Internet Privacy, Filters Debated at West Virginia Tech Conference.

Byline: Jim Balow

Sep. 27--People who know Hilary Chiz and her work with the state ACLU might find it odd that she allied herself Tuesday with a Christian-oriented Internet provider that blocks access to pornographic and hate Web sites.

Chiz, who seems to earn the scorn of some Christians whenever she speaks out against organized school prayer, said she and the ACLU have no problem with Internet providers like CIS of Scott Depot that market filters to individuals and families.

"If you have strong feelings, you should avail yourself of such services," she said during a break at a technology conference at the Charleston Civic Center.

Chiz and Greg Eiler, founder of a company originally called Christian Internet Services, were the two panelists in an hour-long discussion of Internet privacy at the West Virginia Information Technology Conference and Exposition.

While the two agreed that people need to be wary of the lack of privacy on the Internet, they disagreed on whether state government should use Internet filters to keep state employees from visiting porn or other "inappropriate" sites while at work.

At the urging of Gov. Cecil Underwood, state purchasing officials are weighing bids for filters that would block access to some Web sites on about 35,000 computers used by state workers. Eiler and his assistant, Sally Blessing, said filters would be a better way to block inappropriate use than the alternative -- tracking the Internet use of individual state workers.