"Net Nanny" or other inappropriate content blocking programs

[Josh]

All,

With my daughter being like me in that she is very big into technology, she knows her way around a computer. That said, I need to now be able to filter her on the computer. What is a good filtration program that I can use to block inappropriate content from her? Preferably, I would like one that prompts for a password, vice completely blocking a site, so that my wife or I can still surf at our leisure.

Any ideas?

Thanks DoCo!

[Renegade]

Probably the best solution is at the router level. i.e. For her MAC address, block all sites that you want to block. You can get lists around for sites that you might want to block.

If you share a computer, well, I'm sure others can chime in better than I can there.

[y0himba]

I use OpenDNS.  Set your router to use it instead of your ISP's DNS, password protect the router setup, and you are good to go.  You can create a free account and choose what categories to filter, and even do a bit of customizing the block page.  You could also just set her computer to use OpenDNS, however it is much easier and more secure at the router level.

If you need help, let me know and I can walk you through it. In the screenshot below, that is me, and my technologically savvy daughter on the OpenDNS block page.

"Net Nanny" or other inappropriate content blocking programs

[NigelH]

Josh, have a look at K9 http://www1.k9webprotection.com/

[Edvard]

If your daughter is really technology-savvy, then your best methods will be an inconvenience at best.
That said, I use a combination of OpenDNS, Adblock Plus and the Firefox extension Procon Latte.
https://addons.mozil.../addon/procon-latte/
It can be locked down pretty tightly, supports whitelists, blacklists, objectionable-word replacement, all kinds of stuff.
On Chrome, Foxfilter does alright, but it costs $9.99 a year to get it password-protected.
http://www.inspiredeffect.com/FoxFilter/

If you use OpenDNS, make sure you use the dynamic IP update service, and make sure your router doesn't insert a third DNS entry, because if a DNS lookup fails for any reason, the third entry will then allow access.
http://www.opendns.c...ort/dynamic_ip_tech/
https://forums.opend...hp?DiscussionID=1684

K9 looks pretty good, but is Windows and Mac only (not hatin', just sayin'...) so my solutions apply to Linux users as well.
If you ever want to lock down a Linux computer beyond browser plugins, it'll get complicated, but routing access through a proxy running DansGuardian is a good choice.
http://dansguardian.org/?page=whatisdg

[wraith808]

I use OpenDNS.  Set your router to use it instead of your ISP's DNS, password protect the router setup, and you are good to go.  You can create a free account and choose what categories to filter, and even do a bit of customizing the block page.  You could also just set her computer to use OpenDNS, however it is much easier and more secure at the router level.

If you need help, let me know and I can walk you through it. In the screenshot below, that is me, and my technologically savvy daughter on the OpenDNS block page.
 (see attachment in previous post)

-y0himba (June 06, 2012, 04:50 AM)

I love OpenDNS... the only think I don't like is that the list is crowd sourced.  So until a site is tagged, it's not blocked, and sometimes sites can be blocked that shouldn't necessarily be because of being mis-tagged.

[NigelH]

I currently use OpenDNS - just the generic filtering servers that restrict phishing, proxy sites etc.

K9 specifically met this criteria though  - I had success with it when I used to use it.

..I would like one that prompts for a password

Once installed, it's really not easy to bypass at all.