Dear Debra:
>From the description above, it seems that any website showing an uncropped
image of Michelangelo's "David" (ie. a world-famous statue of a naked man
with uncovered penis, considered one of the top ten works of art ever)
would have to be blocked. This sounds a bit weird, but at least it's a fair
policy.
Thank you for taking the time to explain your policies, investigate our
case, etc. Although this is part of your job, it must not always be easy to
do.
Incidentally, after actually GOING to www.cyberpatrol.com, I found that I
could fairly easily see what was on the "NOT" list, complain, see
screenshots of your control panel, and download a free demo version of the
software. I applaud this effort to allow "community input."
SITO people, download the software and try it. Then at least you can
condemn these people knowledgeably (grin).
There might be more that Cyberpatrol could do, though, to reassure people.
For instance, it's cumbersome and unreliable to check each individual
sub-website by typing it in to your "NOT" lookup page. Is there a way that
someone can say "Is anything at www.sito.com blocked?"
A second question is, "WHY is this blocked?" I checked, and an
ex-girlfriend of mine's site is blocked, although I really can't imagine
why. I guess I will try to use the demo software to find out, but that's
really cumbersome. Why can't I find out more easily?
Third, there is the fear that my site might get blocked, and I wouldn't
know until I went through a lot of work. Indeed, I'd have to check again
and again to see if there's a change. Is it possible to let people know if
their sites are blocked?
Last, there is the fear that "the unsuspecting public" will buy blocker
programs, but they won't be told that the blocker programs are also
blocking, say, unkind articles about the parent company of the blocker
software company. (For instance, GE owns a TV network, and people have
complained that that network doesn't run negative stories about GE.)
I realize that this is a lot of work for you guys, but let me be clear: I
think that any company in this business has to expect that a lot of its
efforts will be spent in this kind of a "public relations" area. If they do
not respond to their community, they will not only lose goodwill, but also
legal standing in courts.
Once again, thanks for your civil, careful explanations. I hope you will
consider addressing my concerns.
bill coderre
bc@wetware.com
http://www.wetware.com/bc/