In 2000, the Children´s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was signed into law – an Act that stipulates publicly-funded schools and libraries will only qualify for E-Rate discounts on Internet access if they implement web filtering for K12 schools. A legal challenge to the Act by the American Library Association was defeated in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
Subsequent to the passage of CIPA, twenty-four states enacted statutes relating to web filtering for K12 schools and libraries – many of them mirroring the federal legislation that requires “a technology protection measure that protects against access to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors”.
However, in the early years of the twenty-first century, web filtering for K12 schools was expensive and primitive. Each school had to purchase hardware-based filters that were difficult to configure and lacked flexibility. Administrators subsequently blocked access to important educational material – prompting objections to the law by teachers, parents, and civil liberty groups.
Since then, web filtering for K12 schools has evolved to such a degree that any objections to the law are now obsolete. K-12 school cloud security solutions are now quick and easy to implement and schools can be filtering the Internet in a matter of minutes. Today’s cloud-based filtering services have a low management overhead and include “cloud keys” that can override filter parameters when access to blocked websites for “bona fide research or other lawful purpose” is required.
Twelve states require internet filtering for schools and thirteen states have now passed laws covering filtering, blocking, and Internet usage policies in schools that require acceptable use policies to be implemented.
How Internet Filtering for K12 Schools Works
Internet filtering for K12 schools works using a three-tiered filtering mechanism comprising of blacklists, category filters, and keyword filters. The mechanism used by a K12 web filter not only prevents children from accessing online content prohibited by CIPA, but also protects computer networks and mobile devices from the installation of malware, ransomware, and other web-borne threats.
- Blacklists can be provided by a filtering service vendor or downloaded from the websites of Internet safety groups. They are effectively lists of websites known to harbor malware or contain visual depictions that are harmful to minors. Some filtering solutions also include SURBL and URIBL filters to prevent users from accessing websites known to have been used in phishing attacks.
- Category filters control access to specific categories of online content. Schools and libraries can select which category filters they want to apply – not only to block access to pornographic websites but also those promoting racial hatred, sexual prejudice, and religious intolerance. Category content is regularly updated by the filtering service vendor.
- Keyword filters can be used to fine-tune the category filters or to control access to websites containing specific words that parents and teachers might not want children to use or understand. In circumstances where the word(s) might be used in a literary context, exclusions can be created to prevent educationally-important content from being excluded.
When children type in a URL or click on a hyperlink, the filtering mechanism compares the request to visit the website against the installed blacklists, category filters, and keyword filters. If the child is attempting to visit a website prohibited under CIPA, access to the website is denied and a message appears on the child´s computer or mobile device explaining why. Most content filtering software for schools includes the option of customizing the block pages to include school branding and whatever message you want to display.
Modern K12 School Web Filters are Easy to Use and Flexible
Whereas K12 web filters of a decade ago were hardware-based solutions that each had to be configured and updated separately, the filtering parameters on modern K12 web filters are applied from a centralized web-based management portal that can be accessed from any Internet-enabled location. Administrators can set acceptable use policies for a whole school district from a single location.
Software updates, additions to blacklists, and category updates are performed in real-time by the service provider, and – via the management portal – administrators can set different filtering parameters for different age groups so that younger children are not exposed to material that may be relevant to older students – for example, teenage support groups.
One further development in Internet filtering for K12 schools since CIPA was enacted is that the filtering mechanisms can now be set by time. In libraries that operate a reservation system for Internet use, it is now a simple operation to turn on the filtering parameters at the beginning of a child´s Internet session and turn them off again when the session expires.
Preventing the Circumnavigation of Content Filtering in K12 Schools
Once an Internet filter has been implemented, some children are likely to try to circumnavigate the filtering parameters. In order to prevent the circumnavigation of content filtering in K12 schools, category filters can be configured to block access to anonymizer services, VPNs, and proxy websites. Other measures that should be implemented are:
- Multi-lingual keyword filtering options should be used.
- Access to cached web pages should be blocked.
- SSL inspection to decrypt HTTPS websites should be applied.
- Access to numerical IP addresses should be filtered out.
- Browser settings should be password protected.
- Children should be prevented from using a USB browser.
Internet filtering solutions produce usage reports. These reports can reveal attempts to circumnavigate content filtering in K12 schools. System administrators should customize their reporting options to identify tell-tale signs such as high bandwidth consumption on individual devices or Internet traffic over non-standard ports.
More about Protecting K12 School Children from Inappropriate Content
Protecting K12 school children from inappropriate content is not just about implementing web filtering for K12 schools. Schools and libraries must adopt online safety policies that address such issues as protecting K12 school children from inappropriate content when using email, social media portals, chat rooms, and other forms of online communications.
