I spend a lot of time reviewing how people reach this website. The majority, arrive via search for specific solutions or problems– phrases like porn blocker, stop gambling, pornography addiction.
What I find interesting is that most are not looking for a web filter or help in creating a healthy Internet environment, but for a solution to a specific problem they are having with the Internet — they want to block porn from a child’s computer or to help themselves stop gambling online.
I understand. You recognize that there is a problem in your home with the way someone is using the Internet so you go online to seek a solution. Optenet PC is a great solution for these Internet use problems and there are many good and helpful solutions out there for filtering, monitoring and managing Internet use.
But my question is why are so many families reaching a situation that is so urgent that they are literally running to find out how to block pornography. I can see the urgency in many of the emails I receive and many forum discussions. There is a sense of losing control — parents have lost control of their children, adults have lost control of their own behavior, couples have lost control of how to have a healthy relationship, etc.
The Internet is playing a significant role in many changes that are taking place today – for good and for bad. The problem is not the technology. It is in how we use it. When we allow our children to spend hours in their room alone playing on the computer or as adults, we fall into the habit of socializing more online than in person or develop habits like frequently viewing pornography even though it makes us feel bad about ourselves, we are misusing the technology.
My suggestion is that you learn to ensure that you don’t need to frantically search for a porn blocker after discovering your 16 year old is watching porn every night while you are sleeping. The Internet should be a healthy part of life and it can be. But you have to make the effort and not just hope that your family figures it all out or somehow knows. If you don’t set the limits and enforce the rules, no one else is going to do it for you.
With all that said, I still believe someone has to keep making noise about the problem of the vast amounts of inappropriate Internet content available. Join me in my personal efforts to advocate for a healthier Internet: http://www.facebook.com/SherylSitman
Did you know that blocking porn from your home and office computers is not only a good idea for the very obvious reasons, but it is also recommended by computer security experts?
Online crime targets users via search engines and social networking but email and pornography have been long time favorites for malware. In a report just released by Blue Coat Systems Inc., pornography,was virtually tied with Email as the 4th most popular way to lure users to malware. It is considered best practice for businesses to actively block Pornography as part of their for Web security policy.
It can be a great
Searching for images and pirated media ranks at the top of the list for possible malware delivery, and users engaging in these activities are especially vulnerable.
A single defense layer, such as a firewall or anti-virus software, is insufficient to protect against the dynamic nature of malware and the extensive infrastructure of malware delivery networks. Instead, businesses need the real-time protection and intelligence that a cloud-based Web defense can deliver as it quickly expands and adapts to new threats.
So if you need to do some extra convincing about why you need to get a web filter installed, you can explain that it is real, added protection against malware, in addition to the important benefit of filtering out pornographic content!
The truth is that the Optenet PC web filter does not require much support for most users. We just never hear from most of our customers — that is a very good sign! Install the web filter, set it up or use the default settings and then forget. That’s the beauty of a good web filter like Optenet PC.
But not every user has experience in installing software, so we wanted to make sure it will be really easy and available to learn how to install and set up the web filter to meet your needs, no matter what your computer abilities are.
Today we have introduced a new support section on the Optenet PC website with short, clear videos explaining everything from how to download the Optenet PC web filter to installing it, setting it up and using advanced features like profiles.
We also see a tremendous growth in awareness among adults that recognize that they too can benefit from the protection of a web filter.
A video entitled, Installing Optenet PC: Controlling Personal Internet Use is available. For adults who want web filter protection with complete discretion, we now offer several options. Adults should be able to block their own access to gambling, pornography, shopping, Social Media (Facebook), etc. Whatever type of website causes you a problem, you can block it. Now we can assist you by providing a Password Guard service and other advanced services to deliver maximum protection that can help you overcome an internet problem.
There will be more to come. Check out the support videos and customersupport@optenetpc.com to find out more about the adult web filter services.
