Princess censoring shipboard E-mail

[Chip AZ]

Currently on the Sea Princess heading for Dublin. It seems that if someone sends you an off color joke the ships computers won't let you access your e-mail. You get a message about management not allowing you to view content. It's a hotmail account. I can get around it by using my laptop on the ship's wireless. But if I didn't have my laptop I wouldn't be able to send or receive e-mail, which could ruin your day.

[gizmo]

Not receiving an off color joke would ruin your day ? I find this amazing.

[Toto2Kansas]

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm, now that is interesting. But then, I doubt that not reading a joke with a sensitive topic or wording would ruin my day.

I guess security is alive and well and living on Princess.:D

[ewheelock]

They won't let you see any of you email or just the off color email? I'm with the other posters, why would that ruin you day unless you couldn't get any of you email

[Lynda90]

Might just be me, but seems there are more fun things to do than to read off-color email jokes. Enough of that stuff going around at home; sure don't need it on a relaxing vacation.

[Pam in CA]

My guess is that the Princess systems have a content filter to protect it's passengers from receiving inappropriate email. That's fine with me! Libraries do it... why not Princess? If you absolutely, positively have to see off-color jokes, you should consider going to an in-port internet cafe. I bet they'll let you say just about anything.

[rkdahl]

This is actually a function of the router/firewall onboard the ship. It is very common and in use by many businesses and especially places with public access computers. The owner can select from a menu that displays items, words, or web sites with objectionable content they want to filter. Any content with these items in them are not displayed to the end user and a canned message pops up on the desktop.

 

Most of the high end router/firewall like Cisco, etc have a subscription service that allow the owner to subscribe to. This is a constant changing updated list of objectionable content. As web sites get created the firewall is constantly updated to prevent access to the objectionable site.

 

The owner can decide what they want filtered by selecting from extensive menus that filter entire categories of things out or even just specific words. Some times seemingly innocent things can be accidently filtered out or locked out because of a word or an imbedded web link or a picture.

[Toto2Kansas]

Gosh, kind of makes you wonder what the email contained for it to be filtered out? Maybe it's good you didn't read it. LOL

[Stevesan]

It wouldn't ruin my day either, but it's none of their dam business!

 

It's already on the net for all the world to see. Obviously the internet manager has read it, and probably shared it with buddies. But s/he's decided that the addressee is too delicate to view the content.

 

We're all too readily beginning to accept interference into our lives. We certainly don't need some two bit shipboard censor blocking our mail:mad:

[Pam in CA]

It wouldn't ruin my day either, but it's none of their dam business!

 

It's already on the net for all the world to see. Obviously the internet manager has read it, and probably shared it with buddies. But s/he's decided that the addressee is too delicate to view the content.

 

We're all too readily beginning to accept interference into our lives. We certainly don't need some two bit shipboard censor blocking our mail:mad:

You're right... it isn't their business. But the Internet Cafe is in an open and public area accessible to all passengers of all ages and Princess has the right to use standard content blockers. And, the internet manager doesn't read everyone's email. As has been explained, there are automated content blockers which means that this must have been some pretty off-off-color humor to be picked up. The OP was able to receive and view the email on his laptop so he really must have wanted to read it.

[Chip AZ]

It won't let me read any of my e-mail. I could care less about the jokes. I'm not surfing porn here.

 

My beef is as that I need e-mail comunication. If someone should add an expelitive here or there I don't see it as the cruise line business deciding what's good for me and I don't need them blocking all my entire e-mail service. As I said I can use my own laptop and get around it, but put yourselves in my shoes if you didn't have a laptop.

[spongerob]

Is it filtering based on content, or attachments? Could be a file size issue, too.

[rkdahl]

Obviously the internet manager has read it, and probably shared it with buddies. But s/he's decided that the addressee is too delicate to view the content.

 

Again...this is NOT a human doing the filtering. It is a computer router/firewall that is totally automated and doesn't have a clue who's email or web site or objectionable word is in the content. It's just matching the content against a list and if it's on that list it will not display. As a previous person said it's just like the library or any other place that has public computers. It's trying to protect from your 10 year old kid accidently surfing to a porn site for example.

 

It won't let me read any of my e-mail. I could care less about the jokes. I'm not surfing porn here.

 

My beef is as that I need e-mail comunication.

 

Chip,

Talk to one of the Internet guys onboard and definitely try a different PC. I had a similar problem on the Star Princess. I came back later and used another PC terminal in the cafe and it worked fine. Note that some of the Internet Cafe staff are very knowledgeable and helpful and some only know how to reboot. Try and find the former.

 

You should be able to get to your email system and at least see your email list unless there is objectionable content in a email message title. Is this Yahoo or Hotmail or a local ISP email?

[Chip AZ]

It's MSN Hotmail and I just using their regular e-mail page that anyone can use from any computer. With my laptop I use my own MSN account. It's not a big deal really. It just bothers me that they get to decide what I can read. I can understand them limiting the sites that can be seen on their computers, there are kids on the ship and in the internet cafe. I agree that one shouldn't be allowed to look at "those sites" in view of other passengers.

 

I guess there are those that still think Clark Gable should of said "Frankly Dear I don't give a darn".

[Ethel5]

Great for Princess!

