Chrome, Google's leap into the browser pool, is not without controversy. With Chrome you can choose to search in cognito. After your browsing session ends, all traces of your searches are removed. It does not simply delete your browsing history, it deletes any trace that you've searched at all. In order for schools to receive eRate funding, they are required to be CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) compliant. Part of this includes retaining the ability to block unfavorable sites and filter out undesirable search results. Google Chrome's in cognito searches are not blocked by traditional filtering. A recent eSchoolNews article states that some schools have been forced to block Google completely - not just searching, but Google apps, docs, and other widely used educational tools.
I know Google isn't the end-all and be-all of Internet browsing, but so many of my applications are Google-based. From my website, to my email, to this blog. If Google wasn't so darn good at coming up with new tools, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but those people in the Google Lab just can't help themselves. I remember a time when I was one of the last hold-ons using Netscape. I loved Netscape - I so didn't want to switch to Yahoo. And then one day Google just showed up (yeah, I know it wasn't that quickly, but still...) And I survived the transition, but Google? - they are a part of my life and my curriculum. Fear not, the people at Google are working on this problem even as we speak - they certainly don't want schools blocking them. I am confident that Google will come through with a compromise.
Stansbury, Meris. "Google's encrypted search poses problems for schools." 14 June 2010. eSchool News. 16 July 2010 http://www.eschoolnews.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment