Summary Writing Practice 3 The text below talks about the issue of censorship of the information available from

the Internet. Read it carefully and answer the summary question that follows. 1 Many readers would have heard or read about the undesirable side of the Internet. News reports claim that paedophiles use the Net to communicate with one another, and even to lure potential victims. There have even been reports of schoolchildren making homemade bombs with recipes retrieved from the Internet, and concern about the availability of 5 such information has grown following the bombing of the World Trade Centre in the USA. Parliaments around the world have debated the perils of obscene and dangerous material, and weighed these against the danger to freedom of speech that any attempt to censor or regulate the Internet may create. To 10 date, there has been no consensus on how, or whether, the Internet should be censored. Parents and educators are justifiably concerned about the prospect of allowing their young charges onto the Internet if, according to the picture painted by mass media, they will be bombarded from every direction by 15 unseemly pictures or images. Until recently, there was little that could be done to prevent children from assessing unsuitable material, other than to ensure that they were supervised when using a computer. However, in recent years, a myriad of software products which prevent access to information deemed 20 objectionable have hit the market for home, school and even office computers. These products screen the activities of the user, and block out selected resources or material. They monitor and search for keywords, and prevent the user from accessing certain websites by maintaining a database 25 of forbidden newsgroups and addresses. As the Internet is growing at an astounding rate, these databases quickly become outdated. Therefore, their authors often make available online upto-date lists which can be downloaded, usually free of charge. These filter programmes can also block access to specific Internet resources. Some filter programmes prevent access to objectionable material even when the 30 user is not online. They screen out attempts to view photos or pictures or text files with objectionable content; they can even prevent the computer from being used during certain hours, such as during designated homework periods. Faced with possible government intervention, many online organisations are 35 seeking to establish a universally accepted code to determine how potentially objectionable material should be dealt with. A number of online organisations have established special kids only services, which carry material of educational or entertainment value that have restricted or no 40 access to the Internet itself.

Prepared by Ms. Jacelyn Neo 2012

Internet Service Providers such as Microsoft and Netscape are working fast to develop software standards that will enable Web browsers to detect when they are connecting to sites which contain mature or adults-only material, so that appropriate warnings can be given or the material blocked. Remember, however, that these kid-safe features make their writers 45 money, so do not believe all you hear about the evils of material online, for software companies have been known to exaggerate a little to help boost sales.

1) Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the actions that have been taken to solve the problem of young children being influenced negatively by the Internet. Use only information from paragraphs 5 to 8. Your summary must be in continuous writing (not note form). It must not be longer than 80 words (not counting the words given to help you begin). Write your summary here: There are currently many software products which can

No. of words:

[15]

Prepared by Ms. Jacelyn Neo 2012

ANSWER SCHEME:

2 3 4 5

10

11

Summary Points In recent years, a myriad of software products which prevent access to information deemed objectionable have hit the market for home, school and even office computers. These products screen the activities of the user, and block out selected resources or material. They monitor and search for keywords, and prevent the user from accessing certain websites by maintaining a database of forbidden newsgroups and addresses. their authors often make available online up-to-date lists which can be downloaded, usually free of charge. Some filter programmes prevent access to objectionable material even when the user is not online. They screen out attempts to view photos or pictures or text files with objectionable content they can even prevent the computer from being used during certain hours, such as during designated homework periods. A number of online organisations have established special kids only services, which carry material of educational or entertainment value, which have restricted or no access to the Internet itself. Internet Service Providers such as Microsoft and Netscape are working fast to develop software standards that will enable Web browsers to detect when they are connecting to sites which contain mature or adults-only material, so that appropriate warnings can be given or the material blocked.

Rephrased Points There are software products that prevent access to offensive materials.

The users activities are screened by the products. Selected materials are blocked out. The products examine and look for keywords. A well-maintained database can block access to prohibited URLs and newsgroups. This database is constantly updated and can be downloaded for free.

Filter programmes can block access to objectionable materials, even when the user is offline. Moreover, they can disallow viewing of suspicious images or documents. They can even be programmed to operate within specific timeframes. Kids only services offer educational and entertainment programmes without allowing access to Internet.

Finally, Internet Service Providers are developing software that will allow web browsers to detect and warn users when they are connecting to undesirable sites.

Prepared by Ms. Jacelyn Neo 2012

There are currently many software products which can prevent access to offensive materials by screening the users activities and blocking out selected materials through examining and looking for keywords. Access to prohibited URLs can be blocked by a well-maintained database, which is constantly updated and free for download. There are filter programmes to restrict such access, even when the user is offline. They can also disallow viewing of suspicious images. Moreover, they can be programmed to operate within specific timeframes. Kids only services offer educational and entertainment programmes without accessing to Internet. Finally, Internet Service Providers are developing software that will allow web browsers to detect and warn users when they are connecting to undesirable sites.

Prepared by Ms. Jacelyn Neo 2012