Also Known As:
Internet-Filtering Software, Filtering Software, Parental Control Software, Censorware

Description:
Content-filtering software was originally designed to protect children from Web sites containing pornography. As Internet threats to young people expanded, the capabilities of the filtering software grew. Internet-filters are now used to block sites that advocate potentially disquieting and hurtful content and can be customized to suit specific user requirements.  . Schools and libraries may employ filters to erect a wall between children and internet threats. The leading Internet Service Providers such as AOL, MSN, and others offer free parental controls for their customers. There are a relatively large number of commercial software packages available for filtering Internet content. 

According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project report released in March 2005, “More than half of American families with teenagers use filters to limit access to potentially harmful online content – a 65% increase from the number of those who used filters in 2000.”

How to Recognize This Threat:
Computer system slowdowns and crashes can be signs of Spyware. Differences in your Web browser such as extra toolbars or different homepage settings as well as changes to your security settings or favorites list are indications of Spyware infection. Pop-up ads unrelated to the particular Web site you are visiting are another symptom.

What to look for in content-filtering software:
It is important to know that while today’s filters are generally more capable than they were several years ago, no software is perfect. Objectionable material such as pornography can slip through. Another imperfection is that while blocking objectionable material, filtering software may also wall-out harmless information. For example, some filters will block information on breast cancer because the word breast is used in an Internet search. Others may not distinguish between Nazi hate Sites and legitimate histories of World War II because the word Hitler was used in a search. The result is that both categories of information may be blocked.

Some filters are capable of more than simply walling-off objectionable sites. Content filters can help block the child from sending out personal information. A number of today’s filters can also delete inappropriate instant messages, prevent violent games from being played on the computer, limit the child’s time online, and record all Internet activity for later review by parents.

Many parents start the filtering process by engaging the parental controls offered by the family’s Internet service providers. After that, they research child safety and Internet filtering to determine whether their family would benefit from the purchase of a commercial package.

It is important to understand that content-filtering may be an excellent tool for protection, but it is only one tool of many. The Pew research found that even with filters, “Big majorities of both teens and parents believe that teens do things on the Internet that their parents would not approve of.”

Parents should remain vigilant about their child’s computer use. It is vital for parents to educate their children on Internet safety, such as not giving out personal information or posting photos of themselves. Children should be made to feel comfortable letting the parents know when someone online is being abusive or making inappropriate suggestions.

The Internet is essentially a door opening the family’s home onto the world. Ensure children know the dangers posed by the Internet and install locks — content-filtering software — that are appropriate to the age of the family’s children.