It is now possible to search the internet more securely and also avoid objectionable content without having to install a web filtering solution or parental controls. Google has added greater protection to its search engine to filter out undesirable webpages. Users of Google.com will no longer have the option of choosing a moderate level of content. The choice is now a yes or no. They can “filter explicit content” or not, and account holders can also lock the setting in place.
This will undoubtedly please many parents who will be able to easily add a filter to prevent their children from being displayed content of an adult nature, but not everyone is happy. The news broke via Reddit and many internet users have reacted angrily over the censorship that is now placed on searches by Google SafeSearch.
Google SafeSearch is not sufficient protection for businesses, schools and colleges
The major search engines are well aware that there are a lot of websites containing adult or otherwise explicit content on the Internet and most now offer an option to filter search results to prevent certain sites from being displayed. When set to their various safe modes, they will limit the search results for general search terms. This is fine for home use but it is not sufficient protection for schools, colleges and business use.
The function can be used of course, but it will need to be set on each individual computer or browser, and the controls are easy to navigate around. They will only prevent content from inadvertently being displayed in the search results. If a student or member of staff wants to access explicit content, it is easy to bypass the controls or turn them off.
Oftentimes these filters are overactive and prevent some legitimate websites from being displayed. It may not be possible for students or teachers to view classic literature or works of art. Some will be deemed to be sexually explicit. The answer in this case is not to use the search engine functions to filter content, but to employ a powerful web filtering solution such as WebTitan.
WebTitan allows a system administrator to fine tune the web filter to ensure that adult and other objectionable content cannot be viewed on a school, college or business network. There is no bypassing the controls. The sites will not be viewable. The filter is highly flexible and can be fine-tuned with ease to suit an organization’s needs. System administrators will also be able to see who is attempting access to certain websites that are not permitted under Internet usage policies.
This will not only protect students and employees from viewing content that is inappropriate; it will also help employers avoid legal action.
It is not just an individual that faces legal action from inappropriate online activity
If an employee accesses illegal content, that individual is likely to face criminal charges. However, an employer who does not take steps to prevent the content from being viewed could face legal action. Criminal charges may not be filed, but it is possible claims for damages will be filed.
A court case in New Jersey has highlighted the risk. In the case of Doe v. XYC Corp., a company was sued for damages after an innocent third party discovered child pornography images on a work computer. An employee of the company had downloaded them and was dealt with accordingly, but a legal case was filed against the employer none the less.
The employer may not always be found to be liable, but it is possible that legal claims will be filed. The negative publicity from such a case can be particularly damaging for a company. Questions will be asked about why efforts were not made to prevent that sort of content from being viewable in the workplace.
If you want to play it safe and have total control over what your employees/students can access via a work or college computer, a web filtering solution should be employed. You should not rely on the search engines to filter out explicit content.