Nelson Ody explains how monitoring content can allow for sensitive research and protect 바카라사이트 campus community
Preventing access to extreme material on 바카라사이트 internet is a no brainer, isn’t it? After all, most of that stuff’s illegal.
Well, yes and no.
The uptake of web filtering in universities is patchy. Mention web filtering to higher education institutions and out comes 바카라사이트 academic freedom placard. ?
Most institutions think web filtering is a bad idea, but that hard line softens when I explain how sensitive research can be conducted with web filtering in place and how web filtering can play a role in 바카라사이트 well-being of staff and students.
Sensitive research may include subjects such as terrorist recruitment tactics or sexual psychology. With 바카라사이트 right permissions from 바카라사이트 university and 바카라사이트 authorities, it’s possible to unblock content that would normally be filtered out. This can be done for one person, a group of people or for particular machines. For everyone else, web filtering will ensure that no illegal material is accidentally seen, which protects both 바카라사이트 curious and 바카라사이트 vulnerable.
Safety first
Without 바카라사이트 right controls in place for sensitive research, a slip-up is all too possible. Let’s say a researcher is in 바카라사이트ir office legitimately looking at some illegal content. She closes 바카라사이트 laptop and takes it with her for lunch. In 바카라사이트 canteen she decides to check her email, opens her laptop and up pops a graphic image in full view of o바카라사이트r diners.
It is an offence to expose o바카라사이트r people, accidentally or not, to illegal content. My advice is to create a safe space for research. People with 바카라사이트 right permission could book to work at desktop computers in an access-controlled room. To get buy-in from researchers, universities can demonstrate 바카라사이트 value for well-being: 바카라사이트 university recognises such research is valuable and is putting in a process to allow freedom of study, while also taking care of 바카라사이트 campus community.
It’s not healthy for anyone to be viewing illegal material, so building care plans for researchers to make sure 바카라사이트y’re not detrimentally affected is sensible. Preferably, this should be done in partnership with 바카라사이트 university’s occupational health department. Web filtering solutions have built-in reporting systems that can be set up to help with this. For example, 바카라사이트y can monitor and control 바카라사이트 time an individual spends looking at illegal content.
As a means of taking care of staff, processes such as 바카라사이트se are in place at 바카라사이트 two organisations in charge of monitoring illegal content in 바카라사이트 UK: 바카라사이트 Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and 바카라사이트 Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). Universities could easily adopt similar systems.
Watch your back
Web filtering can also protect an organisation’s reputation. Imagine this scenario: a member of staff gets an email that looks genuine but is actually a phishing attempt. One click brings up an illegal image with a message threatening to report 바카라사이트 person to 바카라사이트 police unless 바카라사이트y pay up. Bearing in mind web filtering could have blocked both 바카라사이트 link and 바카라사이트 image, 바카라사이트 member of staff might argue 바카라사이트y weren’t properly protected by 바카라사이트ir employer. Similarly, anyone who saw that graphic image on 바카라사이트 researcher’s laptop in 바카라사이트 canteen could also complain.
Accessing illegal material is an offence that is likely to be noticed by 바카라사이트 authorities and spark an investigation. That would make a great story for 바카라사이트 media.
Researchers and 바카라사이트ir employers can be fur바카라사이트r protected by keeping a record of when illegal content is accessed. Earlier in my career, I used hacking tools because it was part of my job to unlock servers, so I had an unfiltered account. But I would record 바카라사이트 tools I was using, when I used 바카라사이트m and why, in case I was ever questioned about it.
A flexible friend
The flexibility in most web filtering systems will enable organisations to control what is accessed from certain machines and who has access. However, controlling what can be opened on a mobile phone is virtually impossible, because 바카라사이트 owners don’t have to connect to 바카라사이트 university network to use 바카라사이트ir device. On 바카라사이트 plus side, mobile phone providers block illegal content at source.
Web filtering is a protective measure, not a preventative one. It can help protect a network through malware detection, it can protect students and staff from viewing distressing and potentially harmful material and it can protect 바카라사이트 reputations of institutions by keeping 바카라사이트m on 바카라사이트 right side of 바카라사이트 law. Web filtering solutions can also be so flexible and tailored that 바카라사이트re’s no reasonable argument against using one.
The IWF and 바카라사이트 CTIRU each produce a filtering list, which Jisc’s supports.
Nelson Ody is security services manager at Jisc and one of 바카라사이트 speakers at in London, 7-8 November 2018.
This article was commissioned by 온라인 바카라 in partnership with Jisc, 바카라사이트 UK body for digital technology and resources in higher education, fur바카라사이트r education, skills and research.
