I got a good email from Robert in Elkton this week.  He mentioned that he hadn’t seen anything about protecting people (especially kids & teens) from the darker side of the internet.  I did write a column about this but in May, 2002; it definitely needs updating.

Back in those days the best program for blocking questionable sites was called We-Blocker.  However, having referred people to that great software for years I find that as of May of this year it has pretty much disappeared from the scene.  If you are still using We-Blocker and depending on it, don’t as it no longer updates or works properly.

It is time for a new recommendation, OpenDNS (www.opendns.com).  OpenDNS does many things but basically provides a fairly simple method for home users to block objectionable content from their computers.  Whether it is alcohol, pornography, file sharing networks, video sites, podcasts or even chat rooms.  OpenDNS has approximately 50 categories which you may block from your computer.  You also have the option of stopping individual sites.  So if you didn’t want your husband spending all day long reading the great articles at DoubleClicks.info you could block just that site…but I know you wouldn’t, please.

OpenDNS is controlled by one password account and from what I can see in using it over the last several days; you cannot control it by individual users.  That means if you block “weapons” from your computer because you don’t want you kids buying assault rifles, it will also block you from browsing for a new hunting rifle or a pocket knife.  I do believe that this will be solved over time but it doesn’t appear so at this time.

They also threw in another neat feature.  It is cosmetic but still worth mentioning.  If you try to log into a blocked site you will get a reference page telling you which category blocked it, i.e. “weapons”.  The page can be customized by you, the administrator of your network.  Mine has a picture of me glaring at the user and a sentence telling them that they shouldn’t try this site again or I will come after them.  Of course, my wife has a better glare than me and this probably won’t have much effect since the kids are grown and gone.

Also, if you get blocked the reference page has an email form which allows the user to notify the administrator.  They can say that they don’t believe that particular site should be blocked.  Then you may allow its use if you agree.

I think this is a very useful tool in keeping your kids safe online.  I forgot to mention the price…free!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 3:37 am and is filed under Columns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.