Is there software I can install on a PC that prevents access to pornographic sites?

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idyll

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A friends grandparents were asking whether there was any software I knew of that would block questionable sites like those with pornographic content should their grandkids come by it. Is there any?
 
Realistically, the simple answer is "No," but there are some applications that can help like CyberSitter and other such apps.

The unfortunate side effect of the freedom of information on the Internet is also one of it's biggest handicaps, but you have to take the good with the bad...
 
Nothing is going to catch everything. As said above, you could get an app to do it. Windows 7 has some good filtering built in, but it's going to either not catch enough, or catch too much. In addition to all this, you could use Opendns as DNS servers and have it block adult content.

No single solution is going to work though...
 
Thanks! CyberSitter looks good. I also found NetNanny. Unfortunately, both cost money.. Are there any free alternatives?
 
idyll said:
Thanks! CyberSitter looks good. I also found NetNanny. Unfortunately, both cost money.. Are there any free alternatives?
Click to expand...

Sure, tell whoever to pull the network cable out and let the kids play some games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Checkers, Chess, etc. ;)

Oh, you mean alternatives to prevent people having access to porn online? Well, that OpenDNS thing mentioned above might be useful but, if you mean a free alternative that's point-click-stop everything simple, no, that's not going to happen.
 
Back in the day, my parents used SurfWatch. It worked flawlessly, until I figured out the password. That was back in the mid-90's on Windows 95 though, so I'm not sure if it's still around.
 
For free, OpenDNS is easy to setup, works with routers, does a somewhat decent job.
If you're into building your own *nix routers...some free UTM distros like Untangle or Astaro HGW have pretty good content filtering.
 
Or just teach the kid what they are doing isn't right maybe, the whole parenting thing?
 
Put the computer in the living room or wherever everyone in the house can see what's on the screen at any given time. That'll pretty well stop any intentional misbehavior.
 
If the grandkids are actively trying to find porn, move the computer to a more public room like the living room. If they're old enough to be doing that and the computer is in a private room, they're old enough to outsmart you and any software solution you might come up with and get what they want, so give up on that idea.

If the grandkids are innocent 9 year olds and you just want to keep them out of the deep end of the pool, OpenDNS should be enough.
 
+3 for Open DNS. Works great and you can set it to block just pornography. You may also want to look into Windows Live Family Safety. It lets you customize specific filtering levels and other restrictions per user account. It's completely free through Microsoft.
 
Just go into the router and block keywords such bas "porn" "pornography" and explicit body parts. ;)
 
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