Responsible parents know that dangers lurk on the Internet and want
to protect their kids. The obvious solution is to get an Internet filter,
software that blocks users from pornography, hate sites,
chat rooms and giving out personal information.  

But did you know there are at least 120 filtering options out there
and no consensus on what works best?

There's an abundance of software that help to keep your kids off naughty Web sites at a reasonable price.  All of these programs keep a database of adult Web sites and block access to them after they are downloaded. The goal is to allow you to determine the level of censorship.  Sex, hate or violence are examples of categories in which censorship can be attempted. Some programs allow parents to limit the times when the kids are able to dial out to the Internet,  warn of violations or even shut down the browser when a taboo site is reached.

       However, even though there have been huge advances in technology, home Internet filters are notorious for filtering  words that have both good and bad connotations like “breast” and blocking legitimate sites. 

A recent report by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania found that only a third of the families who have Internet
access at home have used filters.

       Many of our customers say they’ve tried a filter but got frustrated and found "PC Playback" when looking for a simpler solution.  Internet filters are powerful tools, but they can be prone to glitches. More often than not, they  filter out the “good” with the “bad.” And despite great advances since they hit the market in the mid-1990s, the programs remain tricky to use.

A group called Peacefire.org constantly finds errors in these programs and posts them on a Web site along with ways of disabling filters.

Complaints about filters are many.  Some say they are too  time-consuming to use and overly sensitive.  We heard from one customer who said, “I just want something simple that filters porn,” he said. “I don’t want to keep getting messages that require my password.”  Another woman said she used the parental controls on America Online, but said she has no control over her boyfriend’s teen-age son, who comes over and logs onto another account
that’s not filtered.   Others feel many of the ISPs are simply “heavy handed”
in that  they are extremely restrictive or have a hidden agenda
and don’t offer parents enough flexibility.  

The bottom line here is that nothing is going to replace parenting skills. Parental supervision is the best defense against the dark side of the Internet.  Put the computer in the living room so an eye can be kept on what children are doing, but for those times when it is impossible to be physically present when your kids are surfing the net, spy software like "PC Playback" is an excellent way to
review your families PC activity during your absence. 

Always keep in mind, porn is everywhere on the Internet.
If you don’t seek it out, it comes to you. 
When it comes to your kids...how will you know?