Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
p0ink
New member
Symantec Software Blocks Access to Pro-Second Amendment Websites
Second Amendment Sisters | 7/27/03 | Jezierny
----- Original Message -----
E-mail is from a Gunsafe member - name withheld to protect privacy. Forwarding permitted. >
Subject: letter to Symantec
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 22:03:40 -0400
From: To: [email protected] >
http://vkus.freeyellow.com/toSymantec_2003_07_21.html >
World Headquarters
Symantec Corporation
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014
tel +1 408 517 8000
www.symantec.com >
Dear Sir / Madame: >
I have recently purchased and installed on my home computer your product - > "Internet Security", which includes firewall with parental controls allowing > to block unwanted websites, containing pornography, violence, and other > material inappropriate for children. This program also periodically > downloads from your firm an updated list of blocked web sites. >
As probably most of the users, I installed it and used it for a while in > it's 'default' configuration. It took me a while before I've got to the list > of the blocked categories of websites and examined it. Even then, it was > not be immediately obvious to me what the "weapons" category means. Here is > the an incomplete list of the web sites blocked under this category: >
http://www.keepandbeararms.com - a web site with political news devoted to > right to keep and bear arms;
http://www.concealcarry.org/ Concealed Carry of Illinois, Inc.
http://www.wagc.com/ Women against gun control
http://nra.org/ NRA
http://www.nraila.org/ -- NRA's institute for legislative action
http://www.saf.org/ Second Amendment Foundation
http://www.guntruths.com/
http://www.tsra.com/LottPage.htm Prof. John Lott's page.
http://www.gunowners.org/ -- Gun Owners of America
http://gunsafe.org/ We are the "Quiet Majority" of Connecticut firearms > owners
http://www.jpfo.org/links.htm Jews for preservation of firearm ownership.
http://www.nfa.ca/ -- National Firearms Assoc. (Canada)
http://www.tennesseefirearms.com/
http://www.mcrgo.org/ Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners
http://www.goal.org/ Gun owners action league
http://www.io.com/~velte/pt.htm Peaceable Texans for Firearms Rights
http://www.isra.org/ Illinois state rifle assoc.
http://www.mothersarms.org Mother's Arms
http://www.gunssavelife.com/
http://www.gunownersca.com/
http://www.gosc.org/ Gun owners of S. Carolina
http://www.blackmanwithagun.net/
http://www.kc3.com/ -- Kentucky coalition to carry concealed.
http://www.ccrkba.org/ Citizens committee Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
http://www.guncite.com - facts and quotes about gun control.
http://firearmsrights.com/
http://www.womenshooters.com
http://licgweb.dos.state.fl.us/weapons/index.html : FL Department of State's > website with info about concealed carry statues.
http://www.bfpe.state.ct.us -- CT state board of firearm permit examiners. > >
Despite being characterized as "weapons", most of the websites do not > contain any depiction or discussion of any firearms, and fully devoted to > politics of Second Amendment, right of the citizen to self-defense, study of > crime statistics, etc., and some of them are actually (the last two in the > list above) the official web sites of state agencies and law enforcement! >
The Second Amendment Foundation is devoted to the preservation of the Second > Amendment, as well as Jews for Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Among the > blocked is the web site of Prof. John Lott Jr., the author of scientific > research on the influence of lawful firearms ownership on crime rates, the > author of the books > > More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws (Studies in > Law and Economics (Chicago, Ill.).) > > The Bias Against Guns: Why Almost Everything You've Heard About Gun Control > Is Wrong. >
Even though these websites have little to do with "weapons", I find > existence of this category strange. Firearms are just tools made by good > guys for good guys for self-defense, and their ownership is protected by > U.S. Constitution, and a right thing to do is to educate children on their > safe usage, not to block information about them. >
Of course, I perfectly understand that it is enough to find the list of the > blocked subjects and uncheck the "weapons", but it is also pretty clear that > most of the parents will install the program without ever getting to that > list, even less to the bottom of it where the "weapons" category is located, > and even if they do, no sane person would assume that it refers to > conservative political websites having no guns depicted on them and > dedicated to the preservation of the U.S. Constitution. So, by creating > this category and putting these websites into it you silently block access > to those political views for children of many unsuspecting parents. >
Just out of curiosity I tried some of the anti-gun websites. Here are the > results: >
Allowed: >
http://www.onemillionmoms.com/ -- Million moms march
http://128.121.250.41/ -- Brady campaign to prevent Gun Violence.
