Effective software for blocking porn sites?

Hi all,

My kids are now 'at that age' so I would appreciate your recommendations for effective porn site blocking software.

Thanks!

 

K9 Web Protection

 

As above.
K9 is a superb blocker of not only porn, but P2P, social networking, spyware sites etc.
One of my favourite freebies.

 

Thanks guys... I was hoping to receive suggestions for an effective solution; that it's also free is all the better!

 

You may also be able to disable P2P and Gaming sites via your router settings; a much bigger hammer approach than one-by-one.

 

You can also use the content filtering features of OpenDNS

 

Not used K9 but used Naomi over the years and is free and is very effective. Closes down the browser instantly. Test it out. Also Ad Muncher has effective options to filter out offensive material http://www.admuncher.com/ They both monitor all internet connections.

Naomi 3.0
http://www.radiance.m6.net/

 

Thanks for this topic and also thanks for postings of "free" alternatives to this type of safety preventions against the dangers that lie in wait for kids, teenagers who can't help but venture off and almost always will sooner or later run into very murky areas of the web.

I been looking myself for a free alternative to commercial blocking software to install on client's PC's who bring them to me after their kids have wandered into malware infested sites either by accident or deliberately.

This will be a big help.

What we need in something like this is a way to re-direct from bad sites straight into an educational clean art & sciences webpages for them to take interest in.

The more we can lead them to more educational and developmental sciences and math or arts sites, the more these teens & kids are likely to test their skills in areas that can better fashion their & our future for the times to come.

Great Topic!

 

Yup, that's the smart way, because the router settings can't be modified if they're password-protected.

 

Like lucas1985, I think the easiest way to block content is through OpenDNS and registering so you can manage the stuff you want to block. This doesn't require any software installation and thus no addition memory consumption.

dja2k

 

The only problem i have found with OpenDns is with having a dynamic ip address.
So if the kids worked this out, then powering down the router then restarting would then bypass OpenDNS.

I know that DNS updater may be a solution to this, but i have found that it can take 10 - 15 minutes for the settings to update.

 

Hi Jo Ann,

Very simple, no software to install, does not use memory or reside on your drive, speeds up the internet & has many other valuable features, used by many Wilders members, oh yes it block porn sites, if you desire. Intrigued? Did I mention it's Free, never needs updating. See:

OpenDNS

 

Hi JoAnn

just a piece of advice:

I remember when I was "at that age". Nothing would stop me from getting my porn. Sure, my parents didn't knew anything about computers so I never had any problems, but what I'm saying is that kids can do anything. They can get the porn on cd's or usb drives from friends, they can go to friends houses to watch porn, they can even buy movies (at least here in my country there's very easy to buy pirated movies on the street).

So if you're blocking porn sites, be sure to have a good backuo of your system, or at least keep it frozen with returnil/deepfreeze/etc, because most likely kids WILL try to find a way to bypass the blocking software, which will lead them to obscure sites with "solutions" for that, sites which most likely will be loaded with malware.

Best of luck

 

OpenDNS can be used from TCP settings on XP instead of router so setup as limited user they wouldn't be able to change this.

Add in some control panel lock software or use gpedit.msc from Start Menu run to disable settings. The free version of Process Guard can come in handy to prevent the shutdown of programs. Don't just disable programs like msconfig - rename them also regedit.exe and disable modification of registry and services run and cmd and access to windows folder. Use a password over 14 characters on the Admin account.

 

Question: If running LUA, would that prohibit the deletion of thumbnails, temp files etc? For most young males, the idea that mom will see your surfing history is a powerful deterrent.

 

Contrary to popular belief, the right ill-content programs with password protection can indeed stop any such attempts which also include blocking CD content all the way to USB Pen entry devices.

It's up to the controller of the machine to lock it down for safety, and ill-content access can be locked away safely and securely, leaving them as only alternative some local magazine/bookstore to secretly view their crud if their that sorry addicted.

 

I'm using K9 now and it is the best I've found. You get surfing speed plus a very good blocker for a variety of things. You can go with default selections or customize to a very worthy amount. It allows you to decide your internet strategy such as you might only want to allow the sights you want visited vs. an open but filtered web.

Do remember to change the location K9 will send you your lost password because its default is to send it back to your resident computer. Change it to your work place where you also must click on the link to verify the change. If you don't verify, then the change will not take into effect and your kids can get the password every time you change it.

 

I don't know how solid k9 is, and how well it self-protect's...I have never used it.

