[luau] Reccomendations for proxy based content filter

[Warren Togami]

----- Original Message -----
From: "MonMotha" <monmotha at indy.rr.com>
To: "LUAU Mailing List" <luau at videl.ics.hawaii.edu>
Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2002 1:55 PM
Subject: [luau] Reccomendations for proxy based content filter


> I need to implement a proxy based content filter in my home (so nothing
> expensive, umkay?), preferably using SQUID or a similar opensource proxy
> that will run on Linux.
>

As a tempoary solution Squidblock may suit your needs.  It has problems but
works fairly well.
http://www.squidblock.com/

> I'm looking for suggestions on what content filter (and possibly proxy
> server) to use.  Ideally, the filter would have a web-based admin
> console for easy control of override (block/allow) lists as well as
> adjusting ratings levels and predefined lists (ala CyberPatrol's
> CyberYES and CyberNOT list, but that actually work).
>
> --MonMotha

This summer for my ICS499 project I am writing a PHP + PostgreSQL
application that will serve as a community built content filter list.  This
idea came to me because of the unconstitutional requirement of schools and
libraries that receive Federal money must use content filtering, and the
past abuses of content filtering companies.  Read the news archives at
http://censorware.net/ for more information.

Site visitors would login and contribute domains & URL's to be added to the
list.  They would anonymously vote against each other on randomly generated
lists of URL's for auditing, and there would be another randomly generated
Slashdot-like meta-moderation voting where people can vote if a certain
moderation on a URL was fair or not.  There will be list categories,
threshold levels and personal exemptions that individual users can set when
they download the block lists.

This system that I will call "OpenContentFilter" is an experiment in
creating a "fair" system were abuse is self contained by community voting.
Abusive voters are flagged by meta-moderation.  If an obvious abusive voting
account is identified, all of their votes within the last 30 days can be
rolled back when their account is locked.  All voting records are purged
after 30 days, in an effort to keep a balance between abuse control and
anonymity.

HELP NEEDED!
I am looking for programmers who know PHP and/or PostgreSQL to help in this
project.  Later on when the site is launched I will need a large number of
volunteers to help build the initial database of URL's from scratch.  Both
the site code and database itself will be published under some type of OSI
approved license, but I haven't decided on which yet.

Warren Togami
warren at togami.com