http://www.bradycenter.org/ -- same
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zj5j-gttl/guns.htm - A Case for Gun Control
http://www.gunfree.org/ - Coalition to stop gun violence
http://www.nyagv.org/ -- The mission of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
http://www.paxusa.org/ - Real solutions to Gun violence
http://www.mppgv.org/ - The Michigan Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence
http://www.wagv.org/ Women Against Gun Violence
http://www.ncgv.org/ N. Carolinians against gun violence
http://www.ipgv.org/ - Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence
http://www.ocagv.org/ Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence
http://www.jointogether.org/home/
http://www.silentmarch.org/
http://www.gunfree.org/
http://www.ichv.org/ -- Illinois council against handgun violence
http://www.the-indigestible.com/specials/gcn/ -- Gun control Now
http://www.ceasefirenj.org/
http://mothersagainstguns.org/
http://www.doctorsagainsthandguninjury.org/
http://www.ajcongress.org/ptchoice.htm
http://www.handgunfree.org/HFAMain/ >
Anti-gun sites blocked: >
http://www.vpc.org/ -- Violence policy center.
http://www.americansforgunsafety.com >
-- the only 2 I was able to find! >
Obviously, this pattern is not a result of randomly blocking all websites > related to the subject of gun control. This could only be achieved as a > result of a conscious effort to block conservative websites, dedicated to > the protection of the Constitution, while not blocking the liberal ones. > Among the sites you did not block are the websites of organizations such as > former "Handgun control Inc", now the "Brady Campaign etc." dedicated to > banning guns, and while the can not do it legally - by repealing the Second > Amendment - they are trying to do it by putting a pressure on U.S. > legislature to pass anti-constitutional laws, while ignoring the > Constitution. This is a very interesting choice for web sites available for > children. >
I am not sure if this is a screw-up by some low-level clerk, or an official > policy of the Symantec corporation. Until this problem is resolved, I will > refrain from purchasing any of your products, including paying for any of > the virus definition updates - I will switch to other programs. >
I will post this letter on my website http://vkus.freeyellow.com in the > Letters section. This website is also not a "weapons" website, it is a > conservative political website dedicated to the right of the people to > self-protection. If you ever choose to send me a reply, I promise to post it > in the unchanged form on the same website. I will distribute this letter to > pro-gun web sites, newsgroups and mailing lists. >
Sincerely, > > > >
Second Amendment Sisters | 7/27/03 | Jezierny
----- Original Message -----
E-mail is from a Gunsafe member - name withheld to protect privacy. Forwarding permitted. >
Subject: letter to Symantec
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 22:03:40 -0400
From: To: [email protected] >
http://vkus.freeyellow.com/toSymantec_2003_07_21.html >
World Headquarters
Symantec Corporation
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014
tel +1 408 517 8000
www.symantec.com >
Dear Sir / Madame: >
I have recently purchased and installed on my home computer your product - > "Internet Security", which includes firewall with parental controls allowing > to block unwanted websites, containing pornography, violence, and other > material inappropriate for children. This program also periodically > downloads from your firm an updated list of blocked web sites. >
As probably most of the users, I installed it and used it for a while in > it's 'default' configuration. It took me a while before I've got to the list > of the blocked categories of websites and examined it. Even then, it was > not be immediately obvious to me what the "weapons" category means. Here is > the an incomplete list of the web sites blocked under this category: >
http://www.keepandbeararms.com - a web site with political news devoted to > right to keep and bear arms;
http://www.concealcarry.org/ Concealed Carry of Illinois, Inc.
http://www.wagc.com/ Women against gun control
http://nra.org/ NRA
http://www.nraila.org/ -- NRA's institute for legislative action
http://www.saf.org/ Second Amendment Foundation
http://www.guntruths.com/
http://www.tsra.com/LottPage.htm Prof. John Lott's page.
http://www.gunowners.org/ -- Gun Owners of America
http://gunsafe.org/ We are the "Quiet Majority" of Connecticut firearms > owners
http://www.jpfo.org/links.htm Jews for preservation of firearm ownership.
http://www.nfa.ca/ -- National Firearms Assoc. (Canada)
http://www.tennesseefirearms.com/
http://www.mcrgo.org/ Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners
http://www.goal.org/ Gun owners action league
http://www.io.com/~velte/pt.htm Peaceable Texans for Firearms Rights
http://www.isra.org/ Illinois state rifle assoc.
http://www.mothersarms.org Mother's Arms
http://www.gunssavelife.com/
http://www.gunownersca.com/
http://www.gosc.org/ Gun owners of S. Carolina
http://www.blackmanwithagun.net/
http://www.kc3.com/ -- Kentucky coalition to carry concealed.
