[WikiEN-l] Just to throw this out there...

[Toby Bartels]

Jimmy Wales wrote:

>Axel Boldt wrote:

>>There's one question we haven't investigated yet: would our filtering
>>really lower the likelihood that schools will eventually block us
>>completely?

>I have some experience with filtering software.  For sites like ours,
>what is likely is that specific pages will be blocked automatically
>based on keyword analysis, but that the site as a whole will not.

At this point, the /pragmatic/ argument for a filtering/sorting scheme --
that we must allow some sort of filtering under our control
lest an outside body filter us too much without any of our control --
seems to me to be empty.  Not only has nobody blocked us,
but if they do block us, then it would be on a page by page basis.
Thus we run no risk that they'll block more of our site
than we would have to allow them to block using our sorting scheme.
Indeed, a page by page blocking on whatever grounds the filter chooses
(naïve keyword analysis, sophisticated keyword analysis, human decision)
is the ultimate in allowing readers to choose what they wish to read.

Of course, this doesn't affect the other arguments that have come up,
such as the moral argument («We must do this to be responsible.»)
or the arguments for applying categorisation/sorting to other uses.


-- Toby