Council staff tried to access pornography and gambling websites

Council officers, the majority of whom are working from home, have been trying to access gambling websites, pornography and social media on work computers.

Blocked: Edinburgh City Council staff attempted to access 'inappropriate' websites

A freedom of information request, submitted to Edinburgh City Council by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, revealed that over the last six months the local authority’s IT providers have had to block employees trying to access restricted material on the internet.

Between June 1 and November 30 2020, employees attempted to access content relating to games, gambling, pornography, dating, and violence.

The council’s IT providers block access to content according to set restricted categories.

Aside from adult material, gambling and violence, the council also restricts access to categories such as ‘marijuana’, ‘alternative beliefs’, and ‘lingerie and swimwear’.

According to a council spokesperson, alternative beliefs are defined as ‘websites that provide information about or promote spiritual beliefs not included in global religion, or other non-conventional or folkloric beliefs and practices.’

The council’s IT providers also block access to material related to abortion.

A spokesperson for the Edinburgh City Council said: “Our employees may need to use the internet for work purposes.

“To ensure that we protect both our staff and our systems we operate within a clear ICT acceptable use policy which everyone is required to comply with.

“We also apply rigorous system controls to block access to a variety of websites which are not compatible with our policy or the council’s code of conduct.

“If anyone is identified as trying to access an inappropriate site, the matter would be investigated and appropriate disciplinary action taken.”

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