Township of Chapleau
Featured Article |
Project Chapleau Team What is Parental Control and how does it work?Just as television has parental control where parents can block certain TV channels, the internet also has parental control features. Parental control is a software application or service that helps regulate the Internet content accessible to an Internet user. It can grant or restrict access to specific web sites based on rules set by an administrator (typically a parent). It can also block access to the Internet at predetermined times. Parental control software is downloaded or installed to a user's computer. Once installed, the owner configures the software to perform the types of filtering they require. The software integrates with the computer's Internet-oriented programs to regulate user activity. New sites are added regularly to database of blocked sites. The Parental control software will automatically receive and install the new database of blocked sites on a regular basis. Features of Parental Control ProgramsFilters recognized sites. Through automated and/or manual screening, software providers maintain an exhaustive database of web sites that are grouped by category. These databases include the web sites visited by an average Internet user. If the user attempts to access a site that is considered inappropriate by the administrator, he or she won't be allowed to download and view that site's content. Scans unknown sites. With hundreds of new Web sites appearing every day, no database can possibly contain every site. When a user attempts to access a site that isn't in the database, the content control program will immediately conduct a scan of the site's contents, scanning the content and/or text, to determine if it is suitable for viewing. This automated feature typically takes just a few minutes and only needs to be completed the first time a new site is accessed. Some content control solutions also use large centers of human screeners. Once it has been scanned, the user is either granted or denied permission based on the site's contents. Allows customization. There may be sites that a user wants to block that are not in the provider's database. Parental control allows the user to "black-list" unwanted websites. Conversely, if there is a website this is blocked that should not be, the user can "white-list" this site, thus allowing access. Control Access to the Internet. A user can configure parental control to block access to the Internet at any time of day, any day of the week. This can be used to help control when the Internet is accessed, and when it is unavailable. Generate reports. Parental control has the ability to log sites visited by users and generate detailed reports. Limitations of Parental Control ProgramsIt's important to understand the limitations of parental control as well as its abilities. Parental control cannot: Identify every inappropriate site. There simply isn't an existing technology that will identify inappropriate content 100% of the time. This is because:
Prevent user intervention. While parental control offers some peace of mind, it's conceivable that a determined child may find a way to bypass the parental control features. It's important to periodically ensure the parental control is still in place and functional. Regulate non-Web based content. While new technologies are rapidly emerging, most parental control systems are primarily web-based. It's important to remember that inappropriate content is often shared by e-mail, and sometimes by disk or CD-ROM as well. Parents should talk with children and be aware with whom their children are sharing files. Screen secure web sites. Sites that offer secure socket layer (SSL) encryption cannot be screened by parental control. Generally speaking, this includes any sites that require users to login.
|
 |
|
||||
RSS Feeds