Internet Dangers

  Parent's  Rules ‘N Tools™

  Youth Safety Rules

  Safety Tools

      Digital Toolbox

      Types of Tools

      Tool Locations

      ?'s for your ISP

      How It's Classified

      Evaluation of Tools

  Harms of Porn

  Child Sexual Abuse

  Report a Cybercrime

  Big Cheese Sites

  Donna Rice Hughes

  Kids Online

  Public Policy Updates

  MouseClick Maze (home)

Where Tools Can Be Located


 

Your Personal Computer

You can configure some of these tools on your personal computer (PC). (Instructions for doing this will be in the tool you choose.) Your computer-savvy children may reconfigure or disengage the tool against your wishes and possibly without your knowledge. Some PC-based products have been designed with mechanisms to prevent tampering. Many PC-based products require frequent updates and some can update themselves automatically when the PC is connected to the Internet.

Online Service Providers

Some service providers offer a variety of parental controls, including site blocking, limitation on receipt of e-mail, and restricted access to chat rooms, newsgroups, or other types of services.

Third-Party (Remote Proxy) Servers

Online services or Internet Access Providers sometimes offer this type of service where parental controls or filters are installed at a remote facility, not on your computer. In addition, some software companies offer their software solutions via their own servers. You may subscribe to a third-party service, even if your ISP doesn't offer one. Subscribers to third-party servers configure their browser software to pass all requests through the remote server. Some of these services include tools that prevent children from defeating the controls. Third-party servers are useful because they may be continuously updated at the remote server, and you won't have to download the latest list of "forbidden sites" to your home computer. They may also have more security since your child can't tamper with them locally. Make sure you select one with flexibility that provides for different configurations for different family members.

Local Area Networks (LANs) or Local Proxy Servers

You probably don't have a LAN in your home, but implementing tools on LANs using local proxy servers can be a useful solution for networked PCs in schools and libraries. These work the same as third-party servers, but the filter is located at the institution's own server, not at a third party's server. Centralized configuration is sometimes easier for system administrators to handle and harder for individuals to defeat.

Search Engines

Some search engines offer Internet search services that return only results that are appropriate for children.

Web Sites

Many Web sites list content that is appropriate for children such as www.netmom.com.

© 2001 by Donna Rice Hughes. Request permission if you wish to reprint or post.