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BUILT-IN PARENTAL CONTROLS FROM ISPNote: The information in the following section may no longer be applicable, as now most people receive their Internet service through a telecom company like Verizon or a cable company like Comcast. Since this site is not being as actively updated, we have not been able to research what parental control features these services offer. Most major ISP's (Internet Service Provider) like America Online, MSN or Earthlink, provide parental controls that allow you to adjust the nature of content available to each screen name. This means each family member can have customized access to the Internet based on age at no additional charge. The following are links that explain how to use parental controls with EARTHLINK, AMERICA ONLINE and MSN. PRE-FILTERED ISP'SA more aggressive option for filtering is a filtered or a "family-friendly" ISP. With a filtered ISP, content filtering is not an option you select and set up; it is built-in and automatic for all users. It cannot be bypassed or overridden. Here are links to some "family-friendly" ISP's.
Here is a chart of some of the leading software products available. The ratings have been calculated based on several comparative reviews. For explanation of features, hover your mouse over the term you wish to have defined.
* BrowseControl provides discounts when purchased in bulk, like for a computer lab. There are many commercially available products. Some filtering products, like Symantec and McAfee, are part of a package of software tools that also include virus protection, popup blockers, and other security features. The advantage: with one purchase, you can take care of several important concerns. The catch: these products typically cost more than a stand-alone internet filtering product and have annual subscriptions. The following links below provide additional information about commercially available internet filters.
software4parents
For advanced users, commercial filtering may work for you if you meet these three conditions:
1) Your household has more than one computer The option is router-based filtering. A router is a piece of equipment that connects your computers to the Internet and to each other. Some come with options to filter content which means the filtering you set up will be applied to all computers in your network. Router-based filtering can be more complex to set up, but is also more difficult to bypass. There is an initial purchase cost, plus an annual subscription fee. Several reasonably-priced examples are shown below.
Unlike filtering, accountability software simply reports on Internet usage. No blocking occurs. In setting it up, you decide who will receive the detailed report of the computer�s usage. Web sites that are deemed inappropriate, based on the options you�ve chosen, will be red-flagged. Because monitoring software is of value only �after the fact�, we do not recommend this as a solution for families with children. However, it can be an effective aid in personal accountability for adults. There are several available products out there. Here are several:
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