Web parental controls

[lasher]

Hi folks,

Well this is the scenario,

i want my teenage daughters to have their own rig in their bedroom.

They are well aware i will be monitoring their activity and this i can do with something as simple and free ( most important ! ) with Logmein.

I'm well aware they will be using MSN and other social networking sites which i can monitor.

What i want is a filter program similar to say netnanny that will block sites.

Our server at work uses Webroot and Web marshall but these are not free.

Just wondered if you folks knew of and Used any other apps for this. Due to the nature of the programs im aware they act as keyloggers and screen grabbers so i dont want just random suggestions as i can do that by googling myself.

What im after really is information about programs you personally have used and how you rated them.

Some people may be of the opinion that i should not be snooping on their activities or allowing a 13year old to have access to a PC "unsupervised" but if you do can we address that in a different post please.

Many thanks

 

[JN]

Is it just websites you want to be able to block mate? If it was me I'd probably use my router to just put a block on all websites and then manually whitelist the ones they want access to.

 

[lasher]

Aye,

could do that i guess. didn't think about that route.. good thinking batman!

 

[Rastalovich]

Is there a way to block ALL websites, except for those in a list ?

Does windows firewall allow that ?

I'm thinking "I want to go to *this* website" - u check it out and if it's ok u add it to the list ?

U can lockdown windows firewall from changes by limiting user levels I believe.

EDIT: duh, Jim types faster than me obviously LOL

 

[lasher]

thanks you guys,

I'm going to get the kids to list their websites and ill start white-listing them.

Am i right in thinking msn saving of messages is in the options in messenger?

 

[Rastalovich]

Not sure if u need to be admin to turn it off tho.

 

[PeterStoba]

Am i right in thinking msn saving of messages is in the options in messenger?

Yeah

 

[JN]

Am i right in thinking msn saving of messages is in the options in messenger?

It is, but you gotta ask urself if it will 'stay on'. Obviously I dont know your situation but if you're trying to monitor what is typed on their keyboard as much as what is typed on people they chat to, then I'd consider whether you need to look into something a bit more robust than a text file log.

I know it sounds crude, but maybe a legitimate key logger. They can be used to track input only on certain applications and will email you text versions of the chats while also being stealthy.

 

[Kylevdm]

you could also go through openDNS or Dynamic DNS and it logs all the sites for you and you can monitor it for a while then white / blacklist to your hearts content. I believe it even has catagories that you can black list.

 

[mayhem]

i just use my router . the girls and sons PC mac address are recorded and my son has a little more access than the girls. The girls are limited to 4 web sites and my son to about 50/60.

all so i have times they can go on and after 19:00 Hrs its a no go. And before 9:00 its a no go.

MSN is recorded at all times and i use windows 7 to monitor what else is used. Mind you i all so have dame ware install for other stuff (txt logger , IP logging ect ect).

 

[lasher]

Thanks for your time and input gents,

Ive realised i have a full suite available from BT Broadband including Mcafee Family Protection,

its actually quite a comprehensive program and no matter how hard im trying to crack it nothing is getting through! ( not that i know any porn sites ofc )

Not usually impressed with Mcaffe and Norton products but this one a beauty.

Available to buy for £25 from Mcaffe or free with BT total broadand.

Once again thanks for your input.