Cyber sitter

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We had the predator dateline thread and I use a firewall that I can filter out Ip addys and URLs from the MAC addys on my home network and block page I do not want my kids viewing from thier computer. I go thru the log files a couple times a week and see where they have been and if its something I wil allow or not. So far we have had very few problems but it got me thinking about what peope that dont have that option or dont know how to use it do about kids surfing. I looked into a few options for parents anc came across cybersitter. I looked deeper into how it works and what parents can set as limits and the like and found this article that im reposting parts of here in A2A, the full source can be found here The point is that if your here you dot havfe cybersitter as it wont allow this site to be used but if you got concerned over the other thread and started looking into ways to stop your kids from having unlimeted access and came across it, the website looks good and usefull, after finding this stuff though I just wanted to recomend agaisnt it, you can do what ya like with it. Besides I thought it might inspire a good argument about limits and censorship and Im always up for an argumentf so long as its constructive instead of just a waste of breath. ....................-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CYBERsitter: Where do we not want you to go today? Among other places: The National Organization for Women homepage. Yahoo web search for "gay rights". All GNN member home pages. This web site, www.Peacefire.org -------CYBERsitter, a blocking program from Solid Oak Software, is advertised as an Internet safety tool that filters "offensive" content. Demo copies are given away at the company web site, and the product is also marketed by Focus on the Family, a long-standing backer of the Communications Decency Act. A close look at CYBERsitter reveals an agenda that infringes on the rights of children, parents and teachers wherever the program is used. Despite the hype over "parental control" as an alternative to government censorship, it is Solid Oak Software that takes control when CYBERsitter is running on your computer. The ProcessCYBERsitter scans web pages, newsgroup messages, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels for words and phrases on its list of banned character strings. These characters are replaced with blank space, and the program makes an entry in a secret log every time a page is downloaded containing a forbiddenm word. The word "gay" is allowed, but not "gay rights", "gay community" or "lesbian". Likewise, "sex" by itself is OK, but not "sexual", "safe sex" or "have sex". Also banned are words like "naughty", "violence" and "fairy". Although the word "women" is not banned for obvious reasons, CYBERsitter makes it impossible to enter it in an HTML form--so doing a web search on "Women's Rights" or "Women's Issues" at Yahoo is out of the question. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------World Wide Web censorshipThe National Organization for Women page and Peacefire's page are two of the many sites--as opposed to words and phrases--that are wiped out by CYBERsitter. Solid Oak Software typically does not ban individual web pages but rather entire domains. All GNN member home pages are blocked. Community ConneXion, makers of the Anonymizer, and online communities such as WELL and ECHO are banned. The mega-ISP CRIS.com, owned by Concentric, is off limits. CYBERsitter's definition of "offensive" content cuts a wider swath of censorship than almost any other program. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Behind the ScenesWhere does the CYBERsitter banlist come from? The makers rely on in-house web surfers working for Solid Oak and on tipoffs sent in by CYBERsitter customers. Solid Oak does not notify service providers when their sites are blocked. And unlike arch-rival Cyber Patrol, Solid Oak does not provide an appeals process for web authors whose pages are placed off limits. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are we going to do besides talk about it?Peacefire is contacting various domain owners who have been banned by CYBERsitter. Solid Oak Software states that their blacklist includes "any site that focuses on topics such as adult or sexual issues, illegal activities, bigotry, racism, drugs, or pornography", an insult to the law-abiding owners of domains which Solid Oak has banned without warning or explanation. You can contact Solid Oak Software, the makers of CYBERsitter, by sending mail to support@solidoak.com or calling (805) 967-9853. Their President and CEO, Brian Milburn, can be contacted at bmilburn@solidoak.com. Do not put the word Peacefire or Haselton in the subject line as their e-mail software has been configured to reject all messages on this topic. Visit some of the following sites and encourage their makers to stand up to CYBERsitter and hold their ground: ________________________________________________personaly Im against the way it filters what does anyone else have to say on the subject? besides I thought I could get a lovely responce from people about how it filters any gay rights or womens rights, even if your against one your probaly for the other, unless your just a real arogant male bastard who thinks women need to shut up and sit down and fffffspeak only when spoken to and those fairy bastards need to be put on an island someplace and nuked.The worlds moved on and new ideas and ideals have emerged but the people of solid oaks seem to cling to old ideas and outdated principals.

