Not Suitable for Children

Now I know I’ve made it into the big leagues: I’ve been banned by U.S. Libraries! (ok, I know really it’s just automated filtering software, but it’s funny). I got the following email from my friend Brahm today (who’s in the states, cycling from Arizona to Vancouver with his friend Gwendal, who’s cycling the Antipodes):

I tried to access your site today to read the latest update on Liam, and to my surprise, the I could not access it. Apparently, the filtering software this library uses has categorized your website as “Extreme”. Just thought you might like to know that your website is extreme.

I asked the librarian to disable the filter, and was told that it was not possible. I reminded her that US courts have consistently ruled that public libraries have an obligation to provide adults with unfiltered internet access, and she was not aware of that. She only knew that public libraries must filter internet access to avoid exposure of children to obscene or pornographic material.

Yeah, I’m so extreme: pictures of small chilren, reviews of concerts. That’s just like, oh, I don’t know, bomb-making instructions 😉 I suppose I use the occasional profanity… I wonder what exactly got me qualified as “extreme”?

4 Replies to “Not Suitable for Children”

  1. Well you certainly haven’t made the situation better by adding “bomb-making instructions” to the set of keywords used to index your site. 🙂

  2. Well you certainly haven’t made the situation better by adding “bomb-making instructions” to the set of keywords used to index your site. 🙂

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