http://www.ccrkba.org/ Citizens committee Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
http://www.guncite.com - facts and quotes about gun control.
http://firearmsrights.com/
http://www.womenshooters.com
http://licgweb.dos.state.fl.us/weapons/index.html : FL Department of State's > website with info about concealed carry statues.
http://www.bfpe.state.ct.us -- CT state board of firearm permit examiners. > >
Despite being characterized as "weapons", most of the websites do not > contain any depiction or discussion of any firearms, and fully devoted to > politics of Second Amendment, right of the citizen to self-defense, study of > crime statistics, etc., and some of them are actually (the last two in the > list above) the official web sites of state agencies and law enforcement! >
The Second Amendment Foundation is devoted to the preservation of the Second > Amendment, as well as Jews for Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Among the > blocked is the web site of Prof. John Lott Jr., the author of scientific > research on the influence of lawful firearms ownership on crime rates, the > author of the books > > More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws (Studies in > Law and Economics (Chicago, Ill.).) > > The Bias Against Guns: Why Almost Everything You've Heard About Gun Control > Is Wrong. >
Even though these websites have little to do with "weapons", I find > existence of this category strange. Firearms are just tools made by good > guys for good guys for self-defense, and their ownership is protected by > U.S. Constitution, and a right thing to do is to educate children on their > safe usage, not to block information about them. >
Of course, I perfectly understand that it is enough to find the list of the > blocked subjects and uncheck the "weapons", but it is also pretty clear that > most of the parents will install the program without ever getting to that > list, even less to the bottom of it where the "weapons" category is located, > and even if they do, no sane person would assume that it refers to > conservative political websites having no guns depicted on them and > dedicated to the preservation of the U.S. Constitution. So, by creating > this category and putting these websites into it you silently block access > to those political views for children of many unsuspecting parents. >
Just out of curiosity I tried some of the anti-gun websites. Here are the > results: >
Allowed: >
http://www.onemillionmoms.com/ -- Million moms march
http://128.121.250.41/ -- Brady campaign to prevent Gun Violence.
http://www.bradycenter.org/ -- same
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zj5j-gttl/guns.htm - A Case for Gun Control
http://www.gunfree.org/ - Coalition to stop gun violence
http://www.nyagv.org/ -- The mission of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
http://www.paxusa.org/ - Real solutions to Gun violence
http://www.mppgv.org/ - The Michigan Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence
http://www.wagv.org/ Women Against Gun Violence
http://www.ncgv.org/ N. Carolinians against gun violence
http://www.ipgv.org/ - Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence
http://www.ocagv.org/ Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence
http://www.jointogether.org/home/
http://www.silentmarch.org/
http://www.gunfree.org/
http://www.ichv.org/ -- Illinois council against handgun violence
http://www.the-indigestible.com/specials/gcn/ -- Gun control Now
http://www.ceasefirenj.org/
http://mothersagainstguns.org/
http://www.doctorsagainsthandguninjury.org/
http://www.ajcongress.org/ptchoice.htm
http://www.handgunfree.org/HFAMain/ >
Anti-gun sites blocked: >
http://www.vpc.org/ -- Violence policy center.
http://www.americansforgunsafety.com >
-- the only 2 I was able to find! >
Obviously, this pattern is not a result of randomly blocking all websites > related to the subject of gun control. This could only be achieved as a > result of a conscious effort to block conservative websites, dedicated to > the protection of the Constitution, while not blocking the liberal ones. > Among the sites you did not block are the websites of organizations such as > former "Handgun control Inc", now the "Brady Campaign etc." dedicated to > banning guns, and while the can not do it legally - by repealing the Second > Amendment - they are trying to do it by putting a pressure on U.S. > legislature to pass anti-constitutional laws, while ignoring the > Constitution. This is a very interesting choice for web sites available for > children. >
I am not sure if this is a screw-up by some low-level clerk, or an official > policy of the Symantec corporation. Until this problem is resolved, I will > refrain from purchasing any of your products, including paying for any of > the virus definition updates - I will switch to other programs. >
I will post this letter on my website http://vkus.freeyellow.com in the > Letters section. This website is also not a "weapons" website, it is a > conservative political website dedicated to the right of the people to > self-protection. If you ever choose to send me a reply, I promise to post it > in the unchanged form on the same website. I will distribute this letter to > pro-gun web sites, newsgroups and mailing lists. >
Sincerely, > > > >
sounds pretty fucked up.......... intentional most likely.