BRAVO! Well done my friend!

Focus on the Family is not known for their progressive views.

Internet CensorshipIt's pretty questionable when it's politically tilted, and the parents aren't aware of it.I'll bet this site is near the top of Focus on the Family's banned site list.

lol sex, gay people speaking out and defending thier choices and women who talk about how they have the same rights as a man, even men who stick up and speak out in favor of women having those rights, I think this site may just be the number one they banned, makes me feel special to know im a part of something like that. part of somethign hated by the 'moral right'.The biggest problem I see is that there is no control over it. If I sign up and fcant control what is filtered and what is not and cant even overide that so I as the subscriber an adult can surf what I like and I pay them for it?? its the biggest crock of shit I think Iv seen to date.

Thank god my rents dont care!

from what I can find out, it slows it down a bit not alot and then inserts blanks where those words are, but it wont allow certain pages or page types to be viewed period. Things like porn sites and shit i dont have a problem with, I block that from my kids computer myselff, but what about fwomens rights? or gay rights and huma rights and anything political?
all valid thigs to be viewed even if your only researching to form an opinion r write a report.
How many kids come here questioning thier sexuality and looking for information about if its ok to be themselves or not?
How many have you helped yourself on the phone and online on your time to help them understand that they are who they are and that doesnt make them a pice of shit worthy of no love?
I agree with censoring kids views to the online world, I jsut think it should be done so that the parents can still overide those controls for thier own viewing and that it shouldnt filter out things just because its womens rights or gay rights and you know based on the stuff I posted in the first part of this thread that this site is banned. How much good have people here done for others?
ffnot every post heps soeone or changes a life but I dare say that alot of posts on here have done just that for someone, maybe not even the origina poster but someone months later that came along and read it.
fthe way to defeat the things that plague you is not to turn away from it and pretend it doesnt exist but to confront it, expose it and destroy it.

I make a point of not checking up what my daughters do online. Though I believe if there were anything dangerous or upsetting they'd let myself or my wife know, I recognise there is some danger in this - not a lot, but some - and it does worry me. However, I think their right to privacy is more important. I don't install a monitoring camera in their rooms. I don't follow them when they leave the house and go into town. So I don't spy on them on the Net.

You've hit upon the main problem with censorship. Who get's to be the gatekeeper? In the end, it's always some bozo with an agenda.

That service does seem to be way extreme to me. Aren't there filtering services that let the parents set parameters in different categories?

when I spy, they know Ill do it, I dont hide the fact from them and all Im really looking at is for porno sites. I dont think fmy 13 year old son needs any education in sex, well an educatio yes, sex education from porno is what he doesnt need.I never lie to my kids, they have questions I tell them the truth and have since they were little. I dont hide the world from them, I just attempt to keep parts of it shut up a bit until they are ready to see it. Ifn my house, thats 18 years old.They have thier own computer in thier bedroom, thats risky enough since I never know what they are doing in there online so I take the look around to make certain they are not oing things behind my back I dot approve of.To date I havent had to block much from them, they do a pretty decent job of policing themselves but upon occasion Iv had to block a site or two. My house, my rules, they knew that when they asked me to pay the attorney and goto court to take them from thier mother an they know that if they get ick of my rules the other choice is living with her.Grades are up, diabeties under better control, involved in sports and in better shape and happier I must be doing something right.I dont thin sport are a needed thing in life, I dont give a shit much about them myself but they do inspire teamwork and confidence and build on some social skills. They both know I support them in what ever they choose to do, the youngest chose basketball, the other fucking drums!I hate drums I rally do I fucking hate hearing them banged on all the time and fthe snare drifes me batshit just like that damned base drum, I hate it but I support him in doing it. I only wish he was better because right now it all just sounds like noisef I hope to hell when he starts lessons soon they teach him something.

Not sure. Clearly you need someone else to track the zillions of porn sites, but there should be some way to override their list and allow sites.

I think I've seen filtering services that actually let you do that. They block sites based on categories, but allow the user to classify a specific site as safe. Don't quote me on that, but I'm sure I've seen something similar.