What a Filter Thinks is a Porn Site

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Source: Wakefield Observer


Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

The following is a sample of Web sites put into a “Sex/Porn” category by Internet tracking software, used to find sites that contain sexually explicit images or text that has been in operation on Beebe Library’s computers for the past five years.

American Dream Realty (www.american-dream-realty.com) – A real estate company that has information on homes in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

American Girl (www.americangirl.com) – American Girls is a series of popular books and related materials for 8 to 12 year old girls, with a focus on American history and childhood.

Backstreet.net (www.backstreet.net) – A fan site devoted to the popular teeny-bopper singing group, the Backstreet Boys.

Boston Center for Adult Education (www.bcae.org) – The BCAE is the popular continuing education organization in Boston, which sponsors classes on many topics, none of them pornographic. Presumably the word “adult” in their name must have something to do with their incorrect rating.

Boston Rock & Roll Museum (www.dirtywater.com) – Not a physical museum, but an online archive of the history of Boston rock bands and the Boston music scene.

Christian Connection Matchmaker (www.christian.email.net) – A members-only personals ad site for Christian singles. Despite the dating aspect of the site, there is, not surprisingly, no sexual text or images.

Copyright Clearance Center (www.copyright.com) – A commercial firm in Danvers, Mass., that provides copyright licensing services.

Dixie Chicks (www.dixiechicks.com) – The official site for the country rock group. The Beebe Library owns two of their CDs.

Dreamcast (www.dreamcast.com) – The web site for the Sega Dreamcast line of video games.

Florida Bar Association (www.flabar.org) – The Web site for the Florida Bar Association.

Health.Org (www.health.org) – The Web site for the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, a service of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Hot Resume (www.hotresume.com) – A nationwide online job posting service.

Immigration Law (www.immigration.com) – The site for a Washington, D.C., law firm specializing in U.S. immigration law.

Jane Cosmetics (www.janecosmetics.com) – An online makeup and cosmetics firm, offering makeup advice and selling a line of products.

LawOffice (www.lawoffice.com) – A general gateway site for getting legal information online. Maintained by West Legal Publishing.

Lipsinc (www.lipsinc.com) – A company that makes software products for developing computer animation.

Martha’s Vinyard (www.marthasvineyard.com) – A general tourism site for Martha’s Vineyard.

Match.Com (www.match.com) – A personal ads/dating site with no explicit content, similar to the personal ads in major newspapers. The site requires member registration and a monthly fee billable to a credit card.

McDermott, Will & Emery (www.mwe.com) – A Boston law firm.

Microsoft Network Web Communities (communities.msn.com) – The Microsoft Network’s online web chatroom space, which includes “communities” on a wide range of subjects: business, travel, home and family, sports, hobbies, etc. There are some communities devoted to personal ads and health, but nothing sexually explicit.

Middlesex County DA (www.middlesexda.com) – The official Web site for the Middlesex County (Mass.) District Attorney’s office.

National Court Reporters Association (www.verbatimreporters.com) – The official site for the National Court Reporters Association.

North East England History Pages (www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk) – A Web site with information about the history, legends, dialect, songs, place names and famous people of the North East of England and Yorkshire.

Pearl Drops (www.pearldrops.com) – A Web site for the company that produces personal care products such as Pearl Drops toothpaste. The site also has information on Trojan condoms, apparently manufactured by the same company. While there is some general information on sexual health, none of it is particularly inappropriate and there are certainly no explicit images.

PianoBar (www.pianobar.fr.st) – A French site that collects, organizes, and makes available free musical scores for piano.

The Professional Golfers’ Association (www.pga.com) – The PGA is the well-known pro golfers’ group that sponsors professional golf tournaments.

Reservations Direct (www.reservations.ndirect.co.uk) – A Web site that does online hotel reservations for accommodations in London, England.

Ropes & Gray (www.ropesgray.com) – The Boston law firm.

Sexual Recovery Institute (www.sexualrecovery.com) – A counseling agency in Los Angeles that specializes in patients with sexual addictions.

Single Gourmet (www.singlegourmet.com) – The Boston chapter of a social dining club for singles whose members go out to nice restaurants.

Spice Girls (www.spicegirls.com) – An unofficial Web site devoted to the popular British musical group.

Teen People Magazine (www.pathfinder.com/people) – The Web site and online version of the popular magazine for teens, which is a spin-off of the better-known People magazine.

University of Massachusetts at Amherst (www.oit.umass.edu) – The official main page of the Office of Information Technology at the state university.

Virgin Atlantic (www.fly.virgin.com) – The official site for the British airline.

Weightwatchers International (www.weightwatchers.com) – The site for the well-known diet, nutrition, and weight-loss organization.