There are many filtering
software programs that have a number of different
features. Most filtering software blocks by one of three
ways:
• By scanning the
document and looking for unacceptable words or terms.
• Having a list of banned sites decided by the
company.
• Having a list of acceptable sites that your
child can visit.
Some of the variables with
each type of program are:
• Customizable
filtering.
• Filtering other software applications.
• Blocks chat rooms and forums.
• Stops you from sending personal information in
email.
• Produces activity/use tracking logs
There are also programs
that will monitor your child's activity while online and
take pictures of the activity.
Programs operate in different ways. Some require you to
download a list of sites that are not acceptable while
some scan the page for unacceptable words before it is
downloaded. Here are categories of how they work:
• Acceptable Sites
- You enter a list of acceptable sites and only those
sites can
be visited.
• Activity Logs - Creates a list of activities
that were done on the computer.
• Monitoring - Creates pictures of the activity on
your computer that you can look at.
• Server-based List - Logs onto their server to
check to see if a site is excluded.
• Downloaded List - You download updates and the
software checks to see if a site
is excluded.
• Internet Service Provider - You dial into the
Internet Service Provider instead of
using the one you
currently use.
• Scans - Scans documents to see if there is
unacceptable words.
• Time Limiting - You can limit the time that they
can be online or on the computer.
Most programs offer a
combination of features. The price varies anywhere from
free to $49 and some charge a monthly fee for updates.
Some may have free trial offers. |