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Parent's Internet Tips
A family guide to Internet content censoring and access control
Copied from Bible Baptist Church of Jefferson City, Missouri
Parents are in a tough spot these days because of the proliferation of computers throughout the home and 'always on' Internet connections. Back when families had a single computer - probably in the living room - Internet control was easy. Your kids always had someone looking over their shoulder at what they were doing. They stayed clear of the 'bad stuff' because they were being watched.
As parents upgrade to newer models of computers, the old ones end up in the kid's bedroom - out of parental sight. Many of these computers have full-time Internet connections too because of the popularity of broadband modems and Internet connection sharing devices (broadband routers).
Some schools of thought say that children should simply be 'taught' what
content to stay away from. Others say that no matter how much teaching
you do, they're kids and will look at the stuff anyway. In the end, it
is a parent's choice. The level of censorship, blocking and monitoring
are family decisions that should be decided and handled in the home -
not in the courts. This series of articles will explain the tools
available to parents wishing to exercise their right to censor and block
what their children have access to on the Internet.
Classes of Tools and Methods
There are four primary categories for Family Internet Control. They are:
Physical Monitoring
Access Blocking
Censorship
- by ISP (including AOL)
- by Hardware
- by Software
Electronic Monitoring
Physical Monitoring
This is the old standby. Simply put the computer in a public area of the house and walk by now and then. Your kids will understand that they need to stick to the family agreeable Internet content. They will still sneak stuff in, but the intimidation factor will be enough to deter most things. If the kids are ever home alone, you need to pair this with Access Blocking.
Access Blocking
In Windows:
Simply put, add user ID's and passwords to your computers and don't give them to the kids! This does not work with Windows 95/98/ME since simply pressing 'cancel' at the login prompt will bypass anything that looks like security (nice going Microsoft). Windows 2000 and Windows XP have robust security models that can not be easily bypassed. When you want your kids to have access to the computer, log in for them.
In a Broadband Router:
Access blocking can also be done on the ROUTER level. Some broadband routers will allow you to specify times that the Internet is accessible. Others allow different ports to be accessible under one schedule and other ports under other schedules. Using one of these routers, email and IM traffic could be allowed while web traffic is blocked. Some research needs to be done to find a router that works for you if you need port based and time based Internet access blocking.
Censorship
Censorship is the most popular form of Internet control. It can also be done on the hardware or software or even the ISP level. Keep in mind that censorship can't solve everything. Some software does not block enough, some software blocks too much.
Companies that write censorship 'block lists' have come under fire for blocking political sites and statements critical of their practices. Censorship is a HOT topic but I would like to keep things focused on the HOME - not schools, libraries or anything else. Censorship is a parents right to exorcise as they see fit.
http://www.eff.org/Censorship/Censorware
ISP Based Blocking
ISP's with parental controls fall into two categories. AOL and everyone else. AOL's parental controls are some of the best and don not require any extra expense on the parents side to set up. They are also easy to configure.
QUOTE FROM AOL:
"AOL has four Parental Controls category levels. You can choose from the Kids Only (ages 12 and under), Young Teen (ages 13-15), Mature Teen (ages 16-17), and General Access (ages 18 and older) categories. Each category has a different level of access to information on AOL and the rest of the Internet and to features that allow member to communicate with others online (including Instant Message conversations, chat rooms, newsgroups and e-mail). Using the Custom Controls accessible from the Set Parental Controls window, you can adjust the controls to best suit your child's maturity.
You can change the Parental Controls categories or Custom Controls at any time. We recommend that you periodically review the Parental Controls settings for your child. You may find that child has grown beyond the settings or that you are not taking full advantage of Parental Controls."
Mark, a HomeNetHelp reader writes:
"AOL's parental controls are great. You can set time limits that the children are online each day. You can restrict the hours they are online by time of day & day of week (Monday & Tuesday's are big homework nights so you must be offline by 9PM). You can restrict viewing of website entirely or you can allow age-specific websites. You can restrict Instant Messaging or whether the child can send or receive e-mail (you can even restrict e-mail coming from specific domains or mailboxes). You can restrict access to chat rooms and only allow "kids" chat rooms."
Link: AOL Parental Controls
There are also other family oriented ISP's out there that do content filtering for parents. None of these support broadband - only dial-up service. Usually religious in nature, these ISP's have come under a lot of criticism for blocking more than profanity and violence. Remember these ISP's will block content from you as well as your kids. Since they only support 56k modems, I will not delve into them much further. To find an ISP that supports censoring, click this link:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=family+ISP
Hardware Based Family Control
Broadband routers are becoming more and more family friendly. Networking companies are starting to recognize the need for advanced blocking and filtering capabilities in today's home - not just in corporate America. We have yet to see widely adopted family access control in broadband routers but there are a few companies making some progress.
Hardware Solution Categories
Port Blocking Hardware:
Applications like WEB, email, FTP, on-line games and even most IM programs use specific TCP/IP 'ports'. Many broadband routers allow the blocking of specific or ranges of ports. Using port blocking, access can be granted to some applications while keeping others blocked. This feature is most effective when combined with access control lists (ACL). ACL's allow you to specify what computers are subject to the port blocking rules and what computers can bypass them. Some routers even include the ability to 'time' the rules
Port blocking can provide a part of solution but can not be considered complete since it is simply access control, not content control (censorship).
