From Library Journal:
A new report, Filtering Software: The Religious Connection, analyzes the relationship between filtering software companies and conservative religious organizations, outlines potential areas of concern raised by such connections, and presents recommendations to address the concerns. The report studies filters in publicly funded schools. ”
At the core of the author’s concern is that the relationships between the companies and conservative religious organizations “raises the concern that the filtering products used in school are inappropriately preventing students from accessing certain materials,” especially since the companies are willing to block sites nominated by users. The report claims that three of the companies are also selling their products to conservative religious Internet Service Providers (ISPs), who “are directly stating or implying to their users that the filtering system is filtering in accord with conservative religious values.” Five other companies, the report states, “have functioned as conservative religious ISPs, are selling to conservative ISPs, and/or have expressed a conservative religious philosophy.”