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Help: Symantec blocks a UK Conservative site

Posted on 07/04/2005 12:27:47 PM PDT by Sterlingtimes

I manage a conservative web site in the UK known as SterlingTimes (not dissimilar to FreeRepublic). The site has been blocked by a content filter owned by an American corporation known as Symantec.

The content filter is known as "Parental Control".

Does any one know the process by which an American corporation can assign as British conservative message board as "intolerant"?

http://www.sterlingtimes.com


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: freep; freeper; internet; norton; security; sterlingtimes; symantec
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1 posted on 07/04/2005 12:27:48 PM PDT by Sterlingtimes
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To: Sterlingtimes; Jim Robinson

Good question.


2 posted on 07/04/2005 12:32:31 PM PDT by Gunrunner2
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To: Sterlingtimes

I have Cyber Patrol and it often filters this site and other conservative sites as "Hate Speech".


3 posted on 07/04/2005 12:34:01 PM PDT by lawnguy (Napoleon, as if anyone could even know that)
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To: Sterlingtimes

I don't know either. Norton has become total "bloatware". When my supcription runs out, i'm switching to something that works.


4 posted on 07/04/2005 12:35:03 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (Pray for us all.)
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To: Sterlingtimes

This is an old issue. Norton has been known to filter similar US conservative sites when the default, as shipped configuration of the parental control modules were used. They claimed there was no political motive, but there was no evidence of any far-left sites being blocked by the defualt settings.


5 posted on 07/04/2005 12:38:43 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Disregard the law of unintended consequences at your own risk.)
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To: Still Thinking; All

Is the du banned?


6 posted on 07/04/2005 12:40:11 PM PDT by bill1952 ("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
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To: Still Thinking

I can get to it and I have Norton.


7 posted on 07/04/2005 12:40:46 PM PDT by pitinkie (revenge will be sweet)
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To: pitinkie

Do you have parental controls turned on? If so, are you using the default setting or have you customized them? If not, it may be a release version (or blacklist update version) issue.


8 posted on 07/04/2005 12:43:13 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Disregard the law of unintended consequences at your own risk.)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
>I don't know either. Norton has become total "bloatware". When my supcription runs out, i'm switching to something that works.

You and me both.

Yesterday, my Norton 2005 let a copy of W32.Netsky.P, a virus first reported in 2004, slip by, even with my religeous updating from their web site. I couldn't access my inbox, nor manually edit it.

I got to spend many an hour talking with Raj and his pals over in India.

The recommended solution wiped out my inbox, and I got to start from scratch today. Lucky me.

If there are any propeller heads out there, who can help me reclaim my wiped out inbox, first round's on me.

9 posted on 07/04/2005 12:46:22 PM PDT by Lovely-Day-For-A-Guinness (Eenie meanie, chili beanie, the spirits are about to speak....)
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To: bill1952

I don't remember, but I don't think so. Try doing a search for some of the old threads.


10 posted on 07/04/2005 12:47:28 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Disregard the law of unintended consequences at your own risk.)
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To: Still Thinking

No parental controls on..autoscan is on.


11 posted on 07/04/2005 12:48:10 PM PDT by pitinkie (revenge will be sweet)
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To: pitinkie

This issue would only occur with parental controls turned on. This wouldn't be an anti virus product, but something designed to filter web pages based on content deemed undesirable (such as by an employer or parent). I don't have any Norton products, but I think the package in question is their "Internet Security" product.


12 posted on 07/04/2005 12:50:28 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Disregard the law of unintended consequences at your own risk.)
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To: Sterlingtimes

What is your problem? You too computer illterate to shut it off or customize it? If you dont like it, dont use it.


13 posted on 07/04/2005 1:04:50 PM PDT by Dave S
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To: Still Thinking

ok...mine is antivirus not a filtering product.


14 posted on 07/04/2005 1:07:41 PM PDT by pitinkie (revenge will be sweet)
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To: Sterlingtimes

Another great example of why the left should not be allowed to play with conservative toys.


15 posted on 07/04/2005 1:07:53 PM PDT by Alexander Rubin (You make my heart glad by building thus, as if Rome is to be eternal.)
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To: Dave S

I can switch it off. But my point is that I feel aggrieved that a conservative site is classified as "intolerant". This word is used by the left in association with the right, so it hardly an accident that it is classified as such. I'm trying to understand how my site got this classification, i.e. is it automated by keywords, or is it based upon nominations from DU types?


16 posted on 07/04/2005 1:17:24 PM PDT by Sterlingtimes
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To: Sterlingtimes

Perhaps you should consider that very few of your actual target viewing audience (adults) browse the Internet with "Parental Control" turned on. For that matter, I'm sure the majority of minors don't use it either. ;-)

I don't think I'd want a young child freely perusing the Free Republic either. There is plenty of adult-oriented material on here, if you think about it. So it may be perfectly reasonable to filter your site, as well as this site. (Don't think I'm picking on political sites, I'd say almost any site where the "unwashed masses" can post freely is a candidate. Parents can always exempt your site if they feel it's appropriate to do so.

What I'd do is this: contact Symantec and get an explanation. If they base it on keywords, and so on I'd go find objectionable material on DU and other sites that aren't blocked, and request that they also be blocked, if that's important to you. If Symantec won't comply, you may always sue.

Hope that was food for thought...


17 posted on 07/04/2005 1:28:57 PM PDT by PreciousLiberty
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To: PreciousLiberty

Forgot to close a paren:

(Don't think I'm picking on political sites, I'd say almost any site where the "unwashed masses" can post freely is a candidate.)


18 posted on 07/04/2005 1:30:26 PM PDT by PreciousLiberty
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To: Dave S
What is your problem? You too computer illterate to shut it off or customize it? If you dont like it, dont use it.

I wouldn't get too high and mighty about computer illeratacy, if I were you. The poster is the proprietor of the site and if what he says is true, his site is suffering discrimination by copies of the Symantec software in the computers of prospective visitors to his site. He can't very well turn all those off, now can he?

19 posted on 07/04/2005 1:32:24 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Disregard the law of unintended consequences at your own risk.)
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To: Lovely-Day-For-A-Guinness
you do a file search for *.dbx ? (assumining yer using outlookexpress)
20 posted on 07/04/2005 1:33:14 PM PDT by AlBondigas
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