CLOSED ENVIRONMENT TESTING OF ISP-LEVEL INTERNET CONTENT FILTERS docx

[...]... for evaluating network performance of internet content filters As the network was an isolated one, two core network functions were simulated:  1.  The function of the internet as a source of content.   2.  The function of end users requesting content.   Simulating the internet The internet was simulated using a high­end web server. This web server hosted a range of content from both Category 2 and Category 3 indexes replicated from active web sites published on the ... appointment of Enex TestLab to conduct the trial It describes the process by which a sample of six filter products was selected for testing, outlines the range of filtering techniques employed by the selected filters and provides an overview of the characteristics of each of the filters Also covered in the chapter is the process of creating test data for the trial, in the form of three separate indexes of URLs... Commissioned by NetAlert Ltd to provide a quantitative analysis of the performance impact of applying server based internet content filtering applications and appliances to an internet feed in  both live and controlled environments, this technical trial provided information on:  the extent of degradation of internet access speed and performance;  the accuracy of filtering; and   the effect of filtering on the user experience when using broadband internet services. ... level content filtering but had the capability of being deployed in an ISP’s network.  The primary findings of the trial were:  a reduction of between 18 and 78 per cent in network performance when accessing the internet through a content filter;  the filters performed significantly better when blocking pornography and other adult content but performed less well when blocking other types of content;   of the filters tested, the most effective in terms of accuracy blocked 76 per cent of the URLs ... Chapter 2 describes the preparation for the trial, including the appointment of a test agency, the  selection of a sample of ISP­level filtering products for testing and the compilation of test data  comprising URLs linking to content that is illegal, inappropriate for children or innocuous.  Chapter 3 sets out the manner in which the testing of the sample of ISP­level filtering products was  conducted. The methodologies used for testing the performance and effectiveness of the sample ... 1 sets out the terms of reference for the trial and specifically describes the criteria against which the filter products tested in the trial were evaluated performance of filters in an ISP’s network, effectiveness of the filters in blocking particular content, scope or range of internet content on which filters were able to operate and adaptability to the specific requirements of ISPs or their customers...                                                   8  For internet content filtering, a vendor­managed service is a third­party service, hosted on the internet,  which is    offered as a subscription. Such a service does not provide the transport to access to the internet,  but filters the    content that an internet subscriber receives. Subscribers of this service use a managed service to either proxy off    of,  or establish VPN through which they retrieve their internet content.  Such a service cannot be tested in a closed ... Three indices representing the performance of each filter product  were calculated from the results of these tests.  Details of the methodology used in testing effectiveness are provided at pages 35— 37 Testing of effectiveness involved measuring:  the effectiveness of a filter in blocking content corresponding to  Categories 1 and 2—that is, content that was intended to be  blocked; and    the effectiveness of a filter in distinguishing content from ... Executive summary An assessment of the ability of ISP-level filters to control non-web content is at pages 44—45 Despite the general nature of advances in ISP­level filtering  technology between the current trial and the previous trial, most  filters are not presently able to identify illegal content and content that may be regarded as inappropriate that is carried via the majority  of non­web protocols, although development work by filter vendors ... products overblock by blocking access to content that may be  regarded as innocuous.  Execution of the trial Chapter 3 describes how an isolated purpose­built network was  established to test performance, simulating both the function of the  internet as a source of content and the function of end users  requesting content.  The test network was analogous to a Tier 3 ISP.  Details of the methodology used in testing performance . June 2007 to conduct closed environment testing of internet service provider (ISP)-level internet content filters. The purpose of the trial was to assess. performance of filters in an ISP’s network, effectiveness of the filters in blocking particular content, scope or range of internet content on which filters