VVM Parent's Guide

A VVM Parent's Guide to the Internet

These are links to companies that sell blocking software or "censorware." VVM does not endorse any of these products -- this section is provided to fulfill our obligations under Texas state law. Most of this information has been prepared by the Texas Internet Service Providers Association .

At VVM we are very concerned about the safety of our children and fully support House Bill 1300 ; however we feel very strongly that parents must also take a very active role in working with their children to extract the full benefit of the unlimited amount of knowledge available on the Internet while at the same time protecting them from harmful content. It is important to understand that no filtering software is perfect and supervision of your child while he or she accesses the Internet is essential. These filtering software programs should not be used as baby sitters but as assistants to help you in the task of introducing the wealth of information available on the Internet in a safe manner.

At VVM, we feel that the Internet itself is neither bad nor good; it is merely a reflection of the real world itself in many ways. The Internet, like our planet, is filled with both a bounty of beauty and and a quantity of ugliness that we often would rather pretend doesn't exist. We believe that the parent's journey with their child should be a journey to find that which is beautiful and good as well as helping them to understand and avoid those things that can be harmful. Best Regards, VVM Staff.

"CyberCensor Software"

Texas State law requires all Texas Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to link to blocking and filtering software sites. In 1997, during the 75th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, House Bill 1300 (HB 1300) was passed. HB 1300 requires Internet Service Providers to make a link available on their first world wide web page which leads to Internet "censorware" software, also known as 'automatic' blocking and screening software.

The two most important portions of the law are shown here:

Sec. 35.102. SOFTWARE OR SERVICES THAT RESTRICT ACCESS TO CERTAIN MATERIAL ON INTERNET.
(a) A person who provides an interactive computer service to another person for a fee shall provide free of charge to each subscriber of the service in this state a link leading to fully functional shareware, freeware, or demonstration versions of software or to a service that, for at least one operating system, enables the subscriber to automatically block or screen material on the Internet.
(b) A provider is considered to be in compliance with this section if the provider places, on the provider's first page of world wide web text information accessible to a subscriber, a link leading to the software or a service described by Subsection (a). The identity of the link or other on-screen depiction of the link must appear set out from surrounding written or graphical material so as to be conspicuous. \ . . . \
Sec. 35.103. CIVIL PENALTY.
(a) A person is liable to the state for a civil penalty of $2,000 for each day on which the person provides an interactive computer service for a fee but fails to provide a link to software or a service as required by Section 35.102. The aggregate civil penalty may not exceed $60,000.
(b) The attorney general may institute a suit to recover the civil penalty. Before filing suit, the attorney general shall give the person notice of the person's noncompliance and liability for a civil penalty. If the person complies with the requirements of Section 35.102 not later than the 30th day after the date of the notice, the violation is considered cured and the person is not liable for the civil penalty.

If you want to read the entire law, it's available in several formats here:

75(R) HB 1300 Full Text

The bill's history is given here:

75(R) HB 1300 Full Legislative History

And here is the legislative staff analysis of the bill:

75(R) HB 1300 House Committee Report - Bill Analysis
75(R) HB 1300 Engrossed version - Bill Analysis