But, I just performed a search in google for this terms: bypass k9

The first page in results is:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070817194849AAE3EfC

the best answer shown in that page is:

I don't think that ctrl+alt+delete will do it, I guess k9 is well designed.

But this shows how the kid's search for "solutions" will most likely get the computer screwed.

Sure, there's BIOS password, but at one time, kids will find something you haven't thought of.

So password protect everything, use LUA and backup your system.

 

That's why disabling the Task Manager is a good idea, prevent the shutdown of k9filter.exe and use applications such as AppDefend, Process Guard, ProSecurity, TrustNoExe, Anti-Executable, Exe LockDown. Deep Freeze, Returnil.

Get everything configured then take an image. It also good to use monitoring software to see if anything has been tampered with.

I suggest installing K9 to a less obvious folder name and rename the k9filter.exe to another filename exe and go through the registry renaming every k9filter.exe to that same chosen filename .

Disabling the CD-ROM sounds extreme but would prevent browsing from a LiveXP CD without restrictions.

 

Thanks guys for your valuable input.

It falls to those like us to make a conscientious maximum effort to effect safety CONTROL against our kids and other kids who's parents are helpless to protect their children from the dangers an open and unguarded internet connection can do to them. Turn them to more educational and creative experience is paramount!

EASTER

 

if the kids are now 'at that age', why block them?

like one user said, they will get it anyway.....

 

My sister found out to her cost that one of her sons looking at porn site infected her machine so badly, making it virtually inoperable.

After spending a couple of hours sorting her computer, i then discovered hundreds of songs that her other son was downloading through Limewire.

As you can imagine she was non too pleased and i had to put the necessary blocks on her computer to avoid this happening again.

Her computer has since been free of virus, spyware and illegal downloading.

 

Parents and schools NEED to press the issue that sciences, art, and other educational criteria are in their best interest NOW and for the future they'll be living in, not us.

 

I fully agree...however I don't think that forcing kids into science will do the trick... one must talk to kids, make yourself the time to know what they want, what they think and guide them into science, art, etc...otherwhise they'll end up hating it.

Anyway, as much as I agree with blocking porn for kids, I think there are much more dangerous things online, like chatrooms where they can be contacted by some child abuser, or some really dangerous sites which have "instructions" on building bombs, using medicines as drugs and other stuff which can end up with a dead kid. I don't know if the solutions like k9 or openDNS deal with this type of sites.

 

I agree on some of the same points as you, but i also realize we live in a world that isn't so out of control afterall.

Governments and the very agencies who wired up the internet itself never took foresight into potential dangers that are as simple as picking up a phone only on the internet kids can romp thru quietly and gather up more temptations then they otherwise might never have encountered in their own respective neighborhoods.

And therein lies a real and present threat as you rightly allude to.

When you and i went to school it was strickly all about learning basic education, go home to the TV and there was clean Family programming & entertainment, now enter the internet while a useful outlet for kids in some ways as regards entertainments, games to a certain extent, the internet is single dimensional with one channel full of infinite branches leading to the full gambit of all sorts of curiosity. And it's that curiosity which more often than not eventually leads a majority of them to exposure or worse from malicious intent, and i'm not talking about malware either.

I still say if it could be done, the internet really should be divided into two channels, one as it is now, and the other which focuses more on educational values only and increased learning skills.

But we all know, unless strickly supervised, just like we once were, they are inevidably bound to wander, whether deliberately or by accident into areas that can open the way for problems in their lives.

Bill Gates might not be a responsible party, but he sure has the credentials to make the neccessary changes if he wanted to show himself more of an activist toward working to that goal of splitting the net appropriately.

I just watch him speak before a congressional panel last week, and the issue of teen curiosity entered the conversation, but as politicians and fat cats always do, they chuckle and hint that they TRY to keep a close eye on their children's internet habits.

I mention science because the USA is fallen back in the middle ages with regards to advancements such as space travel and inventions and the like.

For pity sakes, in 1969 we landed men on the M00N several times, since then the best they been able to come up with is just to orbit the earth a hundred times over again in some endless loop. The drive is gone, but the potential still exists and will live on, if not here, maybe some other country will take up that torch to the stars.

The point i'm making is the earlier we get elementary school students involved in sciences, even computer sciences, the faster the entire world can progress beyond the point of cultural divides and move past societies that are lazy when it comes to acting on & taking responsibility to see to it that progress doesn't come to a screeching halt that will only end up fomenting wars, corruption, and disgrace for us all.