User:Darineibrahim/sandbox

Block

Block, also known as censorship, is the act of restricting access to certain information to the public. Block helps ensure computer network security which is extremely crucial to network operatives because it allows only approved individuals to access the system’s resources which are: the facilities, applications, records and data. Throughout various networks, official operators are able to access countless of properties which can result in one individual accessing the network or many million individuals accessing the network. This is why network security is extremely important to protect not only the public, but also information distributors from harm. Block software can be installed in many different institutions including workplaces, academic schools, public libraries, and more. In the American city of Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino ordered blocking software devices to be applied within the city's more than 200 free Internet access sites, including those in Boston public libraries.

Cyber Patrol is an example of a popular software blocking service by Microsystems Inc. mainly used by large online profitable services including: America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy. Its purpose is to find specific search teams who categorize websites and data to establish an appropriate fit for users. Block is implemented to protect Internet users from sexually oriented, violent, gambling, and other inappropriate websites. Block can be effective on numerous different websites depending on the user, and can also vary depending on the website itself. This includes those with large numbers online participants such as Facebook and other social media websites, where users can also block one another to avoid feeling threatened or endangered, or if they simply do not wish to be seen or be in contact.

Block Measures

There are numerous block services that are compatible with various Internet service providers, Internet users, and Internet browsing devices. According to Ken Petress, an author published in the Journal of Instructional Psychology, "censorship is only valid, ethical, and required when it appears to be the only way to avoid or to mitigate provable physical, social, emotional, or intellectual harmful outcomes for students, teachers, etc". Block services target and restrict certain content according to the context of the content itself in relation to the personal user.

In order to efficiently and reasonably measure the material where restriction is necessary; block service may refer to the Marshall Anti-Censorship Coalition, which is "a dispute involving Internet filtering software installed on public-access Internet terminals located in public libraries". Libraries as well as other public institutions that offer several devices that are accessible on the internet towards the pubic in the United States and other countries are obligated to fulfill the necessary guidelines of censorship in order to filter out unsafe and unsuitable content from the public.

Other network software's that are often used by parents to block access to sites are:

• Net Nanny
• Spy Agent
• Qustodio
• McAfee Family Protection
• Verity
• Norton Family
• CYBERsitter

Censoring can also be seen in other forms of media such as: television, films, music aimed a certain audience. For example songs can be censored by inserting a monotone beep if there are curse words present in the song or offensive content. In this viewpoint, producers have discovered a means of increasing profits, as reconstructing content with blocked content for a separate audience with "movie sanitizers" using simple editing broadens the range of potential age targets.

Block in Schools and Libraries

One of the main reasons that school libraries exist is to allow students to freely access and make use of information and data, and this is further enhanced by distributing students with electronic resources. However, the Internet is not an information source that can be entirely controlled to suit all individual users, which is why schools implement block software to filter certain access to information. Schools use an exceptional amount of block filters including Domain Name System (DNS) filtering as well as Internet Protocol (IP) blocking. Using blocking software devices does not only block access to data in schools, but it also prevents students from searching for potentially illegal content as well. For example, "under aged gambling can be prevented in schools and public libraries with DNS filtering mechanisms to restrict certain web addresses, censoring particular phrases, or disabling online services". Internet Protocol (IP) blocking also "ensures that every device connected to public internet is assigned a unique number known as an IP address, which includes the hostname. IP blocking prevents the connection between a server/website and one or more IP addresses". Internet protocol (IP) is commonly seen in schools through their site filtering out porn sites, gambling sites, and distracting social media websites that can all negatively compromise students' educational progress.

Block in social media sites

Block can affect social media through different individuals who choose to restrict other individuals from accessing their information and/or being present in their social media accounts. There are many reasons why individuals choose to block others on social media sites; these reasons include:

• If users want to stop others from stalking or appearing in personal feed
• If users wish to restrict information available to others
• In professional scenarios, some company policies may require employees to refrain from keeping contact with company rivals or if you don't want your boss or teacher to have a look at your personal and social life.
• If another person is intolerable with frivolous requests, spreading false rumors, or intruding personal space
• To avoid unruly emotions between others when upset with them and wish to have them removed from their lives