Internet Filtering for Schools – Your e-Safety Solution (no it isn’t)

In previous posts I have talked about an e-Safety Toolbox.  Only by the effective use of all these tools you will be able to mitigate against online safety safeguarding risks.

Isn’t marketing wonderful?  A sarcastic comment perhaps but quite frankly marketing is sometimes quite misleading; it is just a sales tool.  Time and time again I see a marketing phrase along the lines of “…..our internet filter is your e-safety solution”, and that is very misleading.

A solution is something that solves a problem.  In the world of online safety an internet content filter does no such thing.  In fact used incorrectly it can increase the problem.  

There are 3 fundamentals here:

An internet content filter is not an e-safety solution.
But, it is a crucial tool  in the toolkit.  In the environment of a school and in the context of safeguarding there are two things to consider here: firstly there is the risk of emotional harm to the child (or the adult) from the viewing of inappropriate or illegal material.  In this context the content filter plays the vital role of blocking this content, specifically illegal content, as long as the filter utilises the IWF blacklist; secondly there is the statutory duty to safeguard the child.  Should a school not fulfil this duty then the potential liabilities are significant.

Incorrect use of the internet content filter can increase the e-safety risk.
I wrote about this in a previous post.  To briefly re-iterate, there is no point in choosing an internet content filter and then just leaving it to do its’ job because it won’t.  An internet filter needs to be managed, not by the provider, not by the LA, but by the school.  A filter that is used just to block content is not managing but is giving children a false sense of security in a school as they are not being empowered with the knowledge to safely risk assess.  It is also a continual sense of frustration for teachers who find curriculum topics and services blocked.

There is no one-size fits all solution.
What is right in a secondary school is not necessarily the same thing in a primary school, a youth centre, at home, or anywhere else where there may be children accessing the internet.  There are many different solutions out there for schools, corporates, home-use, and increasingly mobile devices.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that one solution with all the marketing bells and whistles is going to do the job for you, because it won’t.

Frustratingly, as I posted here recently, the Department for Education has now turned a blind eye to the accreditation process that Becta worked long and hard to develop.  I won’t go into detail all over again, you can read the post if you’re interested, but essentially the accreditation process gave LA’s and school leaders a certain assurance that the product and the company were fit for purpose.  With that accreditation process all but buried we are left with a dilemma:  which marketing jargon is telling the truth, and how do you know?

2 thoughts on “Internet Filtering for Schools – Your e-Safety Solution (no it isn’t)”

  1. Fully agree with the premise that web filters are not the answer to ‘everything e-safety’. Effective policies and solid management process are the keys to delivering safer on-line environments. Also, an understanding of the law and how it relates to e-safety in education would open many eyes as to the extent of personal and corporate liabilities.

    A point to note (for those not in the industry) is that the IWF lists are not a panacea – they relate specifically to illegal child abuse content and are a tiny fragment of what could be construed as harmful. They also only refer to static URLs / domains not to dynamically generated content.

  2. Esafety Adviser

    Hi Simon, thanks for your comment. I agree that the IWF blacklist is not a panacea, but it is all we’ve got (in that context). Also, a slight correction – IWF doesn’t relate specifically to illegal child abuse content, it relates to illegal content. IWF is only one tool in the toolbox, but a brilliant and essential one.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *