Schools in Edinburgh have had their learning devices blocked from using any search engine other than Google over online safety fears.
It can also be revealed that Wikipedia cannot be accessed on school devices, although it remains unclear why they have decided to block a website which itself has described as an educational resource.
A letter, seen by The Herald, had been sent out to schools across the capital which stated that there needed to be a balance between the ability to teach and also the rights of the kids to have access to information.
The letter also states that issues with the filtering system meant children were able to access inappropriate content.
It comes after it was reported in October that primary school students had been able to access pornography and videos of executions on computers in public libraries because of an issue with filters, which the City of Edinburgh Council then said had been solved.
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It’s unclear if the two incidents are related but Councillor Joan Griffiths, the Education, Children and Families convener of the council admitted the decision was taken because some search engines allowed the ‘Safe Search’ function to be switched off.
Google was the only one which didn’t allow that to happen and it was decided to limit search engines to just that instead of others.
It was less clear why Wikipedia was blocked, though, with the Ms Griffiths saying a full review of Wikipedia is underway and a long term decision will be made on the website in the future.
The council were asked what sort of material had been available on Wikipedia that resulted in it being blocked but it was unable to say what the reasons were.
She said: “Our learners have access to an Empowered Learning iPad and these devices have a filtering agent applied that is able to filter both within the school and beyond. This means that students have filtered internet access whether using the iPad within the school environment, at home, or on a visit to another venue.
“Our filtering restrictions make use of Safe Search as a function, however we were made aware that some search engines were permitting Safe Search to be turned on and off. To ensure the safety of our learners, we have reduced and limited access to just one search engine, allowing for greater control and enhanced safety.
“To date, Wikipedia has been well utilised as an educational resource. However, the site does offer a wide range of topics, some which may not be appropriate for all age groups. We have suspended access to Wikipedia at present while we undertake a further comprehensive review.”
Wikipedia has been contacted for comment.
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