Parental Control Software: A Comparison of Software Effectiveness (Part 1)
Jun 29 '00
There are many parental control software packages on the market these days, but how does a parent know what they are getting works? I’ll be reviewing seven software packages offered as parental control packages.
What is parental control software? It is a software package designed to filter the internet and prevent children from being exposed to obscene or harmful media. The amount of filtering done by each package varies depending on what the software is designed to do. Nearly all internet filtration software is designed and advertised to stop or reduce a child’s exposure to pornography and the sexually explicit.
How do these software packages work? It depends on the technology and software package used; however, most have a list of sites, built into the software or the parent server, that are considered forbidden sites. When the software detects the loading of a forbidden site, word or phrase, the result can vary from the simple, by displaying a screen denying access to the site, to the extreme of shutting down the computer.
The seven Parental Control packages I’m reviewing are as follows: Puresight.net, Cyber Patrol, The BAIR system, Surf Watch, Cybersitter, Net Nanny, and AOL Parental Controls. For each package, I’ll cover the cost, some of the features, and my rating. In order to keep the size of this review manageable, I have broken it into two segments. This segment will cover Puresight, Surf Watch, Net Nanny and Cyber Patrol. Segment 2 will review the BAIR system, AOL Parental Controls and Cybersitter.
To get my rating, I tested each software package searching on 20 different key words. Most of these words would normally lead a person to a pornography site, a hate group site or a site that may be associated with a cult (If you want to know specifically what words I searched with, please feel free to contact me). A few of the key words may lead to a non-desirable site in a round about manner. If a key word resulted in a directory, I attempted to find five sites that would challenge the software. If the word was denied a search, I considered it a pass. If a keyword was granted access to a non-desirable site once on five attempts, I considered it a pass. If the word gained two accesses, the test failed for that word. There is a possibility of 100 passes, fails or a combination thereof. In order to be highly recommended, the software must score a 90 or better. To receive a rating of recommended, the software must score an 80 or better. Any software not scoring at least an 80 is not recommended.
Surf Watch
Surf Watch was developed by JSB Software Technologies. A free trial version of the software is available for download. Cost for the full package is $49.95. All future updates are free. The software requires an administrators password to prevent a child from turning the filter off, or attempting to uninstall the program. The software filters and blocks by site. The site database is maintained and updated by Surf Watch. Installation of the trial version was very easy.
Of the 20 key words searched for, the software blocked access to sites on 18 of the words. Two key words were not blocked or filtered. Of the eighteen words that passed the test, three key words had a problem. In each case, the keyword was permitted to access a non-desirable site one time of the five attempts. One of the three keywords the software had difficulty with was lingerie. In addition, the software seemed to have difficulty scanning for cults, access to all cult sites searched was granted.
When an undesirable site or key word is detected, Surf watch displays a “FORBIDDEN” screen. The user is not able to proceed past the forbidden screen, they must back out. Surf Watch identified several of the keywords I tested immediately, as words leading to forbidden web sites. The words were immediately blocked with the forbidden screen, and the search was prevented.
After trying some of the other Internet filter software packages, I was impressed with the results of Surf Watch. Designed for Win 95/98 and MAC.
Based on my test results, Surf Watch scored an 87. I RECOMMEND this software package (Grade B+)!
Cyber Patrol
Cyber Patrol was developed by The Learning Company. A free trial version of the software is available for download. Cost for the full software package is $29.95 for 3 months. Installation of the trial version was very easy. The software package requires a Headquarters (Administrators) password. In addition, a Deputy password can be set up to override the filtration blocks, providing full internet access.
Access to non-desirable sites is based on “CyberNot” and “CyberYes” lists. The software does not scan for words, it seems only to scan for identified web sites. The software will also allow a parent to identify game web sites a child should not be permitted to access. Once established, future access to these sites will be denied. An additional feature a parent can use is a time manager. Cyber Patrol can establish limits as to when the internet can be used, anything beyond this limit is blocked by the software. The internet can no longer be used as your time is up!
On most occasions the Cyber Patrol “CyberList Check Point” screen popped up blocking all views of nudity or offensive material. However, on occasion, the screen popped up later than I would have liked. In addition, there may be a problem with e-mail links to porn sites. I opened one link I received via e-mail, and the software permitted access to a point I would not want a child seeing the explicit sexual depictions on the screen.
Of the twenty keywords I tested the software against, 17 words passed. The software seemed to have some problem with Lingerie web sites, even though the protocol established was to allow only those web sites with “No nudity or revealing attire”. The two other words the software had problems with were associated with the term “Nigger” and “Magick”. On the whole, Cyber Patrol performed reasonably well against cult and hate group web sites.
