Sites containing Torah contents that are blocked by NetFree
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From time to time the question arises, "Why can't I watch or listen to a Torah shiur or lecture? Why block torah websites? What 'bad' content does the Torah contain?!". These questions come in several different forms depending on the particular website which triggered the question.
In some websites the videos are blocked, there are three possibilities why this may be, each with it's own unique explanation:
- The videos have a button to submit them for reviewal - reason: the videos are stored on youtube.com or vimeo.com, despite the fact that they are being accessed from a Torah website, the videos are hosted on an external website of which all it's content must be screened. This is a difficult concept for non-technical people to grasp but is true and a necessary part of the filter.
- There is no option to submit the videos for reviewal yet they don't load - reason: the website's classification requires that videos be blocked, depending on technical limitations, it may be possible to submit videos for reviewal, please submit a ticket including the address of the page used to access the video.
- When opening a video the user gets redirected to the "bad content" block-page - reason: either the video was screened and blocked or the video is hosted on a blocked website. Getting this block-page does not mean that the video contains "bad content", who are we to say that Torah is bad, merely it means that we cannot open the video.
In other cases pages may be blocked by the Text Robot, here too one may ask what can be so bad in the Torah that the robot deems it unworthy of our eyes?! It is important to realize that the robot may be wrong, while we do utilize AI (artificial intelligence) it is still a far cry from the real thing. Submit a ticket (no need for a point) and with that simple act you may help NetFree improve. In cases where the robot is not wrong, the answer to this is actually quite simple, the question(s) contain vulgar or un-clean language and so the page was rightfully blocked.
In other Torah websites some sections are entirely blocked (typically, 'ask the rabbi'), here too one may ask how dare we block any part of the Torah, moreover there is nothing on these websites that can't be found in print in any Jewish Library?! The answer is multi-faceted:
- Due to the sensitivity of some topics, vague or roundabout language is commonly used which escapes detection by the robot.
- Not every topic which can be found in a sefer is appropriate for the internet. Not only because they cater to different audiences, but more importantly because one does not open a sefer out of boredom unlike the internet which unfortunately is a common outlet for boredom and like chaza"l teach us: שעמום מביא לידי חטא. When one is learning Torah, Torah Magna u'Matzlah, but when one is surfing out of boredom what will gaurd him then?
- Some questions give ideas that we are better-off without.
- Some questions are read only because of the yetzer hara, the question is not relevant to you nor will it ever be relevant to you (b"h), your are not a posek who needs to know what to answer when asked the same question. If the question is so irrelevant to you why are you attracted to it? Why read it? Is it the will to learn Torah? Highly unlikely!
- Some topics are okay for individuals, whether they are poskim or talmidei chachamim learning a sugya, professionals who need it for their training, or one who needs an answer for a relevant question, but for the general public they are considered off limits. The lacking ability to automatically distinguish between the topics is a reason on its own or at least a factor in the decision the block the entire section.