Bartertown.com

Okay... For reasons I don't want to go into, I need a porn filter.
I have some specific needs, and I was hoping that the brain trust at bartertown could help me.

I need:

[*][/color]Stable. I don't want some piece of half-tested freeware that's pock-marked with programming errors that cause me to have computer issues.
[*][/color]Freeware
[*][/color]Customizable so that I can block SOME user, but not others (each member of my house has their own ID on the computer). Basically, I want to keep my kids from looking at porn... but I don't want to be hindered. LOL ... IF I ever decided to look at it, of course... Which I don't do. Ever. Nope. Not me. Blech. That stuff is icky.
[*][/color]Secure enough that not anyone can just go in & turn it off.
[*][/color]Blocks more that JUST porn (extreme violence, drug use, etc)
[*][/color]Prefer that it JUST doesn't block me AT ALL. I know I can make Internet Explorer block certain sites or themes, but allow it to be bypassed with a password... I don't want to constantly type passwords because I want to watch Kimbo Slice pound some poor schmuck's face in (or when I want to go see boobies).


If you could give me a brief synopsis of the program, that would be GREAT.
Thanks for your suggestions & help, guys.


Eric

Just a thought, but have you checked with your Internet Provider? Some will give you a program for free. Other than that, I don't know of any free program that will provide you with all the fuctions you listed. The best two, off the top of my head, on the market is Net Nanny Parental or CyberSitter.

Of course the best program is the watchful eyes and ears of the parental units.

I don't know sho your provider is, but I know AOL lets you set the user ID's to an age level and it automatically censors forbidden sites. Thats how I do it.


Kevin

I have AOL, but I also have Internet Explorer.
My 10 year old daughter only uses IE to peruse various kid sites. She doesn't have an AOL address. I am actually not a big fan of AOL for kids. I've been there. it doesn't work.

She uses the drop down box in the address bar to change from one to another. Yesterday, she came in and informed me & my wife that there was a site in the address bar called "youporn.com."
She didn't click on the link because she has explicit instructions not to go anywhere except those places I've approved for her (I have her afraid to death of internet viruses [for now] that might get downloaded if she goes anywhere she shouldn't).

Now, each person in my house has a password protected ID on the computer, so it should not be there. I don't know WHO visited it from her profile or how they got in.

Anyway, the point is that I was hoping someone had some experience with filters. I can do the AOL thing (that doesn't work that well) or the IE thing (that is overzealous), but neither work for me for what I want.

::sigh::

Thanks for the input so far, guys.

Eric

Give this one a shot. I have actually seen this one in a couple magazines.


http://www1.k9webprotection.com/


Kevin

I checked it out.
Unfortunately, if doesn't allow different permissions per user profile. All profiles are stuck with the same permissions.
If worse comes to worse, I could still use it & get by with using passwords, as it looks as if it won't "over-block" or "under'block" sites... but I'm still searching for a better alternative.

I'm going to still keep my eye on it, though.

Thanks for the link.

Eric

Erik, I think you are going to be hard-pressed to find a filter that has ALL those features.

There are many out there that can do what you are looking for, but are not free. So you may need to rethink and maybe consider more flexibility in that regard. We've all been spoiled by so much free stuff by quite a few good guys out there delivering good quality virus scanning/malware/spam protection for free, but to get the top of the line features, or stuff that has features you are really looking for.... market forces prevail and somebody somewhere has rent to pay and mouths to feed.

I use Wisechoice myself. It is more restrictive than what you are looking for, so I would not recommend it for your stated parameters. The best thing I like about it is that it cannot be disabled by a password at the keyboard, so there is ZERO chance of my kids (11 & 15) finding an end-around without a phonecall from me or the wife to their office during regular working hours. $5 a month.

Best of luck in your search...

Rich

Thanks for the input.

TBH, if I could find one with the exact features I want, I wouldn't mind paying a reasonable amount for it. I'll be damned, though, if I'm not going to try to find a free one first. LOL

You're right that yours is too restrictive for me and, $5 a month is a bit pricey when you compound it out. That's $60 a year. Wow! Most items like this are in the $10 to $30 range and few require annual registrations (at a cost). Still, though, it works for you, so... There you are (and, at 11 & 15, they're starting to get very tech-savvy).

Eric

You might want to try Bsafe online. http://www.bsafehome.com/
A radio show that I listen to recommends this service. I don't have kids yet so I have not tried it.

Bsafe Online Filter includes:

Software filtering that is fully customizable for each member of the family
Instant Messaging Filtering
Multiple levels of protection, determined by your individual needs
A risk-free, no-hassle, 30-day money-back guarantee
A searchable knowledge database and tutorials for frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
Our support team is available Monday - Sunday 7AM - 12AM (Midnight) CST