Programs for kids and surfing?

My neighbour asked me about programs that were good to protect her 9-year old son as best as possible from online garbage and pr0n.
Anyone know of any good programs (free or not) available?
Also to view where they have surfed?
Thanks.

 

>> My neighbour asked me about programs that were good to protect her 9-year old son as best as possible from online garbage and pr0n. Anyone know of any good programs (free or not) available? Also to view where they have surfed? << bocaj

I know of two of these types of applications that are both fully-functional freeware and are therefore free to download and use without any limitations on their functionality.

The first one is a program called: iProtectYouFREE which is a "Content Filtering" program that will allow some control over which web sites can be visited, which programs can have Internet access, block e-mails, chat sessions and instant messages with inappropriate words, stop annoying ads, and/or restrict internet time to a predetermined schedule.

If configured correctly; you can also get detailed information about your child’s online activity, etc. It will also allow you to set a schedule to specify days and times when on-line activity is allowed. iProtectYou allows you to set up the time interval when they can have Internet access, as well as the time interval when access will be prohibited. Note: The FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions] section of this is very thorough.

Parental Filter is another Internet Filtering Parental Control freeware software package that provides control over the web pages displayed allowing you to block internet web pages that exhibit inappropriate words, and or pictures. Parental Filter provides a "password protected" interface, and can run fully automatic in the background.

You can define the web sites that are "undesired" in addition to the already specified definitions. Parental Filter has a built-in large database of pre-defined, undesirable websites, and keywords. Parental Filter is also 100% freeware. Click here to check out "Parental Filter."

Important Note: I have tested these two and found both to be relatively easy to set-up and use. However these two are not the types of programs that you can simply download and start using immediately. To use them most effectively requires some knowledge of the various settings, options and methods of configuration.

A thorough reading of the included "HELP" files would go a long way in helping to understand how the program works; as well as how to use them most effectively. Therefore I would suggest that you advise your friend to download both and spend a little time trying them out first - before installing them on their child's machine.

Good Luck!

 

Naomi

 

Regarding Using Naomi Internet Filter:

I actually thoroughly tested Naomi quite a while back [as well as the other two programs I mentioned above]; and I do not recommend using it or even trying the Naomi Internet filter. If you want to drive yourself and your children entirely mad; this program will do it for you! <g> Seriously, although it is a 'good idea' and was likely originally created with 'good intentions' this program is definitely the worst "internet content filtering" type of program that I have ever tested.

First of all; by default, Naomi installs in ALL user accounts - including the administrator's account. This fact is not made clear 'prior to installing' - [at least not in the version I tested] - but is only mentioned briefly in a very remote FAQ section of the website; where the developer offers a workaround to this.

While testing Naomi; from time to time it would suddenly and inadvertently display "access violation" errors with no explanation at all as to why; and occasionally the nagging error "iexplore.exe" also appeared. This would freeze the screen and crashed the system entirely; requiring a push-button reboot.

Additionally, this program 'works' [and I use this term loosely] a little too well and will shut down the entire browser - with no warning or reason given why - if it 'detects' anything even remotely related to offensive behavior, content or comments. The parental user cannot add "trusted" and/or "blocked sites" to the filter because Naomi does not have this capability.

This 'feature' can be quite annoying too: If you have "multiple windows" open with Internet Explorer, Maxthon or Firefox, the Naomi program will shut down ALL of the windows, and not just the one individual page which may or may not be actually accessing any inappropriate content. This is because Naomi 'analyzes' all internet traffic and blocks the offending application, be it a web browser or another kind of software application.

But the absolute worst thing about this application is: If you cannot remember the password which you originally set; you cannot safely uninstall and/or remove the Naomi Internet filter from your computer [or alter any of the settings you made prior to forgetting the password!]:

From the Naomi Website’s own FAQ:
Q: I can't remember my password. I need help to find my password and remove the filter.

A: Sorry, the password is under your care. For security reasons, such requests will not receive any reply. All password removal requests will be ignored.

What security reasons? Offering absolutely no "back door" for something as common as a user forgetting the Naomi program's password; and consequentially being unable to safely uninstall the program is the single biggest reason not to download and install this program. If you try to remove the program by deleting the program folder; it leaves numerous 'leftovers' all over the place on your computer, and can cause additional 'conflicts.'

To top all this off; the author has recently abandoned the program. Here is a snippet of a recent "note" from Ren (author of Naomi) which was added to the Naomi site on May 20, 2006:

"It's been a long time since I have released the first version of Naomi, and your comments and suggestions have been determinative. Unfortunately, though, I don't have time to devote to Naomi anymore as I'm busy with my job. Since I don't have any collaborators, I simply cannot work on this project anymore.

Honestly, even if I could find some spare time, I don't think it's worth it. Being a one-person project, working to improve Naomi, trying to make it compatible with current technologies, and giving free email support, is difficult enough. However, many users don't seem to care, as they seem to prefer criticizing instead of helping"

No surprise here at all, folks... After I tested the program I sent an extremely polite e-mail [considering all the problems I had while testing it] suggesting possible fixes, improvements, etc. and got a snarling one-line response: "Well, if you don't like the program you can uninstall it! You can find links to other free filters on the main page"

Good Luck!

 

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