Parental Controls Software
Employee Monitoring Looks to Enjoy Supreme Court Win
The Supreme Court is slated to offer a ruling any day now regarding the right of business owners and managers to rely on employee monitoring when they need to ensure workplace compliance.
And by all accounts it appears that employers are going to win.
According to the LA Times' piece on the case, three police officers and one other employee believed that their right to privacy was ignored when their police department read racy text messages they sent through department devices.
However, what the court appears to support is the employers right to protect itself with employee monitoring.
And rightfully so.
Employers and managers have many things to worry about, including compliance, sexual harassment on the job, the loss of billable hours, employee theft, and more.
And in each case employee monitoring software can prevent these problems.
Whether it's inappropriate instant messages, use of workplace computers to view indecent materials, the theft of sensitive materials, or even just too much time spent loafing on the job, employers and business owners are on the hook for millions of dollars lost, and legal punishment for failure to meet compliance.
As the article says, by upholding the right of employers to monitor employees "the decision could affect workers and workplaces nationwide."
Mainly, by making workplaces more secure, more comfortable, and more productive.
April 15, 2010
How Useful is Computer Monitoring Software to Catch a Cheating Spouse?
It seems that cheating spouses are all over the news this year. Whether it's Jesse James, David Letterman, or Tiger Woods, philandering partners are getting caught in the act.
No one wants to be the victim of a cheater, and computer monitoring software is one good way to make sure that your significant other isn't straying.
Just ask Forbes. In their recent article on how to catch a cheating spouse, they list "modern technology" as a top means of tracking an unfaithful spouse or partner.
Phones are one useful tool for tracking cheaters, but we do have to point out that piecing together cryptic emails won't offer a full picture of what's going on.
No, if you want the truth you want what Forbes calls "the more sophisticated keystroke logging technologies."
In other words: computer monitoring software.
Of course, we couldn't agree more. If you really want to know what's going on you check the family computer for evidence of an unfaithful spouse.
And good computer monitoring software offers more than just a keylogger. It offers screenshots showing every page visited by the user, it offers instant message recording, email recording, and more. Good quality software is key for something like this.
After all, if you really think your spouse is cheating, why settle for technology that might not give you the most important details?
As it says in the article, the unfortunate truth is that we live in a world where a "detour to Troubletown" is just a "Facebook 'poke' away."
April 13, 2010
Parental Controls: Online Safety Tip #1
Net-security.org recently posted 10 tips designed to promote online safety for children, and their number one tip includes using parental control software.
Of course, we heartily agree.
While simple online safety features might be adequate for the youngest of children - and even then we shudder to think of the possibilities - in today's world of cyber bullies, online predators and scam artists, every family should have parental control software installed on their computers.
We have only one concern - while we agree that open talk with children regarding the dangers of the Internet is a "must" these days, there are many situations in which discussing parental controls would actually work against them.
As the article says itself, "kids today are fascinated by the Internet and extremely skilled when it comes to using a computer."
In many cases, older kids and teens will engage in risky and downright dangerous behavior regardless of their parents' wishes. When these kids know that their computer features invisible parental control software, they're likely to simply continue that same behavior elsewhere.
And parents need to protect their kids from every danger, even when that danger is constituted by their own behavior.
Until they become adults, every parent should have the option of not telling their kids about the parental controls on the family computer. After all, parents know their kids best, and a decision as important as this one really does depend on the nature of the child in question.
April 6, 2010
How Computer Monitoring Can Prevent "Long-Term Competitive Harm" to an Organization
The recent survey on the protection of intellectual property - or lack thereof - reveals why computer monitoring software could save American businesses millions a year.
According to the article on compliance and security at SC Magazine, it isn't that U.S. businesses aren't working hard to maintain security. It's just that the focus of that security isn't doing an adequate job of protecting the company itself.
Enterprises are supposedly devoting 40% of their information security budget to compliance efforts - mainly protecting the information of consumers and customers - and another 40% to protecting "sensitive intellectual property."
But the problem is that corporate secrets "much more valuable" to most companies than compliance related information.