Wouldn’t that be funny? After all of these years of complaining, of struggling with the problems it has caused, of debates about filtering, of children being traumatized in their own homes and of just plain trying so hard to keep our children safe from exposure to pornographic content — wouldn’t it be funny to find out that the service providers could have simply turned off the faucet and stopped it all from streaming into our homes? Continue Reading
When was the first time I heard of a web filter? Ten years ago, I was hired by a company that developed an Internet Content Filter. At first, I thought the idea would not catch on. Why would anyone want to control what others are viewing online? I was not sure that the filter software would be welcomed by anyone other than religious people. Referring to my own experience, I’d been “online” for almost 15 years by then (I was an early adapter of the Internet in 1985) and had never found a problem in being exposed to pornography or other unwanted content. I’d heard the stories of children meeting strangers and pedophiles using the Internet and I knew it was true. But I thought that it was possible to set rules and explain the do’s and don’ts of being online.
It is commonly understood by most governments today that the Internet introduces a serious problem in making available unmonitored, uncensored content to anyone with an Internet connection. Governments around the world have initiated a variety of plans and tactics to try to tackle the problem presented by the internet. Continue Reading
A few years ago, the Austrailian government launched an effort to ensure that every home with Internet access had a web filter. It was a great idea. Let families know that they can get the web filter of their choice for free – and presumably, most people will accept the offer happily.
Web filter and porn filter are two terms that are frequently searched on Internet search engines. WE were interested to learn more about the geographic differences in how people search for these terms and you may find the results surprising, depending on where you live. We have used Google Insights to identify in which states the most searches are done for web filter and porn filter .
Many parents are under the impression that parental control software is software you install on a young child’s computer just to make sure no pornography inadvertently pops up. For older children or teens, there is often an assumption that installing parental controls would be an invasion of privacy or an indication that the parent does not trust the teen to be responsible. Continue Reading
My 10 year old daughter pleaded to open her own Facebook account this week, claiming it would be an important way to keep in touch with friends over the summer and she likes to chat and share photos with family. I have mixed feelings and decided to give it a try and keep a close eye on her usage and the content that she and other kids post. Continue Reading
Porn is available to everyone today – toddlers, children, teens, adults, grandparents. Anyone with a computer will see porn at some point during their Internet surfing – guaranteed! Continue Reading
Looking at pornography is almost unavoidable today on the Internet. Porn addiction was once a rarely discussed problem among mental health professionals and is now an epidemic. Continue Reading
Sometimes I forget that there are many people who are not aware that there are solutions available – that you can block porn from your computers. Even more surprising to me is that some people do not realize that you SHOULD block porn from your home. Continue Reading
Despite all of the hype in the media about how our children are effected by the Internet, parents today are still not well aware of what they should be doing to keep their kids safe when they are online. Actually, parents are very confused about how to manage their children’s overall time on the computer and in most homes today, there are no time limits, no rules and certainly no web filter installed on the computers, laptops and Smartphones.
Adults are starting to catch up with their children in the technology sphere but I think they will always lag way behind. Kids are born into this stuff today. My son, who has a relatively healthy attitude about technology and integrates gadgets into his life in a very practical way, told me he can’t imagine life without his iPod Touch (unless it would be replaced with an iPhone). I feel fortunate that I don’t have that dependency to a gadget or to the Internet. But I realized that his perspective and his need for being online is much different than my need, despite the fact that my livelihood depends on the Internet. Continue Reading
Protect your children against harmful Web sites with this extremely powerful parental-filter application.
Optenet Web Filter PC, now Vista compatible, places an icon in the system tray to open your Internet browser and loads a neatly designed password-protected interface. You can create multiple profiles and select from the filter categories the types of Web sites to block, including but not limited to Gambling, Drugs, Games, Hackers, Porn. The application successfully blocked sites containing information within our filtered selections during testing. You can also restrict the use of P2P applications for file sharing, instant messengers, and e-mail and view a navigation log report.
Using the Contribution button, Optenet Web Filter lets you submit Web sites for possible inclusion on its restricted list. Parents and guardians can rest easy while kids surf the Web freely using this 14-day trial application.
Optenet is the only web filter that includes an online unblocking service. This service makes it possible for users to ask the Optenet team to revise a website in order to see if it was properly categorized.
In the case of an error, the revision team will unblock access to the site in 15 minutes so that the user can view the website. Continue Reading
Many kids are getting around filter systems. Roughly one-third of homes with teenagers and Internet connectivity say they use parental controls to protect the computer they use most often.
The majority of these come from ISPs like AOL, Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSK) or EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK), which provide parental controls as part of a security service. Continue Reading
Safe surfing