In order to qualify for the E-rate discounts, schools also have to develop a policy for educating children on appropriate online behavior. This should include the proper level of online interaction, the protection of personal information, how to identify cyberbullying, and how to respond to it. Schools also have to introduce measures to ensure these policies are implemented.
Wherever possible, schools should engage parents in jointly protecting K12 school children from inappropriate content and continue the education of children in the home environment. In some states, parents are required to specify the level of Internet access their child may have in schools, whereas in others, the school must provide filtering software for children who work from home. A school web filtering solution may be able to be extended to support remote learning, via an agent installed on school-issued laptops or even for students’ personal devices.
Speak with WebTitan about K-12 School Cloud Security
TitanHQ is a leading developer of online security solutions. Our portfolio of products includes a cloud-based web filter for schools, libraries, and educational institutions of all sizes – WebTitan Cloud. Cloud-based web filtering for schools is the quickest, easiest, and cheapest way of controlling what types of content can be accessed by students.
Cloud-based content filtering for schools does not need any expensive hardware and software does not need to be installed on servers. A simple redirection of the facility´s DNS will be sufficient to start filtering the Internet, and that takes just a few minutes. Most schools will have implemented the solution, applied their settings, and by filtering the Internet in under an hour.
WebTitan Cloud is a flexible and scalable web filtering solution that protects devices from online threats and has the versatility to comply with all federal and state legislation relating to web filtering for K12 schools. WebTitan Cloud is compatible with all operating systems and enables district administrators to monitor web activity by individual location or over the district as a whole.
For schools and libraries that provide wireless networks, WebTitan Cloud for WiFi is equally as effective at providing content filtering in K12 schools. Again, all that is required to start protecting K12 school children from inappropriate content via a wireless network is a simple redirection of the facility´s DNS. Thereafter, schools can control and monitor the websites that K12 children access during lessons and from their personal mobile devices.
To protect students when they are off-premises, there is the WebTitan On-The-Go (OTG) roaming agent. WebTitan OTG is used with TitanHQ’s WebTitan Cloud platform to extend filtering controls to Students’ homes, or anywhere else they use their laptop to access the Internet. The roaming agent can be quickly and easily downloaded and installed on laptops as part of the WebTitan setup process. It creates a roaming location within WebTitan Cloud for each laptop or device added to WebTitan Cloud.
Try a Modern K12 Web Filter for Free
If you have the responsibility to protect your school network and the students who connect to it, you are invited to take a free trial of WebTitan Cloud. There are no credit cards required nor contracts to sign in order to start your trial. Simply click on the “Start Free Trial” link and enter a few details about yourself and the number of users you need to protect.
Alternatively, for more information about web filtering for K12 schools, and to find out how to stop your k12 students from accessing inappropriate websites, speak with TitanHQ about WebTitan Cloud. Our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have about protecting K12 school children from inappropriate content and providing a safe browsing environment for students of all ages.
FAQs
What is appropriate k-12 content filtering?
K-12 content filtering requirements are for access to obscene images and other potentially harmful material to be blocked. That means blocking pornography, hate speech, websites that promote alcohol consumption and the use of illegal drugs, child abuse images, and terrorist content and extremist material. A web filter for k-12 should also block compromised websites to prevent malware downloads.
Is cloud based web filtering for schools better than a k-12 web filtering appliance?
Web filters for schools used to be appliance-based solutions, but cloud-based filtering is now much more popular. Appliance-based content filters for schools involve a large initial cost, maintenance costs are higher, and, oftentimes, schools pay for capacity that is not used. Cloud-based filters spread the cost, are maintained by the service provider, and are usually more cost-effective as schools only pay for the capacity they need.
Does CIPA content filtering for K-12 schools apply to staff members?
Web content filtering software for schools should block obscene and pornographic material for all users including staff members, although the requirement to block other material that could be ‘harmful to minors’ can be less restrictive for adults.
Why is Internet filtering for schools necessary?
An internet filter for schools is necessary to ensure access to online content that could be harmful to minors is blocked, such as pornography, child abuse images, and terrorist and extremist material. Internet filtering can also help to keep students focused on learning, can help to prevent cyberbullying, and protects minors from scammers and hackers looking to steal sensitive personal information.
Will a web filter notify the administrator if an attempt is made to access prohibited web content?
Yes. You can configure notifications in the WebTitan K12 web filter to generate an email detailing attempts to access prohibited categories of websites. The administrator can configure notifications in the user interface and an email will be sent to the specified address every 15 minutes if there have been any attempts to bypass K 12 web filtering controls.
