BBC Internal URL Filtering Beta
I was very excited the other day to get an email saying that along with up to 3,000 colleagues I had been chosen to pilot a new technology trial within the BBC. I was less excited when I found out that the technology being trialed was one that would block my internet access to sites that BBC policy deems unacceptable. The URLs cover the obvious stuff like most of the isms, hate crime, terrorist handbooks, pr0n and the like, and some slightly more innocuous targets like gambling, profanity and grossness. (I'm assured that it wasn't my previous surfing habits that had got me onto the trial, though I'm guessing Holy Moly won't get through the firewall anymore). One thing stuck out though, that the system would ban 'Web Ads'.
I immediately launched into a round of idle speculation with my colleagues about what types of site would be banned and what the email meant by web ads - did it mean 'web ad services' so I couldn't check my Google AdSense account at work, or that I would never see a banner ad again. And what about the marketing banners on the BBC site, would they count? Would I never see smugbastardsatthebeeb.org.uk on my monitor again? What about BBCi = Lie? Would these count as BBC-ist hate speech? After 5 minutes fruitless discussion I suddenly said, "Oh look, why I don't I just check the FAQ". Then burst into laughter as I met the following screen.
That was right, Firefox didn't like the security credentials of the BBC's Information Security intranet site, and wouldn't let me in. Well, actually, on further inspection it was more a case of the BBC's Information Security site not liking the credentials of my browser. In my excitement I had forgotten that chunks of the BBC intranet are some of the UK sites that don't work properly in Firefox, because they rely on using Internet Explorer to authenticate my network logon.
Dear reader, I think I may have already spotted where the flaw is going to be with this URL filtering plan.
A mad plan! What about the people working on community sites? Someone might spam a messageboard with links to gambling sites, but the mods wouldn't be able to check the content in order to remove the links..
Well they've thought of that. What the system apparently does is ask you to fill in a form if you want to look at a banned URL. You then automatically get 24 hours access to the site, but your line manager gets an email asking them to approve of your actions. The idea is that it doesn't hinder your work *too* much, but would show up to your manager any 'abnormal' surfing behaviour. I imagine it would be a right pain if you are a moderator or a particular kind of journalist though, or our search team constantly reviewing links to see if they are safe to list in the BBC's search service.
My personal issue with it is that if it just automatiacally blocks any web adverts being displayed, it kind of stops me doing the part of my job of understanding how our audience experiences the internet, and how we should learn from that, but be distinctive from it - i.e. if I forget how bloody annoying intrusive skyscraper overlay falsh adverts with an exit button that doesn't work in Firefox are, maybe I won't think twice before authorising one on the homepage :-(