Internet Filtering Software

Internet Filters The Internet can be a great power for good in the lives of our children. On the other hand, it can allow material into our homes which we would otherwise never consider allowing. It can be a tool which allows our children to have intellectual wings we never dreamed of, or it can be an instrument of great destruction. It is a tool, that is all. The power for how it is used is in our hands. While some in the media would holler censorship, I don't feel there is anything wrong with deciding what material enters my house, or is placed in front of my children when they are young and impressionable. Let me be very clear, I am strongly opposed to censorship and government intervention. It is a parents' responsibility, in conjunction with the family as a whole to decide what is appropriate for that family. If you want to monitor Internet activity at your house, there are two basic choices, a browser which sets up the entire Internet environment, or a filter which acts as a sieve, filtering out unwanted material. None are perfect answers, but I have found they are a help.

Browsers

What is a filtering browser? There are a handful of companies which market browsers which create a child-friendly environment. These browsers generally have lists of appropriate and interesting links, as well as block access to inappropriate links. The strength of these browsers is that the environment is more strictly monitored. The weakness is that much of the flexibility and decision making is out of your hands.

Surfin' Annette From Spycatcher

Features and opinions:

• For children 18 and younger
• Does not allow e-mail, FTP or Usenet access
• Works only with Internet Explorer

The screen appears much like an ordinary browser other than the bright colors and cheerful icons. Your children will be blocked from sites which have been deemed inappropriate for children, and it will monitor search engine input.

Surf Monkey From Bandai Entertainment

Features and opinions:

• For children 13 and younger (older kids will find it too juvenile)
• Updates can be gathered as often as you like
• Monitored chat rooms

Surf Monkey creates a spaceship environment piloted by your new friend Surf Monkey. Robbie Robot tells you when you are entering areas which are not safe. Your kids can slime or blow up sites they are done visiting rather than simply exiting.

Updated note 9/22/00: I have signed my kids up for this site and have decided it has the best privacy Policy around. Avoid Mamamedia at all cost. Very bad handling of some problems we had with unauthorized screen names! SurfMonkey runs from a website at this point as well. Great site, and effective browser filter. We found it even deleted swear words from some sites my older son was reading.

Electronic SchoolHouse From Electronic SchoolHouse

Features and opinions:

• Appropriate for all ages
• School-like atmosphere
• Areas for children, parents and teachers with separate links and information · Monitored bulletin boards and chat rooms
• Cool site of the month as well as other interesting links which rotate on front page
• Access to good reference material and sites for school work

This browser has a more school-like feel to it. Feels more "grown-up" than the other browsers, but a bit more cluttered than Surfin' Annette. More useable information here than elsewhere. You must dial in to their server, however, which is different than most other filters.

Internet Filters

What is an Internet filter? A filter is a program which is installed on your computer and works in the background. The filter watches what goes on at all times and denies access to specified material, sites, or information. Each of these programs requires some sort of updating, and there is generally a small yearly fee for the updates unless otherwise noted.

X-STOP From Logon

Features and opinions:

• Extremely thorough blocking of sites
• Tends to bog down computer systems which are not powerful enough
• Filters pornography as well as hate speech, bomb making etc.
• Does not filter e-mail or links sent via e-mail
• Did not work very well with America Online
• Blocks so many words it can become cumbersome as it blocks in other Windows applications

One of the most thorough filters around. It has been met with some press tirades because it was blocking too many sites. For a family who wants an extremely tight block of all objectionable sites, this program is wonderful. This program set up an atmosphere of distrust in our house.

Cyber Sentinel From Security Software Systems

Features and opinions:

• Best program if you are using America Online (blocked e-mail, IM's and chat room violations!)
• Ability to add predatory statements like "can I call you?"
• Blocks only for pornography unless you add other words manually
• Requires no updating ever!
• Choose to warn, close application, take a screen shot or any combination
• Allows pages to load before stopping allowing some graphics to slip through the cracks
• Runs in stealth mode

Updated note 9/22/00: This is still my current favorite. I had some problems with the latest edition however, and would not run to upgrade. I like the older version of this program better. Lest 'glitchy.'

Surf Watch From Surf Watch/A division of Spyglass

Features and opinions:

• This was our personal favorite
• Does a good job blocking search engine entries
• Did not slow our systems down or cause freezes
• Blocking not as thorough as X-Stop, but was less intrusive
• Reminds you to update filters every month if you forget to do it
• Demo available for download

Filters which are configurable for multiple users

Net Nanny From Net Nanny Software International Inc.

Feature and opinions:

• Easy to add personal information you want blocked
• Block certain areas or information for one family member and not another
• Easier to use than Cyber Patrol, but not as full featured

Cyber Patrol From The Learning Company

Features and Opinions:

• One of the best sellers in filtering software
• Supports multiple users
• Allows you to set off limit times for each family member (i.e. No Internet access for Mary after 9 PM)
• Does not automatically block search engine input
• Caused both of our systems to freeze frequently
• Some inappropriate sites slipped through the cracks
• Although it claims to work well with America Online, we were not pleased with it's performance

If your main objective is to monitor time on the Internet, this is a great program. Otherwise, we found it too hard to figure out and too hard on our computer systems.

Programs that run in stealth mode behind the scenes

These "stealth" program are made to run behind the scenes without anyone's knowledge. These are not as good for filtering, but are great if you simply need to 'see what is going on.' I don't recommend this 'sneaky' approach too often, but there are times it can be extremely valuable, especially when you feel a predator may be zeroing in on a child.

Update note: 9/22/00: CyberSentinel also runs in stealth mode very effectively. I now leave this running in stealth mode at all times, and don't feel the least bit uneasy about it.

Cyber Snoop From Pearl Software

Features and opinions:

• Allows you to monitor exactly what your children do on the Internet without their knowing
• Does not block sites unless you request a list from them
• Each site beyond that small list you want blocked must be manually entered
• Allows you to make each and every decision as to which sites and activities are blocked
• A bit cumbersome for parents who don't want to manually enter everything
• Great for parents who just want to see what is going on and not filter…yet

Cyber Sitter From Solid Oak Software Inc.

Features and opinions:

• Similar to Cyber Snoop except it comes with a list of blockable sites
• Sites can be updated daily
• Context sensitive phrasing (looks for how a word is used)
• Delivers DNS or customize messages from parent when a blocked site is accessed
• Can be purchased with an anti-Spam program that looks very nice as well

So which filter do I purchase? The bottom line is that you need to first decide why you are purchasing a filter or filtering browser. It is also vitally important to educate your children about Internet safety, and let them know why you are installing a filter. If you just stick a program on your machine which will start flashing warnings, you will quickly set up an atmosphere of distrust which you don't want. You also don't want to lay the gauntlet down, offering your teens a challenge to find something that is not filtered. Please, keep the doors of communication on this

Great places to buy software- and they keep this site free of charge!