Pro: Web filters too restrictive

Torry Busby, News Editor
November 2, 2011
Filed under Clashing Comets, Opinion

TOPIC: Are the school web filters too restrictive?

Often high school students complain about web filters and how they are too strict. Content filters are too restrictive. Unfortunately, they will always be. It is their purpose to block out inappropriate websites.
Students  should be smart enough and trusted to search what information that is needed to be accessed. If students who abuse being appropriate about their web searches would not search vulgar topics, then there would be no use to have web filters.
There are some topics that do not need to be blocked.  Topics such as World War II; if you want to find information about it, then you will have to go elsewhere to look up information pertaining to the subject.
Don’t get me wrong, some filters are a great idea. No one wants to be searching information for a health project, and then have gruesome pictures pop up.
All the computer sleuths know that there are proxy servers. But honestly, are you really willing to go through all that trouble to get to a certain web site?
Most likely your attempts for getting around the barricades, will result in getting caught. And that means you will most likely get a detention or a night school.
On top of that punishment, you could even lose your computer privileges. Also attempts for going through proxy servers would be hard, since they are all mostly blocked.
However, being realistic,  content filters will be a part of every research project at school, and no matter how annoying web filters are, they are always going to be there.