Blocked sites

[torqem]

What I want to know is why ANY gun oriented site would be on any list to be banned? As if it's immoral or illegal? Somebody needs to lose their job over that baloney!

 

[Joelitespeed]

My car dealer had the same issue. I spoke with the General Manager and they had it changed to allow..

 

[Agsalaska]

I'm not familiar with the Andrew Johnson Inn, but a quick internet search (not Google!) does not indicate a chain. The person making decisions about default behavior of software may be far removed, but the decision to choose different software based on its default behavior may happen closer to home.

You know what I read that as Howard Johnsons. My bad.

 

[HKVP70Z]

I tried to but the desk clerk was indian (red dot) and we didn't get too far.

 

[rhinoh]

If the wifi was free I'd say they can have any rules they want, of course I don't have to like them or use it.
Now - if I paid for the wifi, I'd be upset about blocking rules.

As a side note I've become very leary of using anyone's wifi- too much hacking/seeing your credit card info/seeing your passwords etc. going on. As mentioned cellular modems are MUCH more secure.

 

[buck460XVR]

I wouldn't read too far into it because most web filtering applications block access to firearms sites by default.

^^^This, and because you are in their house, their rules. Will complaining do any good? Maybe, if the owners do not know they are filtering something they don't want filtered. Probably not if it is something they want filtered. The reason they want it filtered might not be because they are anti-gun, but because they are anti-virus or don't think it's acceptable to young children who use the internet as much as most adults these days. Again....their house, their rules. If it bothers you that much, call and ask before you make a reservation.

 

[gym]

Really not much you can do unless you are a geek, and know a few tricks. I always take these things as a challenge, as long as I don't damage their equipment I can usually get through.

 

[DeadMoneyDrew]

How is this thread still going?

I'd bet money that the hotel's owner/parent company employs one of the web filtering tools mentioned already in this thread, that the tool blocks firearms sites by default, and that the hotel management isn't even aware that they are blocking their guests from visiting firearms related web sites.

A quick letter or phone call to the manager is all it takes to make them aware of the issue. Anyone who needs to be 100% certain that they will be able to visit firearm websites while traveling can set up one of the roaming WiFi or VPN options already mentioned in this thread.

There's really not much more to see here...

 

[FROGO207]

^^^Agreed-------BUT also as mentioned above a proxy server will let you go there. Some are free some are pay. Go to proxy. com for more info.

 

[akodo]

Many wi-fi standard filtering software have 'firearms' content disabled by default. Most businesses simply put it in without changing the default.

It seems over time more and more websites are 'discovered' that are gun related so sites that you used to be able to visit on 'free' wi-fi may become unavailable.

Is the NRA doing anything about it? Probably not, because it isn't a government intrusion, same way the ACLU isn't getting after these places for blocking porn which is just as much protected by the first amendment as website that tells you how to bake bread. Same way NRA isn't going to get involved if your local bookstore stops carrying copies of Guns and Ammo in the magazine rack.

What should be done is you should influence companies with your money by telling them why you are not taking their service.

For instance, staying at a hotel that advertised free wi-fi? Demand that they deliver the service you paid for, or leave.

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

My daughter practices basketball at a public school that has free wi-fi. I can not log into here (High Road) from there. However, if I have logged in on my iPad, BEFORE I get to the school and don't close Safari, then when I log on to their free wi-fi, I can go right to here. Perhaps that might work at those other places as well.

Sam

 

[suemarkp]

The proxy site is the solution. Ask any high school kid what the latest free ones are, as schools do the same thing. They block the proxy sites as they find them, but there are a lot of them. There was a story in the news about a school kid trying to do a report on our city of Toppenish, but everything was blocked. It has Top[penis]h in it, so it was blocked...

You'll need to go into your browser control panel to setup a proxy instead of going to the internet directly. The connection to the proxy should be in a secure tunnel so they won't know where the proxy is taking you.

My workplace blocks places too, but they also run a proxy server. You can't get out at all unless you use their proxy server, and their proxy blocks a lot of stuff. I'm not sure if you can run a proxy on top of a proxy (your browser only allows one proxy address or a direct connection). Someone probably makes software to do that.

 

[steelerdude99]

If the wifi was free I'd say they can have any rules they want, of course I don't have to like them or use it.
Now - if I paid for the wifi, I'd be upset about blocking rules.

Adverting "Free WiFi" to me means: If the WiFi not working the way I want, I can't get a refund... However, a well-written printed letter via US Mail (not e-mail) saying you will NOT not be staying there again due to "gun site blocking" MAY get their attention.

Perhaps the hotel does not know guns sites are blocked. The internet provider may sell them a standard setup. The hotel knowing they're losing customers may cause them to ask the internet provider to change their blocking policy or cause them look for another provider.

chunk

 

[morcey2]

The IT department at the company I work for complained to the Barracuda firewall people about their default blocking all gun-related websites as "weapons/violence". I think that's the phrase that I saw. Every time there was an upgrade, it would re-enable the gun blocking. But it wouldn't block access to violent video games by default. When they blocked those, they stayed blocked, but the firearms one seems to keep coming back.

They're response is that they're just doing what the majority of their customers have asked them to do and didn't have an answer to why the block kept reappearing.

It's good to work in an office where lack of access to gun related sites is a problem for many.

Matt