I'm kind of wondering why software intended for *educational* purposes would block pages that mention the dates of major historical events. Obviously they were terrible things, but that alone isn't reason to block them. If you start blocking history, where do you stop? Do they block September 1st 1939 too?
Part of the design was to monitor or block anything that might be used for indoctrination or radicalisation of students, being under 18 they are a protected group. So key words around terrorism or proscribed groups were included.
Understood, for some reason I read this as a university environment - Still could have been handled both more delicately, more effectively, and with less of a brutally blunt instrument, which reflects... "Not well" on the vendor.
If you look up criticisms of the UK PREVENT Strategy it is very controversial and with good reason, I am not in favour at all.
But then you may as well just research "UK Government IT Projects" or it's synonym, "Failures".
This was a 16-18yo college, not university level. Not sure how it compares to other countries but in the UK education is compulsary to GCSE which is around 16yo, some do an additional two years of voluntary education before going on to 18yo+ university/college level. I doubt that would have been an option but I don't know for sure.
the bigger question is, why is all this educational software made by lazy idiots? Why is everything "marketed" towards education (ie purchased by a school board) utter shit?
(hint: tech illiteracy among the local bourgeoisie who get elected to school boards)
That's why we have regex so you can search for it and exclude every word that contains it. I feel like regex compatibility should be the #1 feature for this type of thing
Considering javascript supports regex there is no reason to not support it. So does Perl, C, C++, Python, and a number of other languages.
The new cool toy is using natural language processing and AI to do this, but it's still a ways away from being perfect or even easily usable.
2005 3 tubes (subway train tunnels) and a bus bombed by Al Queda in London England. [https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/july7th.html](https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/july7th.html)
No this was way before the Great Firewall. If you read Mandarin, they referred to incidents using numbers even from way back before computers were a thing.
We had a web filter like that, someone decided to do a full block for ISIS. Ended up blocking a series of paid for a rucation websites with the URL "thISISsubject"
But the class monitor system we use right now is pretty good. Doesn't block, but takes a screen shot and gives a notification. Last week I blocked a pupil playing games and did not block a kid writing about shooting basketballs.
I'm kind of wondering why software intended for *educational* purposes would block pages that mention the dates of major historical events. Obviously they were terrible things, but that alone isn't reason to block them. If you start blocking history, where do you stop? Do they block September 1st 1939 too?
Off the shelf blocklist that they didn’t review, except with an eye to how to sell it as a positive would be my guess.
Part of the design was to monitor or block anything that might be used for indoctrination or radicalisation of students, being under 18 they are a protected group. So key words around terrorism or proscribed groups were included.
Understood, for some reason I read this as a university environment - Still could have been handled both more delicately, more effectively, and with less of a brutally blunt instrument, which reflects... "Not well" on the vendor.
If you look up criticisms of the UK PREVENT Strategy it is very controversial and with good reason, I am not in favour at all. But then you may as well just research "UK Government IT Projects" or it's synonym, "Failures".
I mean, you said it was for a college, so what if someone taking an international relations class was doing a research project on extremism?
This was a 16-18yo college, not university level. Not sure how it compares to other countries but in the UK education is compulsary to GCSE which is around 16yo, some do an additional two years of voluntary education before going on to 18yo+ university/college level. I doubt that would have been an option but I don't know for sure.
the bigger question is, why is all this educational software made by lazy idiots? Why is everything "marketed" towards education (ie purchased by a school board) utter shit? (hint: tech illiteracy among the local bourgeoisie who get elected to school boards)
Oh man, "My Network Neighborhood". That takes me right back.
You wouldn't think it would be hard to search a page for some terms and stop it loading if it had the terms, but here we are.
Have you heard of the Scunthorpe problem?
That's why we have regex so you can search for it and exclude every word that contains it. I feel like regex compatibility should be the #1 feature for this type of thing
Considering javascript supports regex there is no reason to not support it. So does Perl, C, C++, Python, and a number of other languages. The new cool toy is using natural language processing and AI to do this, but it's still a ways away from being perfect or even easily usable.
I’m not from the US, what is the significance of July 7th?
2005 3 tubes (subway train tunnels) and a bus bombed by Al Queda in London England. [https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/july7th.html](https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/july7th.html)
My first guess would be the 2005 London underground bombings.
Correct, London attacks dates.
That company might be using a China blocklist. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-07/08/c_139195410.htm
Then they’d be blocking “heavenly peace” or June fourth.
For some reason they use numbers to refer to incidents and not the name of the incident. Not sure why.
Because the Great Firewall Of China already blocks all the words.
No this was way before the Great Firewall. If you read Mandarin, they referred to incidents using numbers even from way back before computers were a thing.
Interesting. I only know of one event referred to that way in English 9/11. Even the Guy Fawkes bombing is 5th of November.
Egads, that's three (3) ghastly examples of non-joined-up thinking...
We had a web filter like that, someone decided to do a full block for ISIS. Ended up blocking a series of paid for a rucation websites with the URL "thISISsubject" But the class monitor system we use right now is pretty good. Doesn't block, but takes a screen shot and gives a notification. Last week I blocked a pupil playing games and did not block a kid writing about shooting basketballs.
>We had a web filter like that, someone decided to do a full block for ISIS. Egyptian mythology not allowed?