On Feb 14, 2011, at 1:08 AM, Michael C. Robinson wrote:

> 
> As far as a fireable offense, this is a home network which I'm sure many
> people have.  That said, what is viewed from this network is still a
> concern.
> 
> On a non technical note, how do other people deal with addictive
> Internet content whether it be: gambling, social media, or 
> pornographic web sites (which includes hulu depending on what you
> watch).  You can let yourself go of course, but if surfing certain 
> types of content is a fireable offense at work, why get in the 
> habit at home?  The Internet is not policed at all or pornography
> wouldn't be freely available to anyone.  There is such a thing as
> decency which broadcast television had mostly observed until recently,
> the Grammy's tonight being a prime example.
> 

Personally, I find that my own personal responsibility is very easy to use. But 
then, I've been trained, and I keep my training up. Work is work, and vice 
versa, Not safe for work content isn't viewed at work. The fact that there's an 
acronym for this content indicates how much this topic gets discussed. NSFW 
content is always on the radar.

Some of my places of employment have employed content filters, and most of 
those were setup with a user usable bypass for the case of the false positive. 
False positives are logged and could be checked out. Usually, the content 
filter is in the IT closet, where it's under lock and key, so relatively few 
people have access to it. Most of my places of employment placed these content 
filters in place to block content that was accidentally requested, as in the 
case of a typo, or during an internet search where content was lumped into a 
search, but was not appropriate. The by-pass is for cases where content IS work 
related, yet it is inadvertently listed in the filter. I've had both scenarios 
happen to me. 

While reducing the amount of lost time at work is a nobel goal, is it the job 
of the IT department to eliminate the chance that people will be people? I 
think not. The fact that it IS a fireable offense is enough of a deterrent for 
more folks, and those that it's not, do you really want them working there? Are 
you really a baby-sitter? We're supposed to be adults, and you have the ability 
to track traffic. If someone wants to hang themselves, they will find a way.

Also keep in mind the words of Princess Leia. "The more you tighten your grip, 
Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

On another note about your inline filter. How are you going to stop people from 
setting up their own connections to the internet? More and more cell phones are 
capable of being tethered, and more and more are capable of being wifi 
hotspots. Several droid models, and the iPhone of Verizon are prime examples.


Russell Johnson
[email protected]



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