UKSIC Reviews Filtering and Monitoring Definitions

04 Mar 2021 Andy Robinson

The UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) has reviewed its ‘appropriate’ filtering and monitoring definitions and is publishing these as a draft for consultation. The definitions aim to help both schools and providers understand what is considered ‘appropriate’. The consultation is open to industry, schools and the public until 6th April 2021. Please note, this consulatation has now closed.

Alongside the DfE’s introduction of statutory guidance, UKSIC first published its filtering and monitoring definitions in 2016 to help both schools and providers understand what should be considered as ‘appropriate’.   Each year, the definitions are reviewed and made available for consultation and can be found from these articles.

For this year’s revision, the following notable inclusions have been proposed

Appropriate Filtering

  • The availability of, or extent to which, content is contextually filtered
  • The availability of, or extent to which, remote devices (ie at home) are able to receive school based filtering

Appropriate Monitoring

  • Expansion on the presentation of any Internet logfile information
  • Clarity as to the physical location of monitoring data
  • The capability of, or extent to which, remote devices (ie at home) are monitored by technology monitoring services
  • The inclusion of, or extent to which, visual content is monitored and analysed by technology monitoring services

UK Safer Internet Centre welcomes comments via email to enquries@saferinternet.org.uk by April 6th 2021.

It is anticipated that final definitions are published in May 2021.