Web Filters 2: update
Oct. 29th, 2012 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnFurther to this post about my filter woes am delighted to report that I got a tweet from @TalkTalkCare and an email from someone at talktalkplc.com about my problem with the site that had been wrongly blacklisted by Talktalk's content filters.
The email promises that not only will the site be unblocked, but that they will also look at why it was incorrectly blacklisted and add something to their ISP FAQ for content providers who are wrongly blocked and wish to request a review.
I am impressed by the speed and comprehensive nature of the response, although something tells me that may not be unrelated to my having...
1) tweeted about the problem
2) blogged about it (my journal is set to be google indexed)
3) contacted theparentzone.co.uk to ask for advice as a content provider (and they contacted Talktalk via a personal contact)
4) submitted a report via blocked.org.uk
Still, it's all good!
The email I received points out (a little reproachfully, I thought) that the Talktalk block screen has a big button that allows the user to report incorrect blocking. I think this misses the point somewhat - unless the website owner is using Talktalk, the person that sees that block screen is probably not going to know that the website should not be blocked. Although I am not using a content filter, I do occasionally see sites that have been blocked due to various security or virus settings, and except when the site involved has been one that I run and I've checked comprehensively to make sure that the alert is incorrect, I never report a blocked site as incorrectly blocked - because after all, how would you know it was incorrectly blocked? Sites do get hijacked, and unless it's your own site, you naturally tend to err on the side of caution.
The email promises that not only will the site be unblocked, but that they will also look at why it was incorrectly blacklisted and add something to their ISP FAQ for content providers who are wrongly blocked and wish to request a review.
I am impressed by the speed and comprehensive nature of the response, although something tells me that may not be unrelated to my having...
1) tweeted about the problem
2) blogged about it (my journal is set to be google indexed)
3) contacted theparentzone.co.uk to ask for advice as a content provider (and they contacted Talktalk via a personal contact)
4) submitted a report via blocked.org.uk
Still, it's all good!
The email I received points out (a little reproachfully, I thought) that the Talktalk block screen has a big button that allows the user to report incorrect blocking. I think this misses the point somewhat - unless the website owner is using Talktalk, the person that sees that block screen is probably not going to know that the website should not be blocked. Although I am not using a content filter, I do occasionally see sites that have been blocked due to various security or virus settings, and except when the site involved has been one that I run and I've checked comprehensively to make sure that the alert is incorrect, I never report a blocked site as incorrectly blocked - because after all, how would you know it was incorrectly blocked? Sites do get hijacked, and unless it's your own site, you naturally tend to err on the side of caution.
