Parent’s Eyes Only
Porn, Predators and Terrorist OH MY!
The saying used to go “It’s 10 o’clock do you know where your children are” Now the phrase needs to be modified “It’s 10 o’clock do you know what you children are doing online?” For most parents, you have no idea where or what your child is doing on the internet. We wouldn’t turn them loose every night to roam the streets on New York City or Vegas, but that is what we do, by not being attentive to what they are doing online. I know it may seem intrusive, but that’s our job as parents to protect our kids.
Some of you have an open relationship with your child and you trust them, but the scary fact is 9 in 10 kids 8-16 yrs. have viewed porn online. (UK News Telegraph, NOP Research Group, 1/07/02) I’m not trying to scare you, but this is a huge problem we need to address.
I know some of you are still searching the keyboard for the “AnyKey” button (“To start press anykey”) and some of you like the cup holder (CD Rom drive) that comes with your new PC. But some of you may not know that I speak GEEK fluently. I build computers for fun. So I can help you protect your children as they grow into Godly men and women.
Let’s start with Free options, cause I love free things.
1. Make sure the computer is in a open part of the house.(Den, kitchen) If that’s not an option have an open door rule while they are online and position the monitor so anyone can see it when they walk by. This is one step seems obvious, but it is one of the best preventive measures you can take.
2. Know your History. You can check your Internet Browser’s History by clicking on the little button at the top. Now that is easy, in fact it’s so easy, it’s easy to cover up with a simple click as well. I have some hacking skills that I only use for good and not Eeeevil so I can help you lock this feature so that the history can’t be cleared. If you are interested email me and I can help.
3. Cookie Monster- Cookies are tracking device kind of like Hansel and Grettle leaving a trail of cookies so they know where they have been. You can use this info for your good by checking out some your cookies. This is a tricky way to see where folks have been traveling online. The file is usually found here C:\Documents and Settings\My Documents\cookies.txt Just click on it and skim it for any concerning websites.
4. If #2 and #3 are blank, meaning no history and no cookies it could mean somebody is trying to cover up their tracks and it’s time to take out the big guns.
5. Check out the #1 Christian Porn Site XXXChurch.com This is a great website with a plethora of help! They offer some great software called X3. This is a FREE accountability program helping with online integrity. It is offered at no charge by the ministry of XXXchurch.com and its supporters. Whenever you browse the Internet and access a site which may contain questionable material, the program will save the site name on your computer. Approximately every 30 days or 2 weeks (depending on your preference), a person of your choice (an accountability partner) will receive an email containing all possible questionable sites you may have visited within the month. This information is meant to encourage open and honest conversation between friends and help us all be more accountable. One of my friends has his grandma for an accountability partner, and I would be happy to be one for you as well.
6. Ok we are out of free options so here are some great paid options.
A. CyberPatrol is what I use for my girls and I would recommend it. It’s 39.95 a year, money well spent.
B. Eblaster is available at www.spectorsoft.com and these are the “Big Guns” I like spy movies and this software is one that Q would recommend if you need to know everything. Some people may whine about invading your child’s privacy, but if you can find me a verse that talks to that issue I’d be happy to hear it. Here is what this software can do for your $99
Be Copied IMMEDIATELY On Their:
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• Emails |
• Chats |
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• Instant Messages |
• Sensitive Words and Phrases |
Receive Detailed Hourly Email Reports Of ALLTheir Internet And PC Activity, Including:
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• Emails sent and received |
• Both sides of Chats and Instant Messages |
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• Web Sites visited |
• Sensitive Words and Phrases |
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• Programs launched |
• Peer-to-Peer (P2P) files downloaded |
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• Every Keystroke typed |
• Logon/Logoff activity |
7. Last but not least we need to look at Loop Holes. Software like Kazaa, BearShare, Gnutella, and Bit Torrent are all programs used to “share files”. “Share” and “download” are nice words for stealing online. There is no reason for this software to be on your computer so I would go to Add Remove Programs and remove any of the above. These P2P (peer to peer) software are used to traffic boot leg movies, music, pirated software and yes, loads of Porn. Your child may say they just use it to download music. See commandment #8 for more info on stealing.
Wow! That’s a lot of info, but with new technology comes new challenges to stay Christ-like. I hope this has helped and please call or email if I can help your family win this battle.
Matthew