String Filtering:
String filtering in broadband routers is fairly useless. By adding 'strings' of letters and words to the filter, sites can be blocked by URL. For instance a filter of 'xxx' will block many porn sites with xxx in their name but will do nothing for other porn sites. Maintaining a comprehensive list of strings to filter out is exhaustive work and impossible for a parent. If there's one or two sites you don’t want your kids to get to, string filtering works but fails for any larger plans.
Router with CyberNOT:
Category blocking A few manufacturers have worked with CyberPatrol to include their CyberNot content blocking software right into the broadband routers themselves. CyberPatrol catches a lot of criticism about its use in schools and libraries but I think it is a great solution for parents when integrated into a broadband router.
The current firewall/router manufacturers that support CyberPatrol are ZyXEL, NetGear, WatchGuard and SonicWall. A CyberPatrol subscription can cost $50-$100 a year on top of the cost of one of these advanced routers. The subscription service allows the router to keep itself updated with the latest 'block lists ' from the CyberPatrol web site. Once set up, these router solutions are easy to maintain and are very effective at what they do.
Limitations:
Cyberpatrol classifies objectionable Internet content into 16 categories. These categories can be enabled and disabled by a parent. The list of sites themselves are "controlled" and can not be viewed by parent. Also, cyberpatrol lists provide WEB SITE blocking. It sdoes nothing for any other services chat rooms, email, and instant messengers.
In the Future:
There are many companies working on 'family gateways' to the Internet that will include internet sharing, content blocking, privacy security and more. Most of these solutions are still in development but I expect a whole new class of 'family gateways' to arrive on the market soon. See:
http://www.dobox.com/Software/index.php?c=Family_Firewall
Content blocking software can be the easiest and least expensive form of family Internet control. A copy needs to be installed on each child's computer and does not affect the other computers in your home. Averaging $40-$50 per computer, it is well worth the expense if the software knowing your children do not have access to most of the offensive material on the Internet.
Understanding the Software Features
There are MANY products available for family Internet control; each with their own unique feature set. I have broken the main features down so you can better understand both your family's needs and the features of the content blocking software. The next page will look at some of the software available along with my personal recommendations.
OS Compatibility
Everyone's software works with Windows 95/98/ME but not all of them work with Windows 2000. Fewer still work with Windows XP. If you run Win2k or especially XP, be sure to check for compatibility AND check their SUPPORT area for XP issues. Mac users have even fewer choices.
Hardness
Can your child easily bypass the software? This is one of the more difficult questions to answer without installing the software. Luckily, most of the content filtering software companies provide some kind of trial download. Windows 95/98/ME are particularly difficult to harden because the OS lets the current user end just about any task by pressing 'control alt delete'. In any Windows OS, press 'ctrl-alt-delete' to bring up the task manager and try and find the filtering software. If you can end the task, so can your children!
Web blocking features
Web blocking is handled two different ways, first by "URL List blocking" and the other by editable "content string blocking"
a) URL List blocking
The company that manufacturers the software publishes a list of sites that are blocked with the software. This list is often broken down into categories that can be chosen by the parent. Updates to this list may be free or may be provided as a subscription. It is very important that this list is updated regularly because the Internet is constantly changing. Some software lets parents add to the list of blocked sites.
b) Content Blocking
This blocks individual words and phrases from appearing on the screen or it will block the offending document completely. This is a cool feature but it can often block more than you need it to. For instance, it might block a web page about the US Vice President; Dick Cheney because these filters are not context sensitive.
Instant Messenger Blocking
Do your kids use instant messengers? Most likely they do. These features give you control over IM products like ICQ Chat, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Chat, MSN Messenger, etc. Some products block completely, others only block certain words.
Logging
When content is blocked from your children, what happens? A good content blocker will log the offending action for a parents possible review later. CyberSitter will actually Email parents the logs!
Time Limits
Some software allows parents to block off times that the computer will allow Internet access. This is a great way of making sure the kids are not IM'ing past their bed times or even when you are away at work.
Multiple Accounts
If you have multiple children that share a single computer, multiple accounts features might be important. This feature would allow different restrictions for each of your children. This is especially important if their ages differ greatly.
Privacy Control
This allows a parent the ability to enter in a list of strings that the your kids CAN NOT enter on a web page or instant messenger session. For instance, you could block your phone number and address so your children could never reveal these things. Credit card numbers are of course good to block too!
Outside Links of Interest:
General Information
- Missouri's Coalition to Delete Online Predators
- EDUCAUSE Security Awareness Resources
- Free Annual Credit Report
- NetSmartz Training from MOREnet
Kids and Teens
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- NetSmartz
- iKeepSafe.org
- SafeKids.com
- Wired Kids
- WiredSafety.org
- i-SAFE
- How to Teach Young People Safe Online Practices
- CoSN Joins Public-Private Partnership Targeting Online Safety
Phishing
- PhishTank
- Anti-Phishing Working Group
- Phish Report Network
- SonicWALL Phishing IQ Test
- Microsoft Phishing Basics Quiz
- Fried Phish
- OnGuard Online Phishing Quiz
Identity Theft
- Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Resource
- National Fraud Information Center
- Identity Theft IQ Test
- Identity Fraud Safety Quiz
Social Networking