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“I plead with you … to keep yourselves free from the stains of the world. You must not indulge in sleazy talk at school. You must not tell sultry jokes. You must not fool around with the Internet to find pornographic material. You must not dial a long-distance telephone number to listen to filth. You must not rent videos with pornography of any kind. This salacious stuff simply is not for you. Stay away from pornography as you would avoid a serious disease. It is as destructive. It can become habitual, and those who indulge in it get so they cannot leave it alone. It is addictive. "
- President Gordon B. Hinckley
Click here for more information about potential risks on the Internet and how web filtering can help protect you.
Why Web Filtering?
The Internet has become a part of our daily lives. Our jobs and schoolwork often require us to access web pages. BYU-Idaho provides web filtering for students and employees who access pages while connected to the Internet via a campus connection. But off-campus and when wirelessly accessing non-campus networks this protection is not provided. To help provide protection from degrading and addictive content on the Internet, BYU–Idaho encourages students and employees to install some form of web filtering on their personal laptop and desktop computers, as well as Apple iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
BYU–Idaho has spent time researching
and testing various filtering software applications and recommends a product by
Blue Coat called K9 Web Protection. This product is free for personal use.
• To download k9 for your personal computer click here.
• To download K9 for Apple devices, click here.
Questions & Answers
Q: Am I required to install filtering software on my computer?
A: No. BYU-Idaho is simply encouraging students and employees to protect themselves when viewing web pages while not connected to the Internet through a campus network.
Q: Why is BYU–Idaho suggesting K9 Web Filtering?
A: This product has been tested by the university’s IT department and found to be very effective. The church uses a corporate version of this software for its employees in SLC. They have also found it to be effective. It is free for personal use. For more information on the potential pitfalls of the Internet click here .
Q: Does K9 protect my computer from spam and viruses?
A: No. K9 is designed only to filter web pages with objectionable content.
Q: Isn’t web filtering only for kids?
A: No. We are all susceptible to temptation. Why risk exposure to something so potentially damaging?
• Pornography is a $57 billion a year industry. In comparison, the combined revenues of all teams in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL is $12 billion, and the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC is a mere $6.2 billion.
• There are approximately 30,000 new pornography links created every day
• There are approximately 5000 new pornography web sites registered every day