Originally published November 27 2005
Blog access not allowed in many corporate workplaces
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
By installing URL filters and content scanners, companies are ensuring blog content is less available. Some companies worry employees could leak information while commenting on blog message boards.
Filtering out every blog isn't a completely feasible project (and, in fact, Mason says his company's filter doesn't catch everything), but the technology to censor the lion's share of blogs is fairly commonplace.
Keith Crosley, director of corporate communications at censorware company Proofpoint, says there's no anti-blog conspiracy at work, but that some companies have higher security, privacy and regulatory needs that require greater diligence over what companies can and cannot do.
In particular, companies worry that employees might leak sensitive material -- perhaps inadvertently -- while posting comments to blog message boards.
Proofpoint's products have historically been geared toward monitoring e-mail for sensitive material, but about a month ago the company released a beta of a new product designed to scan standard HTTP traffic (such as comment postings) for the same kind of information.
Sandra Vaughan, the company's senior vice president of marketing and products, says the Network Content Sentry software has attracted "incredible interest" and already has 20 companies beta testing it.
Connor Brosnahan, manager of network systems at South Nassau Communities Hospital, is due to start beta testing the product shortly, after having successfully implemented a similar system three years ago to block or encrypt outgoing e-mail on a keyword basis.
On the other hand, Mason pooh-poohs the notion that corporate propriety is the real driver for blog blockades.
Blogs can get caught in the net during a general sweep of purportedly dubious material, and corporations may not know or care that they're blocking them.
"As far as I can tell, the way Fark ends up in filters is we have a very few people that get pissed off at us -- usually because we banned them for being assholes -- that submit Fark to any and all firewall sites they can find," says Curtis.
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