"Vince" said in news:
[email protected]:
I have DSL, my provider told me that they have no parental control,
that I would have to use my computer, like a TV. My question is i
have XP and would like to know how to go about controling websites
and e-mails for my two girl. Can you please help
Enable Content Advisor in Internet Explorer. However, this relies on a
web site categorizing itself and announcing that definition to IE when
it connects there. Do you trust scum to properly categorize themselves
or even bother? Also, this only works for IE, not for any other browser
that can be used instead.
Buy content software, like CyberPatrol (never used it, just heard of
it). You could use firewall software that includes parental control,
like Norton Internet Security. Then spend the time to decide if you
will specify where they can go (i.e., compile a big long whitelist) or
if you will restrict to where they can go (i.e., compile an even more
huge blacklist which you will never complete). I believe NIS also
filters by categories but, again, that depends on the web site actually
declaring their categories; however, I think NIS, and probably
CyberPatrol and others like it, also have their own lists of URLs by
category so you don't have to rely on a web site being honest. If you
do a Google search on CyberPatrol, you'll find there are problems with
using it, like the fact they are not held accountable for who they
blacklist and they are trying to keep secret who they blacklist so those
blacklisted can have an open discussion with CyberPatrol to qualify the
ban. The same problem occurs with NIS which won't let you see its list
of sites and how it categorized them. In the same way you are sloughing
off your responsibility to regulate and monitor your kids' use of the
Internet, you are also sloughing off the responsibility of specifying
where they can go because you have no idea of the contents of the lists
are being used to ban sites. It's like contracting someone to build a
new house for you but having them refuse to let you see the blueprints.
Decide on how much time and money you're going to waste on thwarting
your children (who always seem to have more time and persistence to undo
your security) rather than educating them. The schools, television, and
software are not substitutes for parenting. Also note that hiding
something generally piques their curiosity about it. Control should get
replaced with guidance as the kids get older so it really depends on how
old are the kids and what you've done so far to educate them.
