Meetinghouse Internet Filtering Being Updated in May
Contributed By Marianne Holman Prescott, Church News staff writer
To help promote the proper use of the meetinghouse internet, many non-Church related websites and apps will be blocked.
“Non-Church-related internet use in meetinghouses often creates difficulty for those who are trying to use it for Church purposes.” —My Callings email notice
Beginning in May, the current list of filtered sites on Church-provided internet in meetinghouses will be updated to block access to additional social media, streaming, and gaming sites. The Church provides internet in meetinghouses for gospel learning and instruction, to support administrative functions, and to further the purposes of the Church.
To ensure these goals can be met, the Church’s filtering policy is periodically reviewed to improve the experience of those who use internet services for Church purposes; sites that absorb high levels of bandwidth for non-Church-related use or have inappropriate content are filtered.
“Non-Church-related internet use in meetinghouses often creates difficulty for those who are trying to use it for Church purposes,” it says in a My Callings email notice to stake and district presidents; bishops and branch presidents; stake and district clerks; and technology specialists on May 1.
In an effort to promote “the proper use of the meetinghouse internet,” the following additional non-Church related websites and apps will be blocked:
- Tumblr
- MySpace
- Snapchat
- Flixster
- Xfinity TV
- Spotify
- Pandora
- Rhapsody
- Netflix
- Hulu
- Soundcloud
- Zynga
- Clash of Clans
- Big Fish Games
- Gamespot
