A school internet filter in California will be re-edited to stop censoring gay content.
Peter LloydA school internet software filter in California will be re-edited to stop censoring gay content.
IT company Lightspeed made the announcement yesterday, after the American Civil Liberties Union claimed it was doing a disservice to queer students.
Earlier this year, PinkPaper.com reported that the company's overly-sensitive filter was accidentally blocking access to non-sexual gay sites such as the Gay Straight Alliance Network, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and the official website for the annual Day of Silence to protest anti-LGBT bullying.
Now, the computer company have vowed to amend the filter's design to allow students to access non-sexual sites.
"Lightspeed Systems should be commended for responding quickly and responsibly to fix a problem that we have seen in school districts across the county," Joshua Block, staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT Project, told the Windy City Times.
"Websites should not be singled out for special treatment by public schools simply because they contain LGBT content. Educational websites addressing LGBT history should be treated similarly to other history websites, and websites urging support for the rights of LGBT people should be treated similarly to other political websites. Lightspeed's new categories will ensure that all public school students have viewpoint-neutral access to important online resources."
http://news.pinkpaper.com
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