Cyber Patrol is designed for Win 3.1/95/98/NT and Mac 7.1.
The Cyber Patrol software scored an 84. I RECOMMEND Cyber Patrol (Grade B)
Net Nanny
Net Nanny was developed by Net Nanny Software International. A free trial version of the software is available for download. Cost for the full software package is $34.95. Installation of the Net Nanny software I rate as More Difficult. The software has an option for an administrator password. Somewhat different from some of the other filter packages, Net Nanny has an option for setting up users, and each user has an over ride password to over ride the filter program. Additionally, the package tracks all hits based on words or sites, and logs them to the user. A parent can then see where a child has been surfing, or trying to surf.
This trial version of the software was apparently not a fully functional version (I hope). Of the twenty key words I searched on, only one word totally passed. On ten other words, the filter activated and warned me of “UNACCEPTABLE WORDS AND PHRASES”. When I clicked on ok, the software let me access the site anyway. Net Nanny seems set up to detect pornography and sexually explicit sites. No warnings were initiated when keywords for hate groups or cults were searched. I was permitted free access to all of these sites.
As so much of what I had heard about Net Nanny proved false in this trial version, I opened one of the “Deny” lists Net Nanny operates from, copied several of the web sites listed, and tried to go to them. In every case I was permitted to access the site. Only once in six attempts did I receive a Net Nanny warning. I can only hope the full software product works better than the trial version.
Net Nanny is designed for Win 3.x/95 and 98. Net Nanny is not compatible with AOL 4.0, but works with I-Explore (AOL’s MS Explorer add-in).
Based on the test results of the trial version of Net Nanny software, I strongly caution parents to consider if there is a better option for their needs. Due to problems with the software, and the ability to by-pass the net Nanny blocker screen, no score is given. I DO NOT RECOMMEND Net Nanny (Grade D)!
Puresight.net
Puresight was developed by Genie Software. A free demo is available to test the software. Cost for the full package is $39.95. The software can be password protected by a parent to prevent a child from changing the protocols.
The software is “based on new Artificial Intelligence technology that recognizes the content of every site the user wishes to enter and blocks sites containing explicit pornographic materials.” The software does not scan for hate group or cult sites. The software provides the administrator/parent with a history log detailing what sites have been visited, the number of times a site has been visited, and the most requested web sites. Installation of the demo was very easy.
There are two modes for using this software. The first is using the default Dynamic Filtering Mode. This method uses a block list. The block list is pathetically small, but can be added to. Of the 20 keywords I searched on to test this mode, only one word passed. This mode is an absolute failure unless a parent intends to add thousands of web sites to the block list.
The second mode of filtration requires turning of the Dynamic Filtering Mode. The software then uses a “Static Block Mode”, which blocks all web sites except for those identified on the Non-Block list. The static mode is extremely effective. It blocked everything not on the Non-Block list.
If a parent or administrator wants to spend the time added sites to the Non-Block list, this software is very effective. However, for parents who are not very adept at using the internet or working with software, this package is not for you.
Designed for Win 95/98/NT.
Based on the results of my tests of the Dynamic Filtering mode (score of 6), I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS SOFTWARE (Grade F)!
Based on results of my testing of the Static Block Mode (score 100), I Cautiously RECOMMEND this software to those who are adept at using software and the internet (Grade A).
Recommendations for Parents or those concerned about encounters with undesirable web sites.
1. Contact you Internet Service Provider (ISP) to find out if they have filtration software. If filtration can be established at the server level, overall results for detecting and preventing access to non-desirable web sites is greater.
2. It is advisable that you use some form of internet filtration software on your own computer. If your ISP has a parental control, then your personal software is a back-up to what is being used. If the ISP does not have parental control software, then your personal software is your first line of defense.
3. Do not rely on your internet filter software to do all of the work. Although parental control software programs using lists of web sites are constantly being updated, it is difficult to keep up with the 10 million plus pornography sites alone. Access to some of these sites can be gained using a seemingly innocent word like handcuffs (one of my keywords).
4. Be aware of where your kids surf or attempt to surf. An awful lot happens in the name of curiosity, but many of the non-desirable areas, such as pornography can be just as addicting as a drug habit.
5. If you think your child may be attempting to access non-desirable web sites at home, it wouldn’t hurt to find out what they are attempting to access when they are at school or a friends home.
Final Recommendations for Parental Control Software in this segment: Surf Watch and Cyber Patrol both performed well. Either would be valuable in protecting what a child may be exposed to on the internet. The Puresight software package was excellent, but only in one mode, a lot of time will be required to make it a really useable program.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Dailey2001
|
|
Member: David Dailey
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 5 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.