Internet Filtering
As immense and useful as the Internet is, it is also loaded with poisons that can destroy families and ruin morals. Because ITE and the PCs for MAINE project distribute personal computer access on such a wide scale, we feel it necessary to help protect the public against these very real threats. The following information gives some background on ography, as well as some resources that help people eliminate these threats. At the very least – protect your children against this immoral industry by denying their content to be viewed on your PC.
Internet Filtering: The not-so good side of the Internet and what you can do to keep it out of your home…
Every day an estimated 260 new ographic sites join the more than 75,000 sites already on the Internet. Many people do not know that there are ISP (Internet Service Providers) that will filter these sites for you. If you already have an ISP, there are programs available that run in your computer that actively look at the Internet content coming into your PC, and will block it before it is viewable. Here are some things to think about when considering Internet Filtering services or software.
KID CONTENT: This is probably the most important feature of any filtering service. Because filtering often blocks both the good and the bad on the Internet, look for a filtering service or software that allows access to a wide variety of educational and entertaining sites.
CUSTOMIZATION: Because most filtering services are only able to rate a small portion of all available Web sites and you many not agree with all of their ideas of what is bad/what is OK for kids. Parents need to be able to tailor the ratings to meet their children’s needs.
NEWSGROUP FILTERING: Even newsgroups devoted to Christian topics may receive random ographic postings from individuals who get a kick out of offending others. Your filtering service should allow you to block access to newsgroups and/or filter those that you want to access.
CHAT FILTERING: Chat-room monitoring software can often be circumvented by viewers. Due to the danger of abduction, chats should never be unsupervised. If your filtering server does not monitor chats, you should have the capability to block chats entirely when you are not present.
E-MAIL FILTERING: Whether it be random ography, harassment or an attempt to lure your child, inappropriate e-mail abounds. Look for a server that enables you to monitor your child’s e-mail and block e-mail attachments.
TEXT FILTERING: Filtering services that effectively monitor outgoing messages are scarce. Discuss with your children the danger of providing personal information online, such as a phone number or address.
TIME MANAGEMENT: Many software packages for PCs enable parents to limit the amount of time their children spend online. Inquire with local servers about providing the same service from their end.
With all this said – nothing beats supervision of children on the Internet. Be very careful of children’s usage of unrestricted chat areas like “MySpace” and even “Skype” that although useful, can invite total strangers into our kids’ lives.
Active PCs for MAINE participants may request Internet Filtering software (Cyber Sitter) made available through a gift from the Great Bay Foundation.