 

There are some passengers who would be the first to sue because Princess allowed little Mortimer to see a naughty word on a computer 6 feet away. Sheesh.:rolleyes:

[TEXASMUNK]

It is a filter!

 

Not a bunch of guys pouring over mundane e-mails. The filter is set to block junk, spam, key words, key phrases.

 

Lighten up!

 

I need the internet while on a cruise, and use it. I appreciate the fact that the cruise line is not letting little Johnny stare at a screen and visiting xxx sites while mommy and daddy are laying by the pool!!!

[HurricaneSally]

I dont' see this as a big deal, after all, the computers belong to them and they don't want any crap in their memories for whatever reason.

[pounder207]

I initially thought the block on my hotmail was for "content" as the screen message indicated. Upon reflection, I concluded it blocked the multiple attachments I receive. Of course, the effect was that I could not conduct business on the Princess computers, but since I had been forewarned I had brought my laptop. Regrettably, the wifi areas on the Crown Princess are IMHO ridiculously limited. On the other hand, the chocolate chip cookies in the International Cafe were delightful.

[Chip AZ]

My lawyers would argue that if little Mortimer's parents were stupid enough to raise him to read other people's e-mails over their shoulders, they got the filthy child that they deserved.

 

After I deleted the offending e-mail, it works again from the ships computers. A rainy day here in Scotland and good old cruise critc is keeping me entertained. In fact the internet works pretty good on this ship, at a fraction of the cost that other lines charge.

[RetireeWannabee]

Attachments can contain viruses - they have every right to protect their environment.

 

You got it right - if you need to conduct business via internet during your cruise, you should bring your own equipment. The onboard offerings are merely a courtesy.

 

I don't think that a spam filter could ascertain the contents of emails within my Yahoo account beyond the fact that they have attachments.

[Chip AZ]

I initially thought the block on my hotmail was for "content" as the screen message indicated. Upon reflection, I concluded it blocked the multiple attachments I receive. Of course, the effect was that I could not conduct business on the Princess computers, but since I had been forewarned I had brought my laptop. Regrettably, the wifi areas on the Crown Princess are IMHO ridiculously limited. On the other hand, the chocolate chip cookies in the International Cafe were delightful.

 

There is no way to add an attachment from the ships computer, so if you want to do that you do need to bring your laptop. I have been on other ships that would accept flash cards, but not here. It would be nice to have internet access in your cabin by eithernet or wireless. It's a long walk to the hotspot. There are no cookies in the internet cafe.

[cruise182]

It is a filter!

 

Not a bunch of guys pouring over mundane e-mails. The filter is set to block junk, spam, key words, key phrases.

 

Lighten up!

 

I need the internet while on a cruise, and use it. I appreciate the fact that the cruise line is not letting little Johnny stare at a screen and visiting xxx sites while mommy and daddy are laying by the pool!!!

So what you are saying is the cruise line should be the parent for little Johnny? I don’t expect or even want the cruise line playing “parent” 2ndly, they can filter out XXX web sites without filtering out ones email account depriving them of being able to read ANY of their emails because one email subject contains an off color word. A passenger is under the assumption that when they book a Princess cruise they will be able to read and send emails to family, work, place of business..yada yada yada. It could really screw up a passenger that relies on emails in order to take a vacation. I understand that the cruise line has every right to censor, but this is just another example of how we are no longer responsible for ourselves but rather we want some one to protect our selves which comes with a price. Less freedom.

 

If you want to be protected from the outside world, to be told what you can and can not read, told what you are allowed to say and when you can say it, mails read before they are sent and received, there is a place for you…it is called prison. But you will not be free.

 

As Inscribed on the front of the national Archives in Washington, D.C

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”

 

Once we stop being personally responsible, we will not be free but rather governed by those who protect and shelter us.

[peterv]

I fully agree with you, Princess should not filter anything!

 

The PC's that they use do not allow you to save items or execute programs, so they have protected their systems, however they are providing a service and it is not their business to block items that are in your personal email.

 

If they wish to block sites, that is their business, but they should have no right to block content in your personal email.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[rkdahl]

WOW...I find the response to this quite amazing. I'm sure some of you screaming about your right to have unfiltered email access would be the exact same people screaming at Princess or filing a lawsuit if you and your young children walked past a terminal with an email pornographic joke being displayed.

 

I've personally worked on PC networks where we have put content filters in place. We put them there at the request of the facility administration after people were viewing CLEARLY inappropriate content (words and pictures) from a room were other PC's were located next to each other. There were also children in this facility regularly.

 

We could not place each computer in it's own partition with a locked door so therefore people could easily walk around the room (as in the Internet Cafe) and see what was being displayed on other terminals that were right next to them or behind them. I can assure you you absolutley cannot depend on users controlling their content, intentionally or accidently. It does not work in a public place, period.

 

We worked with the building administration to achieve a reasonable level of filtering without impacting normal internet and email. Occassionally we found we had to adjust the filter to reflect the needs of the users or to protect the other guests. This particular facility was a transitional medical facility housing temporary transplant patients.

 

So those that need unfiltered internet access, bring your own laptops and please sit with your back to the wall.:)

[Ethel5]

Nowhere does it state that the ship has to provide internet access. So, if you didn't have access at all, what would you do? I'm sure that people wouldn't stop cruising just because they couldn't log on!