA".) Most intelegent kids know how
to get past them however. (That which is forbidden is most attractive at
that, and any, age.)
The real purpose for such filters is to spare the wrath of the parents and
not to "protect" children from things they have access to elsewhere. (Like
the public library.)
But then, this is a forum for security and not insecurity...
---
Alan Olsen -- alano @
teleport .
com -- Contract Web Design & Instruction
`finger -l alano @
teleport .
com` for PGP 2.6.2 key
http://www.teleport.com/~alano/
"We had to destroy the Internet in order to save it." - Sen. Exon
"I, Caligula Clinton... In the name of the Senate and the people of Rome!"
- Bill Clinton signing the CDA with the First Amendment bent over.
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