At Panera you can't read this

At Panera, you can't read this.

Okay, so what's this all about? If you're sitting in a Panera Bread restaurant right now, you can't read this, because they block all access to Buzznet sites! Supposedly (according to the blocked site screen that popped up last time I tried to access http://pipilo.buzznet.com) because the site contains swimwear. I checked my site and realized that in fact it does contain swimwear, in the three photos I posted of my son surfing with his friends. Oh my!

Is anybody else experiencing such censorship? I notice also that the entire Buzznet site is blocked. Panera has a great wireless Internet access policy. It's free and unlimited, which gives me a great place to sit and surf the net a bit between my daytime job and my nighttime job. I get a bowl of soup and I'm all set for the evening. Now this. Ugh.

I asked one of the Panera employees about it and he said that it's a "Christian company" and they don't put up with things like swimsuits on the Internet. Oh my god. Are these people crazy? Are they worshipping the same God I know? Somehow I doubt it. Somehow I wonder if the employee really knows what he's talking about. It can't be true. I know the "Christian Right" sometimes goes a little overboard, but this is ridiculous.

I emailed the Panera censorship company, thee "SonicWALL Content Filter Service" run by ICOACorp.com and they said they'd check into it and, if appropriate, unblock my site within 72 hours.

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Comments (9)

	axa13: 08/05/2005 1:45 PM INSANE
	ArtsySF ©: 08/05/2005 2:53 PM Absolutely insane! Censorship on our Buzznet sites?
	heatherdawn: 08/05/2005 4:38 PM LOL :) Um, I think christians use swimwear, too. :P I'm mad at them now. They don't seem to mind charging $8.50 for a sandwich, though. How christian. ;)
	farmlife: 08/05/2005 8:17 PM LOL heatherdawn, I am hoping they wear swimsuits! This is just wierd & sad, I don't know what to think. What about the news sites, some of the stuff they report on would definitely be questionable "man locks padlock around testicles" (not kidding 10news.com) but a blanket censorship on swimsuits.
	tesstermulo: 08/06/2005 11:04 AM Christians wear swimsuits too when they go to the beach. What were they thinking?
	teeree: 08/06/2005 8:24 PM yeah, I got blocked at a Panera too.
	pipilo: 08/06/2005 8:26 PM I'm still waiting for their response. I've asked them what's the problem with "my" buzznet site. Looks like they're blocking the entire domain (buzznet.com) rather than individual subdomains. Sheesh. Well, it was too good to last. I'll be boycotting their food until I'm unblocked.
	happyhobo: 08/09/2005 9:14 AM That is ridiculous. Who do I call?
	matt: 09/04/2005 8:15 AM Keep us posted! I'm all for limiting things that shouldn't be seen by minors (and that's about the only time I ever think censorship is appropriate), but swimwear? Swimwear?