Overprotective SonicWall

Hmm. Apparently Panera’s content filter blocks Chris Baldwin’s Bruno comic strip as being in the forbidden category “cult/occult.” Um, huh? Blocking Bruno and not, say, Sluggy Freelance for that category seems a bit odd.

Also odd: the comic strip Questionable Content and Scary Go Round (“adult/mature content”) are blocked and Least I Could Do and Diesel Sweeties are not. Errant Story is blocked as “pornography” (better cool it with the naked elf stuff!). And Achewood is passed through scot-free.

Their filter is SonicWALL. I haven’t heard of them before but it’s the same old story. Do I need to point out the obvious? Content filters are brain dead. They don’t work. They end up blocking legitimate sites and harming their reputations. And there’s no appeal.