USING A FAMILY FRIENDLY INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been treated as “common carriers” of content from the Internet to their customers. Therefore, the law has not held them liable for the distribution of sexually explicit material. Many ISPs will see the ability to make money from harmful content and will not make any effort to protect their customers from objectionable material.

Some Internet Service Providers are deemed “family friendly” because they have taken precautionary measures to protect their customers from unwanted content. Most of these companies have installed filtering, blocking and/or monitoring systems. Although none of these are perfect, they can be very helpful in preventing accidental viewing of explicit material and can also be used to produce reports about the content that has been viewed.

Every parent should take the time and trouble to choose a family-friendly ISP and to work with them to make sure every step possible is taken to protect our kids from harmful materials. 

The National Coalition has developed an entire website, www.FilterReview.com, dedicated to objectively reviewing filtering, blocking and monitoring systems. There are more than forty systems on Filter Review and more are being added regularly. By going to www.FilterReview.com, parents can learn the strengths and weaknesses of each software system and choose what is best for them.