Internet content filter recommendations?

[jrandom]

spy ware, mal ware, whatever ware else that downloads on to your computer without your permission.

I've given up trying to educate people in how to use their computers without installing malware.

What you should do, apart from the innuhneh filtering, is get his computer clean and updated and working perfectly with all the software he needs installed on it, take an image of the boot HDD with Acronis TrueImage or similar, and install a second 'data-only' HDD and make sure he knows to store all his data on that one.

Then, whenever the mood takes you, you can dump the image back onto the boot disk, run Windows Update, and hand the machine back to him in the reasonable certainty that it is free of evil. Faffing about trying to surgically remove this week's spyware/rootkit/etc is for the birds.

[Bren]

the easy solution for me was to change my O.S

been running for 5 years on linux and never got any malware or viruses or dialers that work on linux.

[TerminalAddict]

dansguardian .. running behind a squid proxy ... however, you need an extra computer kicking about running all the time acting as your proxy.

[bobsmith]

Here is an answer: EDUCATION

You could spend all your money and time trying to restrict internet access but there will always be some way to circumvent it. (unless like someone mentioned you get a firewall box and stick it on a locked room even then you would either have to somehow blacklist countless web proxy sites out there or operate it on a whitelist basis - on which case you might as well not have internet at all)

I say rather than trying to restrict what kids can see, educate them in how they should use the internet. You don't have your kitchen fenced up so that your kids can avoid getting hurt (unless you have a new born...) you instead educate them so that they don't burn them selves, etc... The same thing here.

Anyway that's my rant for the day.

(ps things like dns filter - one only needs to override the dns setting on the computer and if it's a physical box in the house such as proxy or firewall in the house one only needs to bypass this physically...

[davereid]

Move to Australia or China. Then the government will do it for you.

Of course, at he will google the IP address of a proxy server, or download a copy of TOR and he will bypass all your content restrictions.

Put his 'puter in a public place, so he can be supervised. If the Chinese Government can't censor the internet, it's unlikely anthing you do will be seen as anything but a (temporary) challenge.

[Blossom]

Yep I am afraid I have to agree with the old school set on this one. We have a 13yr old and a very savvy 11yr old. PC's are not for bedrooms. Keep it in the lounge where you can see it.
I see kids with computers in their rooms all the time, seems a bit like giving a kid a motorbike and letting them teach themselves how to ride while unsupervised. I dont like those odds.

[HungusMaximist]

Yea the computer is actually by the office, which is next to parent's bedroom.

I'll take up on those other ideas. Chur fullahs.