Death Threat Woes

[Chuck Bearden]

On Wed, 29 Oct 1997, Heather Grady wrote:

> Web based email servers (hotmail, etc) are not prohibited by not having
> email access etc. available from public terminals.  Because it is web
> based, it does not use the computer's address in the response line.  These
> email programs exist only in cyberspace and the recipient can only respond
> to the person sending the mail, not directly to the library computer.  I
> don't think there is any record or where physically) the message came
> from.

While I don't have any headers from a hotmail message to check, it would 
be simple for them to list the IP address of the station from which the 
account was being used in the mail header, e.g. in the earliest Received 
from: line.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did that.  

> Does any have any thoughts or success at prohibiting chat rooms? We have
> had lots of trouble with kids getting into inappropriate chat rooms for
> lengthy time periods.

Chat can be used in several ways.  One is to use a standalone IRC chat
client.  If you don't install these, and don't make any provision for
users to install software, then that avenue isn't open.  Another is to use
a java-based chat client, probably downloaded at runtime from the site
hosting the chat.  I haven't used one of these in some time, but I assume
they still exist.  If you disable java, you disable this avenue, but you
lose all other java applets in the process.  Otherwise, you have to block
on a site-by-site basis.  The third avenue is even tougher to control:
dynamically-updated webpages with the text of the chat.  Clicking the
reload button retrieves the latest chat text lines, and a cgi script lets
one post one's own contributions.  As far as I know, the only way to
disable these is on a site-by-site basis.  They don't appear different to
a router or web browser than any other web traffic.  The fourth avenue I
know of is through a telnet session to a site that offers a console window
chat (e.g. telnet.dal.net).  These could also be blocked only on a site by
site basis, and probably not by filtering software, but by packet filter
rules on a router or gateway machine, unless you do without telnet
altogether. 

Houston Public Library makes no special effort to block chat, other than 
not installing standalone clients.  

Chuck
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Chuck Bearden			email: cbearden at hpl.lib.tx.us
Network Services Librarian
Automation Department		voice: 713/247-2264
Houston Public Library		fax:   713/247-1182
500 McKinney Ave.
Houston, TX  77002		
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