Internet Monitoring - Part 3

[tags]internet, monitoring, children, safety, security, guidelines, parents, software[/tags]

This post is fast becoming a monster - am I saying too much or is this helping? I certainly don’t know but I trust that this content is helping some out there. Part 1 which dealt with guidelines is here and Part 2 which ended up covering just URL filtering is here.

So, what other areas can we or should we filter?

At the end of my last post I mentioned my teen’s request for P2P access and my ultimate refusal, but only after having heard all his arguments. And yes, I do know that there are legal uses of P2P but that was not what he was after. However, it neatly allows me to segue into blocking other types of internet access.

Most of the reviews for home use software include their capabilities but whilst they might all filter, not all are equal. As an example of some of the areas that can be blocked here is a list of some of those areas:

Filter Lists - Chat - Newsgroup - IM - Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

FTP - Email - Popups - Ports - Predators - Personal Info

As I said above, not all companies offer this functionality or where some do it is fixed by them and to get a work around is nigh on impossible. This is where your particular needs come into it and only you can understand those needs and what you feel is necessary.

Breaking these down bit by bit we see at the top is filter lists. Do you want a modicum of control over these or are you happy for an unknown 3^rd party to determine what fits in a category? Purely as an exercise, define pornography? Now ask some of your friends to do the same – apart from obvious differences in words used do you agree on what is or isn’t porn? As an example, where does a ‘top-shelf’ magazine fit into your category? Is it or isn’t it? I know some folks who think that fashion magazine showing shots of models in lingerie is pornographic and in some cases I’ve been shown I’m inclined to agree – but enough of that, you have to decide.

So why do you need editable lists? Well one area I can instantly think of is you don’t agree with the third party’s categorisation of a site and want to move it to a white list or alternatively stick it into a denied category. If you don’t need this ability then ignore it – however most of them do support you sending in URL’s to be added and white listing to allow a blocked site whilst not removing the category block.

Do you need to filter chat? Are you concerned by what your child is saying or the time spent on these sites? Even I, aware as I am of the inherent dangers and ease with which you can get sucked in, can see that the rash of chat (IM – Instant Messaging) and other community type sites such as MySpace, Facebook, etc that will cause time to just disappear. How many times have you said “I’m just going to check my emails” and 3hrs later reappear? It is easy to do and I it’s easy for us, how likely is it that our children would also get sucked in?

Things to consider in this category would be program restriction; site restriction; time restriction and word restriction. Some of the apps will filter out your phone number for example, but they then end up filtering it from the whole machine. Only testing or asking questions will determine this.

What about P2P? Do you want to stop this entirely or do you just want to block those sites deemed as illegal? Sky Anywhere and the BBC use Kontiki as their content delivery technology. This is P2P but very much of the legal variety. If you just block all P2P activity you’ll also likely block this.

Why block ports when the software looks after it? As I’ve already said, not all software is equal. Some of the filters block based on the URL, others based on the port it typically uses. However, tech savvy children can get around this by changing the ports used or even by tunneling the application, so you may want to block additional ports outside of the standard. The only real sure way of defeating this is identifying when your child is acting suspicious, reviewing their usage and then acting accordingly.

Once you’ve discussed and advised your intentions to use the software I personally believe it is fair game to review logs, etc any time you deem and alter privileges accordingly.

We could go on and discuss each aspect of the list individually but I believe I’ve made my point already. Research, discuss and review are keys.

Also I need to make it clear that I am not a fan of the all in one wonder software that does everything for you. As examples of these I cite Norton 360, ZoneAlarm Suite or McAfee’s Security Suite or indeed any of the other ‘all-in-one’ security apps. I am keeping an open mind on Eset’s potential offering though. If it ends up being as good as their AV then I remain open to change my mind.

Likewise if you want good malware scanning capabilities then Prevx is top of the bunch in my book. There are lots of crossovers between applications but be aware that rarely does one tool fit all circumstances.

Finally, there is the category that I will label as surveillance. I really am not a fan of these key by key stroke loggers but I can see why some folks might resort to them. If you are desperate and have been down the route of trying to talk with your child and you are still letting them have internet access (some teachers set homework based on the belief that the child has internet access) then these end up being a last resort. Again I would discuss my use of a tool like this with my child – I trust I’ll never end up in that situation – and once discussed would have no qualms in using the information gained to further restrict or otherwise sanction my child.

Links to some review sites:

Filter Review

Internet Filter Review

Consumer Research

There is one way to ensure your machine stays safe even if you or your child may stray from the guidelines and that is to use a virtual environment or a ‘sandbox’. A sandbox is a pre-built virtual environment that allows you to surf safely without needing to understand how to setup and use a virtual server. Two I have used are Sandboxie and GreenBorder with the first being free whilst reviews show GreenBorder as being top of the tree. However, Google have recently acquired GreenBorder and things are up in the air as they may well offer the product for free – as it stands the website is not allowing any new purchases at present.

The beauty of these is you can surf and download to your hearts content and at the end you simply shut down the virtual environment and none of the dangers have been passed on to your machine. If you wish to utilise an file or application outside of the virtual environment then once you are happy it is not malicious then there is a simple process to recover the file(s) to your local PC.

Ultimately I hope you have found this three part article useful and informative and if you have any questions then please feel free to comment, good or bad. I promise to read and approve all comments. Finally I will leave you with a list of links to backup my approach or just for further research for yourself before you decide on your approach.

Google Search for “safe internet”

CyberAngels

Parents Guide to the Internet

Netmom

Safe Teens

Parent’s Guide to the Internet

Web Awareness

Internet Content Rating Association

One final word – all links are given for purposes of illustrating my posts or for further reading. At no point should a link be considered advice you should follow blindly and as with all things you should investigate for yourself.

Happy safe surfing.