The Blocking of Peacefire
Solid Oak Software Filters a Critic

Last week, Bennett Haselton announced that the website for Peacefire had been added to the list of sites banned by the CYBERsitter package from Solid Oak Software. In the email Haselton sent out, he prompted netizens to contact Solid Oak Software and register their complaints about this action.

As a bit of background, Haselton's Peacefire -- a teen-operated cyber-rights group -- has been strident in its opposition to the ways in which blocking software can limit the online experiences of those from the age of 13 to the age of 20 -- Peacefire's stated constituency. In it's work in determining what precisely it is that various blocking packages do, Peacefire has directed much of its efforts at Solid Oak Software's CYBERsitter package.

Read Peacefire's document entitled CYBERsitter: Where do we not want you to go today? for the details on how Haselton has been addressing this particular piece of software, but the basics come down to this: Haselton has become intimately familiar with how CYBERsitter functions, and with what sorts of sites -- both in general and specifically -- the software in fact blocks; further, he has undertaken to make sure that sites blocked by the software without any notification from Solid Oak Software are informed of this fact.

In response to Haselton's call for netizens to contact Solid Oak Software , I sent my own email to the appropriate people expressing my ire at the clearly self-interested move on the part of the company to silence (or at the very least punish) a vocal critic. In their reply, they asserted that Haselton had "demonstrated immature and irresponsible behaviour which may damage the effectiveness of our product".

Since this was rather cryptic, and had little more than the feel of a slight attempt at character assassination, I emailed them once more, asking for a clarification, from which I quote here (including the misspelling of Haselton's name):

Peacefire.org is not blocked because of it's content. It's operator, Bennett Hazelton has amply demonstrated his intent to exercise whatever actions possible to reduce the effectiveness of our product and is a published opponent of content filtering in general.

snip

Accordingly, our customers have the right to expect the software they purchased will function as advertised, and be as secure as possible. Mr. Hazelton's actions, not simply the content of his web page, are the reason his site is now blocked.

We believe that he has proprietary information in his possession that could reduce the effectiveness of our product and cause potential damage to our customers. Therefor, Mr. Hazelton and his web pages will be blocked wherever they may be.

snip

I suppose, depending on how one twists one's perspective, working to inform people about precisely how a product functions and precisely what a product does could somehow be construed as reducing the effectiveness of a product -- but only if there's something about the product that a company feels would be damaging if revealed.

What it comes down to is this: Solid Oak Software appears to be attempting to silence, punish, or smear Bennett Haselton and Peacefire.

Add your voice to the opposition to the company's actions, especially if you are a Solid Oak Software customer. You can contact them by sending mail to support@solidoak.com or calling (805) 967-9853. Their President and CEO, Brian Milburn, can be contacted at bmilburn@solidoak.com. And if you do contact them, send a copy of your email and any response you receive to Bennett Haselton at Peacefire.