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TSA to Block "Controversial Opinion" on the Web

Renae

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is blocking certain websites from the federal agency's computers, including halting access by staffers to any Internet pages that contain a "controversial opinion," according to an internal email obtained by CBS News.

The email was sent to all TSA employees from the Office of Information Technology on Friday afternoon.

It states that as of July 1, TSA employees will no longer be allowed to access five categories of websites that have been deemed "inappropriate for government access."
TSA to Block "Controversial Opinion" on the Web - CBS News Investigates - CBS News

So, what DOES constitute a "Controversial Opinion"?
 
well, anything your employer doesn't want you to access, i imagine. this is a non story, the tsa has every right to restrict whatever they want on their time and their equipment.

No **** shurlock? The issue here isn't that they CAN block it, it's "What is a CONTROVERSIAL OPINION". I suppose, a good Liberal, and this being a Liberal Administration, you are unable/willing/capable of asking that simple question. The problem is, liblady, incase you didn't know this, the TSA is a Gov't entity... do you see the reason for concern? No? Didn't think you would but I had to atleast try.
 
:shrug:
I'm imagining that Controversial Opinion is anything that goes against what your employer or government wants to do - if you're an employee who answers to the government in some way (even by proxy) so this would change presidency to presidency, maybe. . . . I imagine that Glenn Beck's website would be blocked (as example).
 
No **** shurlock? The issue here isn't that they CAN block it, it's "What is a CONTROVERSIAL OPINION". I suppose, a good Liberal, and this being a Liberal Administration, you are unable/willing/capable of asking that simple question. The problem is, liblady, incase you didn't know this, the TSA is a Gov't entity... do you see the reason for concern? No? Didn't think you would but I had to atleast try.

no reason to be rude, or concerned. who cares what they block on their time and equipment? do you think employees should have access to, say, skin head sites?
 
:shrug:
I'm imagining that Controversial Opinion is anything that goes against what your employer or government wants to do - if you're an employee who answers to the government in some way (even by proxy) so this would change presidency to presidency, maybe. . . . I imagine that Glenn Beck's website would be blocked (as example).

highly doubtful, unless, of course, all far right and far left sites were blocked.
 
highly doubtful, unless, of course, all far right and far left sites were blocked.

I think it would be on a case by case basis - employer monitors sites taht people *do* go to and blocks it accordingly.
The fed gov already does this for soldiers who are deployed - strictly monitoring and nixing net access . . . so it's no big stretch for them to do it via TSA.

However, I'm a bitch when I'm an employeer - I don't allow any non-work computer usage.
 
I think it would be on a case by case basis - employer monitors sites taht people *do* go to and blocks it accordingly.
The fed gov already does this for soldiers who are deployed - strictly monitoring and nixing net access . . . so it's no big stretch for them to do it via TSA.

However, I'm a bitch when I'm an employeer - I don't allow any non-work computer usage.

my employer blocks MANY sites, and i have no problem with that. the contoversial sites blocked for me are racially provocative sites, etc. also you tube, for some reason.

i'm not sure about case by case, seems a blanket block is the way they do it. case by case is quite time consuming.
 
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I call BS. No such email went out agency wide.
 
my employer blocks MANY sites, and i have no problem with that. the contoversial sites blocked for me are racially provocative sites, etc. also you tube, for some reason.

i'm not sure about case by case, seems a blanket block is the way they do it. case by case is quite time consuming.

Maybe they had problems with employees slaying eachother in call of duty?
 
After reading all of the groups that would be blocked, I would guess that it would mean any conspiracy theory sites, maybe racist skin head type sites, 9-11 truther sites.

One assumes so, however... I for one am suspicious of broad terms that can easily be abused. When I'm at work, with net-downtime, I hit "News, Sports, Weather". That's it.
 
One assumes so, however... I for one am suspicious of broad terms that can easily be abused. When I'm at work, with net-downtime, I hit "News, Sports, Weather". That's it.
Yeah, I find that alot of right wingers are very concerned with broad terms now that a democrat is in office.

All in all, this is a stupid non-issue story. I don't want government employees playing games, checking out porn, watching movies or reading up on anything that could be considered "controversial opinion" on my dime. Let them do it at home.
 
The list the memo says are blocked:

The categories include:

• Chat/Messaging

• Controversial opinion

• Criminal activity

• Extreme violence (including cartoon violence) and gruesome content

• Gaming

I wonder why that list was not included in the OP...maybe because it would make this seem pretty reasonable....
 
Now if they were restricting their rights at HOME. Then it would be a controversial situation.
 
One assumes so, however... I for one am suspicious of broad terms that can easily be abused. When I'm at work, with net-downtime, I hit "News, Sports, Weather". That's it.

See - this is the key point. You cruise the net while at work.

This is why, when I managed, I simply restricted all access - and sports, weather, news - weren't on the list. Only sites directly related to work were permitted.
 
While their choice of phraseology was poor, it seems like a reasonable decision. Employees shouldn't be wasting time surfing the net while on the clock anyway.
 
While their choice of phraseology was poor, it seems like a reasonable decision. Employees shouldn't be wasting time surfing the net while on the clock anyway.

I don't really think the words they selected were poor. It might very well describe what they were blocking, say if they were going to block all glenn beck websites and daily kos, which is fine by me, no need to have TSA workers debating on whether glenn beck or kos has it right.
 
If I owned a business or ran a department, I would block sites like DP on all computers but mine.
 
The list the memo says are blocked:

I wonder why that list was not included in the OP...maybe because it would make this seem pretty reasonable....

Which makes no sense.

TSA has blocked those things listed above since last year.
 
Which makes no sense.

TSA has blocked those things listed above since last year.

Well that is interesting. Sure would be nice to actually see this memo.
 
As long as they don't block controversial Debate, Football, Gadget, and Wrestling sites then I don't care.

And Penny-Arcade.
 
Nothing on that list said that porn is blocked.... looks like your dime is still being wasted. :p

All in all, this is a stupid non-issue story. I don't want government employees playing games, checking out porn, watching movies or reading up on anything that could be considered "controversial opinion" on my dime. Let them do it at home.
 
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