Parental Controls Software
Story Proves That Ability to Monitor Social Networking Sites is Tragically Necessary
Every once in awhile we find a story that reflects the need for parental controls that offer more modern tools to monitor social networking sites, like screenshots and a keylogger.
And sometimes, those stories are tragic and heartbreaking.
This is the case for the story of young Ashleigh Hall - a teenage girl whose rape and murder was made possible when she met a "boy" in the popular site Facebook.
Ashleigh, whose story is painfully recounted in a piece on Internet safety by the Independent, was a shy and naive young lady living in the UK, who went to meet this "boy," and was instead raped and murdered by a repeat offender by the name of Peter Chapman.
In today's day and age it's difficult for parents to keep track of what their kids are doing, and this goes double for Internet use.
But here is an example of every parent's worst nightmare.
The ability to monitor social networking sites should come standard with all parental controls now, particularly as both kids and predators find new ways to beat older programs.
It's great to block websites, record Instant Messages and emails, and more. After all, there are many different ways for online predators to reach out to your child.
But with the vast popularity of sites like Facebook parents must have the ability to monitor social networking sites. It's where scum like Chapman go to prey on unsuspecting kids, and concerned moms and dads deserve to have access to the tools that can keep their kids safe.
March 4, 2010
Net Nanny Wins Parental Control Software Award
In the ongoing efforts to keep kids safe online through parental control software, Net Nanny has always been a reliable program for concerned moms and dads.
And now they're getting good recognition for it.
Net Nanny's 2010 parental control software has received PC Magazine's award for best program.
And we can see why.
Net Nanny offers parents the ability to monitor their kids in real time, recording instant messaging and monitoring social networking sites, among other things.
Net Nanny also offers video game content restrictions, a nice move forward in parental control software, since so many kids are avid gamers these days.
We'd still like to see a keylogger become part of Net Nanny's overall package, if only to make computer monitoring that much more effective in terms of older kids who know how to find and disable so many programs.
But overall it's a great program, and we can definitely see why PC Magazine awarded them as they did.
March 1, 2010
Is Employee Monitoring Software Ethical?
A Pennsylvania school has been under fire in recent weeks due to allegations that it spied on students in their homes using school-issued laptops. And, since that school is potentially facing a class action lawsuit, the situation begs the question, is employee monitoring software ethical? And, is it legal?
If you do it right, the answer is yes, and yes.
While the argument regarding the school's use of computor monitoring software is more variable, the real truth is that employers have the right to use employee monitoring software because they are so often liable for what happens in the workplace with those computers.
A recent article on computer monitoring at PC World makes a fine point: while the use of employee monitoring software is also useful to boost productivity, it's most important function is to "protect the company from legal liability" that can be the result of inappropriate activity.
And, it can also prove to be "an efficient and cost-effective" system for maintaining compliance.
For those employers or managers who worry that using employee monitoring software is unethical, the answer is simple: just tell your employees that their computers are monitored. This way they know in advance that use of company computers is monitored, and both employers and employees can arrange a computer-use policy that is good for both productivity and morale.
February 25, 2010
Surprise! Internet Safety Not Taught in Schools
Internet safety for kids seems to be the topic that everyone talks about, but that too few parents actually work on. It's the "it couldn't happen to my kid" syndrome.
Or, apparently, it's also the "someone else will teach them that" sydrome.
According to a study by the National Cyber Security Alliance, Internet safety is not being taught in our schools.
This isn't to say that teachers don't think we should teach it in school, there just isn't any standardized game plan designed to educate kids on topics such as online predators, cyber bullies, cyber security and more.
According to the study, the majority of teachers think it's the parents' duty to teach their kids about Internet safety, while school administrators think otherwise.
And the insinuation is that many parents think that along with computer skills classes their kids will be learning about online safety.
But the truth is that while everyone is arguing about who should be teaching kids to be safe online, no one in the public sector is actually doing it.
Which is why parental control software is so useful. Parents often want to watch over their kids when they log online, but can't always be there when that happens.
Good quality parental control software can be used as both a tool to instruct kids on Internet safety, as well as a means of ensuring that your children don't find themselves in dangerous situations, whether they meant to or not.
It's tempting to let teachers take over when it comes to learning about online safety issues, but ultimately it will probably take a cooperative effort on both ends to adequately protect kids from the many dangers that present themselves online.
February 22, 2010
New Chat Video Site Cements Need for Parental Controls
For a website designed by a teenager, chatroulette is incredibly inappropriate for kids.
Perhaps it's that very inappropriateness that's fueling the popularity of the chat video site, but regardless, this is exactly why parents need to invest in parental controls.
Chatroulette is a chat site that features a webcam, so users can see one another and chat as well. The novelty of the site, according to CNET.com, is that you don't know who you're going to chat with. In essence, you are matched with a total stranger and allowed to see and hear whatever that person says/does.
Parents are already concerned, and for good reason.
As the author of the article makes clear, many of the users of chatroulette are adult men engaging in very inappropriate behavior. These are things that kids simply shouldn't see, and people that they shouldn't meet.
Parental controls are key in this situation. As more and more kids catch on to this latest chat video site, more and more dangerous individuals will also find their way there.
The best parental controls would allow concerned moms and dads to block the site entirely. Even better, those with screenshots and an invisible keylogger would allow parents to see who their child is talking to and what's being said should their kid find a way on to the site anyway.
The site, according to sources, is "operated by a 17-year-old high school student in Moscow."
Leave it to a teenager to terrorize parents all over the globe.
February 15, 2010
Employee Monitoring to Prevent Workplace Violence
The recent and unfortunate events in Huntsville, Alabama serve to remind us all that workplace violence must never be underestimated.
And as it says at the ACC - or the Association of Corporate Counsel - one good way to stop workplace violence is through employee monitoring.
It might not be self-evident, but if you think about it employee monitoring might actually be the best way to catch violence before it erupts at work.
Those employees who exhibit violence in the workplace often express feelings of aggression beforehand, and if they have computers in their office you can bet employee monitoring will catch it.
E-mails are a classic example, particularly those in which threats of harm, harassing behavior, and symptoms of paranoia become evident.
There are also instant messages to be reviewed for signs of aggression, as well as an employees' search history.
Thanks to top-quality employee monitoring programs with easy-to-use tools and features, any manager or employer can take important steps to minimize danger at work and avoid terrible situations like that in Alabama.
February 11, 2010
YouTube Adds Parental Controls
YouTube has been under fire recently because, alongside adorable dancing babies and the like, there's a lot on there that kids shouldn't see.
So YouTube has complied by creating parental controls for their site.
Unfortunately, it's going to be about 100 years before the millions of videos on YouTube can be flagged as inappropriate and blocked from youngsters' view.
As it says in CBS News' article on Internet Safety, filtering all of the videos on the site would be "a challenge," since there are "20 hours of video uploaded every minute to YouTube."
That's correct, every minute there's another 20 hours of stuff to view and block.
This is exactly why parental controls are so much easier and more effective for parents today.
The best parental controls offer parents tools like screenshots, so they can actually see exactly what their kids are watching on the computer.
It's a heck of a lot easier than watching millions of videos so you can protect your kids from uncensored sex and violence.
Even if there are a lot of cute dancing babies.
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.