[WEB4LIB] A Pornographic Website Asking Us to Filter Them

[Dan Lester]

At 08:47 AM 5/12/99 -0700, Donald Barclay wrote:
>Here's a new one on me:
>The head of our systems office got an email today from the owner of a
>pornographic website. She informed us that someone using computers with 
>such and such IP addresses has repeatedly committed fraud by signing up at 
>her website under the name "Joe Schmoe" and giving false checking account
>numbers.  The IP addresses she listed were for public-access computers in
>the Library. The website owner insisted that the Library do something about
>the fraud and suggested that we filter her site on our computers.

I'd suggest that she get better software and control on her end to handle 
this.  It is a part of HER cost of doing business, not yours.  This is no 
different than a store having a magstripe reader, or a checking 
verification service scanner, as a part of their cost of doing business.

>When our systems head showed me the message, my response was that any
>sellers of pornography who want to ban our entire IP range from accessing
>their websites won't hear any objection from me.

Absolutely.  And, if she didn't tell you of her blocking, you'd never know 
anyway.  At least I'm willing to assume that the patron trying to access 
hotporn.com (or whatever) isn't going to come up and complain that s/he 
can't get access any more.

>  I can just see our Library Board of Directors imploding when some 
> pornography vendor sends us a bill for pornography fraudulently accessed 
> via the Library's public-access computers or tries to sue us for the same 
> reason.

I'm not an attorney, but I don't think they'd have a prayer of winning that 
one.

>I only can imagine what the late Lion of Lake O***** would have had to say
>about this one.

He'd probably have a field day with it....and may elsewhere, as I'm sure 
someone from this list will forward it to him.

>Donald A. Barclay
>Houston Academy of Medicine-       always the beautiful answer
>Texas Medical Center Library           who asks the more beautiful question

Considering where you work, had you considered that the access may simply 
have been by a poverty stricken medical student studying for an ob/gyn final?

dan

--
Good, Fast, and Cheap: Which two of the three would you like?
Dan Lester, 3577 East Pecan, Boise, ID 83716 USA 208-383-0165
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