The security industry

As seen from the previous topic, computer security is increasingly a big business with a wide spectrum of different players. Today, let us look at the main areas of the industry.

Anti-malware applications
This is perhaps the most widespread and also the most venerable branch of computer security industry, even if computer viruses are a relatively new phenomenon (compared to the history of computing in general - first computers appeared at the end of 40s, viruses started to spread widely only in the Microsoft Age, starting from MS-DOS at the 2nd half of 80s). For quite many years, the stress was predominately on anti-virus software. Nowadays, the malware trends are leaning heavily towards spyware, as the 'old-school' file viruses are all but extinct (about 10 of them are still reported to be alive).

Security application bundles
This category consists mostly of complex software packages which feature a firewall as a central point. This is a relatively fresh branch, rising into prominence at the beginning of this century.

Content filtering
Interestingly enough, this is a huge industry almost uniquely in the United States, being next to unknown in other Western countries (see the biggest censors at, though as lately, Australia seems to be moving to the same direction ). Although computer and Internet censorship is present in many places, private censorship industry as such exist only in the US - in other censoring countries - e.g. China - it is mostly done as a centralised, governmental activity. Of known examples from developed countries, Norway and Denmark have small-scale filtering used by Internet service providers against proven distributors of child pornography. Italy has banned making bets abroad over the net. 

However in the US, this kind of activity is usually promoted in public as a measure against the unwanted content of the Internet, keeping things like pornography, violence and extremism away from the computers of ordinary people. Thus, the filtering has found wide use in the US, being applied in most public places (the CIPA or Children's Internet Protection Act made content filtering mandatory for all public libraries who apply for government grants). Regardless of many scandalous cases,

Examples of "parental control" / filtering software:
 * Bess (N2H2)
 * CyberSitter (Solid Oak Software)
 * CyberPatrol (SurfControl; top choice in the US)
 * Net Nanny (Net Nanny Software)
 * NetRated (PC DataPower)
 * Smartfilter (Secure Computing Corporation)
 * Surfwatch (SurfControl)
 * I-Gear (Symantec)
 * Websense (Websense)
 * X-Stop (f8e6 Technologies)

The main problems with content filtering
The main issue which is extensively debated upon is: which one is more important, ensuring decency or free speech? Both sides have got their arguments. But the free speech restriction is not the only problem:

The problem is that testing has often revealed many cases of different agendas behind the filtering criteria. The Censorware.net product reports show many interesting results. As a good irony, the FilteringFacts.org, a prime pro-filtering website, was blocked (as Drugs/Alcohol) by SurfWatch, which was in fact their top recommendation as home filtering software.
 * All the abovementioned software packages are proprietary software - it seems that content filtering is in a kind of inherent contradiction with the hacker-minded free and open-source software, so there is almost no projects in this field. In the case when central unit of the software the database - is closed and protected by intellectual property laws as a trade secret, the users have to trust the producer's decisions on filtering. Even if they find a way to modify the software behaviour, it will turn out to be illegal.

In July 2001, the Beaver College in Philadelphia changed its name to Arcadia University. While the official explanation cited thorough changes which necessitated new name, many sources refer to the sexual meaning of the word in American slang and subsequent mass blocking of the college website by content filtering packages. 
 * Most of the natural languages are far too rich to be adequately filtered by the current state of technology. Examples even include filtering out the word "breast", not to mention various slang words (perhaps the best example can be seen here). One more real-life example follows.

Some problems
controversies like described before (Magic Lantern and Carnivore, economically motivated privacy violations etc)

For discussion

 * Bring some arguments for both sides: Parental control / content filtering vs freedom of speech and expression
 * When applying the content filtering, would it be preferrable to err towards the laxness (let through what should have been blocked) or tightness (block what should have gone through)?
 * Read the Australian comparison of Internet policies [2]. Which model would you prefer?

Links

 * EDELMAN, B. (2003) Sites Blocked by Internet Filtering Programs. Edelman Expert Report for Multnomah County Public Library et al., vs. United States of America, et al.
 * MINOW, M. (2004). Lawfully Surfing the Net: Disabling Public Library Internet Filters to Avoid More Lawsuits in the United States. First Monday, Volume 9, Number 4, April 2004
 * Blocking Software FAQ.