GLAAD report on filtering software: "Access Denied"

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

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   Date: Tue, 2 Dec 1997 14:16:07 -0500
   From: Cathy Renna <CathyR@twbg.com>
     To: "'Declan McCullagh'" <declan@well.com>

Hi Declan--

I am greatly appreciating your comments and articles about the summit
(Loren Javier and I are attending right now. Here is our release about
the filtering software report.


Cathy Renna
Washington, DC Media Resource Center
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
(202) 986-1360
fax: (202) 667-0902
renna@glaad.org

VISIT THE GLAAD WEB SITE AT http://www.glaad.org!
ALERT LINE 1-800-GAY-MEDIA

"GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered
trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.


MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Liz Tracey, GLAAD (212) 807-1700
pgr. (800) 946-4646 pin# 1423527
e-mail: tracey@glaad.org

GLAAD RELEASES GROUNDBREAKING INTERNET FILTERING SOFTWARE REPORT
NATION'S ONLY LESBIAN & GAY MEDIA ADVOCACY GROUP EXAMINES COMPLEX ISSUES
IN "ACCESS DENIED"

NEW YORK, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1997-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) today announced from the historic Internet Summit the
release of their comprehensive and groundbreaking report on Internet
Filtering Software and ratings systems, "Access Denied: The Impact of
Internet Filtering Software on the Lesbian and Gay Community."

In the wake of the Communications Decency Act decision, Reno v. ACLU,
and
with the Internet Summit: Focus on Children being held through tomorrow
in
the nation's capital, GLAAD has completed an exhaustive survey of how
Internet filtering software, and future proposed ratings systems affect
the
lesbian and gay community. The findings mark the first time a lesbian
and
gay media advocacy organization has produced research and analysis of
such
depth on the issue of Internet access.

"The majority of software currently on the market, as well as new
products
in development, place informational Web sites serving the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender community in the same categories as sexually
explicit sites," the executive summary reports. "The software developers
are either unable or unwilling to consider that information about sexual
orientation and identity (e.g., a gay square dancing site) has nothing
to
do with sexual behavior, and everything to do with culture and
identity."

"Access Denied" contains sections analyzing the legal, political and
social
implications of enforced invisibility on the Web. It also includes
overviews written by members of groups such as Gay and Lesbian Parents
Coalition International (GLPCI) and Peacefire (an entirely youth-run
cyberliberties group), as well as testimonials from lesbian, gay,
bisexual
and transgender youth, who, as seen in the report, are those most
directly
affected by the lack of access to important information via the Web or
Internet newsgroups.

"I urge everyone who uses the Interent to read this report, and learn
the
troubling implications of the widespread use of filtering software,"
states
Joan M. Garry, GLAAD Executive Director. "As a mother, I can assure you
that while GLAAD has examined the disturbing aspects of filtering, we
never
lost sight of the youngest users of the Internet-our children. Whether
it
is through the testimonials of lesbian and gay youth, or an essay
written
by a gay father, the voices in this report must be heard now-perhaps
soon,
they will be much harder to find."

The report also includes a thorough review of the currently available
software, ratings systems and search engines, recommendations for
industry
leaders on how to make the Internet both friendly and fair, as well as a
proposal for a future ratings system, FAIRsite, which would measure the
accessibility and accuracy of various ratings systems and software.

GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and
inclusive
representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of
combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual
orientation or identity.

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