Issue 24.12
Over a year ago, I wrote an article on protecting your family and especially children from pornography and other troubling content while browsing the internet. Most of the commercial programs that were available then are still excellent and inexpensive, costing from $20-$40 per year and giving you control of what your computer users can view and download as well as possibly limiting time of usage and even access to chats or social networks if you choose.
At that time I recommended a free proxy server that would do the filtering for you. You simply programmed your router to have all content travel through this other computer in another state before you could view it. The process did not significantly slow down your web access times, but did a pretty good job of filtering objectionable material. Since then I have changed routers and have been unable to find information on that proxy server. Many people felt it was a little too difficult to set up for those who don’t know a lot about computers.
Enter a new program that does the same thing but on each of your own computers. It does a good job and can shut down access to the internet late at night or during school hours if you want it to. The best thing about it is that it is free. That matters even more if you have multiple computers in your home like we do. This program is not actually new, but has been improved over the last couple of years and does a great job.
The program is called K9 Web Protection and is available at http://www1.k9webprotection.com/ from a company called bluecoat. I especially like that it is available, not just for PCs and Macs, but for Iphones, Ipads and Droid devices. The installation and upkeep are easy and you can install a password so that you can check on the system, but the kids can’t over-ride it. It occasionally will block a site that you want to access as happened recently when one of the children wanted to do research for a presentation on abortion, but you can grant access to the sites (or block sites if you want) individually or by typing in the password.
There are still lots of good commercial programs as well such as Netnanny, Cybersitter, etc., but for most of us on a budget, this does the things we really need and the price can’t be beat. Safe surfing and, as always, remember to back up anything important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, 20 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or through his website at www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.