As our Live Wires Gallery in the Discovery Museum has 15 pc's offering free
internet access to the public, innapropriate access is a problem we are
painfully aware of!  It is combatted  in a variety of ways. Newcastle City IT
Services (Newcastle Council is our lead authority), who are our ISP use
monitoring software such as Surfwatch to block unsuitable sites.  This software
needs constant updating on a daily basis as new sites are revealed.  Another
application, MIME Sweeper, checks all incoming and outgoing e-mail for viruses,
and scans messages for racism or profanity.  This also has to be updated on a
regular basis.  Public access is of course firewalled from the rest of the
City's (and museums) network.

In the gallery itself NETOP software installed on the server allows an
attendant (suitably trained) to monitor all the PC's to see which sites are
being accessed.  In the event of a PC accessing an 'unsuitable site',  using
the server console, the PC can be 'taken over'  and a suitable warning message
displayed before remotely shutting it down.  If the miscreant has not alreay
twigged that he/she has been rumbled and made a hasty exit then they are then
quietly asked to do so, unless of course it is apparent that the site has been
accessed accidentally.  In this way it is obvious that the system is 'policed'
and the misuse of the facility has decreased significantly.  There are also
discrete notices on each PC warning that internet access is monitored.
Periodically all the PC's are checked and all extraneous files deleted (this
can be very time consuming).  No system is perfect but it is possible, using
the means outlined above, to keep the problem under sensible control.

[log in to unmask]  (21/08/00  14:26):
>
>
>Could collegues enlighten me as to what control mechanisms they have in place
to
>ensure that  offensive or illegal material is not accessed or stored either
>intentionally or by accident on a PC from access to the Internet?  Is having a
>policy that staff should not access or store such material enough? Presumably
>not, given that this policy doesn't cover accidents - seemingly innocent search
>queries can bring up some quite startling pages, and anyone is free to write
>emails which contain offensive language, which, until they are opened and
>deleted, are stored on a PC.
>
>I have been told that 'This may expose you or your service to direct
>litigation.' but think it is scaremongering.
>
>Best wishes to all,
>
>Pat
>_________________
>Pat Reynolds
>Museums Development Officer
>Surrey Museums Consultative Committee   - a service jointly funded by the
>county, district and borough councils
>Email: [log in to unmask]
>Phone: +44 1483 594624 fax +44 1483 594595
>
>

Tim Pettigrew
Registrar
Tyne & Wear Museums
Discovery Museum
Blandford Square
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4JA
United Kingdom

Telephone +44(0)191-232-6789
Fax +44(0)191-230-2614
E-Mail [log in to unmask]


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