In the midst of the continuing controversy over "harmful to minors" Internet material, an enterprising Internet service provider (ISP) is experiencing remarkable subscriber growth as it blocks millions of websites with its content filter. The ISP's filter is designed to block pornography, gambling, unmonitored chat rooms, unmonitored news groups, game sites featuring violence or explicit sex and music sites featuring vulgar or violent lyrics.
Ensley claims AFO's content filter is virtually impossible to override. Though the filter isn't designed to block legitimate sites, such as medical sites that may contain nudity, the filter does manage to block about 1.7 million sites with an additional 8 million sites being blocked by the filter's pattern-catching feature. With the huge number of websites being blocked, it is likely that some sites may unintentionally be blocked in error. In the event a "safe" website is blocked, subscribers may notify AFO and the block is usually removed.
Ensley's firm publicizes the fact that chat rooms remain the domain of choice for pedophiles and other sexual predators, and that "More than 80 percent of all the pornography on the Internet is distributed in news groups."