The danger here is that intellectual property and sensitive trade secrets need more protection - they need top tier computer monitoring software.
Computer monitoring software today can offer employers and business owners tools such as keystroke recorders that capture every document typed, even those that are later deleted to hide intent.
They can take snapshots of every page visited on the computer in question. They can record clandestine instant messages, reveal information that has been downloaded, and much more.
And the cost of implementing this software is minuscule compared to the potential losses that could occur without it.
The real dangers to today's corporate entity are"insider theft and abuse by outsiders," which is why every manager should rely on computer monitoring that protects their company from the inside out.
April 1, 2010
Computer Monitoring Software Nabs Pedophile in Wisconsin
Occasionally we are asked whether or not computer monitoring software really protects kids from pedophiles, cyber bullies, and other online predators.
Other times, we're asked whether it really pays to install computer monitoring software in the workplace.
The story about an online predator in the Wisconsin Law Journal does a great job of answering both of these questions with a resounding yes.
A defendant had used state owned computers to access images of child pornography, and then used software designed to block those images from being stored in the hard drive in an effort to hide his behavior.
His argument was that prosecutors couldn't prove he had purposefully accessed the materials, since the data hadn't been saved to the hard drive.
Unfortunately for him, the city had installed computer monitoring software that "tracked every key stroke" and sent alerts to the city whenever an employee searched for an inappropriate item.
Without the computer monitoring a pedophile would have escaped the law, but thanks to the use of top quality software, he'll be headed to jail, where he belongs.
March 30, 2010
Need for Parental Controls for Cyber Bullying Brought Home in Phoebe Prince Case
The tragedy of Phoebe Prince's abuse and eventual suicide has inspired Boston.com to publish an op-ed piece about cyber bullying calling for greater parental intervention in cases like these.
And we couldn't agree more, which is why we urge parents to buy and use parental controls.
While it's true that much of the abuse suffered by Ms. Prince happened in school, there was also a great deal of cyber bullying happening on social networking sites. In particular, Ms. Prince's attackers abused her online before her death, and then continued to post hate-mail on her Facebook page after her suicide.
Parental controls allow parents to know what's going on online. Phoebe Prince suffered months of abuse from her schoolmates without her parents being aware of exactly what was going on, or its severity.
Furthermore, relying on parental controls to catch and control cyber bullying also means that parents will have the proof they need to prosecute those responsible for abusing their child.
In Ms. Prince's case, 9 of her abusers - all fellow students - are facing criminal charges related to her death.
Had their parents been aware of what was happening, perhaps something could have been done to protect Ms. Prince, and to stop these kids before they wrecked their own lives as well.
March 23, 2010
Computer Monitoring for Cyber Security on Social Networking Sites
With the recent news regarding spikes in cyber crime, there's a lot of advice out there regarding the best ways to safeguard your personal information, particularly on social networking sites.
Unfortunately the best advice - using computer monitoring software - isn't getting the attention it deserves. This is particularly true for parents of teens and tweens, who spend a lot of time on social networking sites, and aren't always interested in cyber safety.
The article at Fox News about cyber security does a fairly good job of laying out the problems we're facing today; with the millions of people out there using social networking sites on a daily basis, it make sense that criminals would target them.
But without computer monitoring software many parents and teens are in a particularly dangerous situation.
First and foremost, computer monitoring software protects kids against online predators and cyber bullies, who are already known to troll social networking sites looking for new victims.
But many of the other cyber security issues mentioned in the article actually go double for parents of kids.
For example, parents can be as careful as they like about protecting their passwords, not clicking on odd looking links or emails, and not sharing personal information.
But if your child does it your computer, and your friends' emails, are still at risk. Kids are also far more likely to engage in dangerous online activity based on naivete, a misunderstanding of the dangers involved, and just plain old curiosity.
This is one situation where good quality computer monitoring can do double duty - it can protect your children from predators, and protect your personal information from criminals looking to take advantage of the social networking environment.
Includes tips and reviews of parental control software, employee monitoring software, and general use monitoring programs including key loggers and other software to monitor Internet and computer use.