CNN.com - Technology - Review: Net Nanny 4 monitors child's habits

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January 8, 2001
Web posted at: 23:42 HKT (2342 GMT)

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January 8, 2001
Web posted at: 10:42 a.m. EST (1542 GMT)

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by Kathryn Munro

(IDG) -- Most parents are concerned about the online surfing habits of their children--and with good reason: With the phenomenal growth of both good and bad aspects of the Internet, even the most Net-savvy kids can get into trouble.That's where filtering software comes into play. Net Nanny Software was one of the pioneers in this space; the latest version of its software, the $40 Net Nanny 4, adds an updated interface and some new features that promise to keep control over kids' Web access firmly in parental hands.

Net Nanny helps parents (and system administrators) monitor Web surfing and allows them to determine acceptable content for each user logging on. The price includes unlimited free updates that are automatically downloadable from the company's Web site, unlike competitor CyberPatrol, which charges for updates after 12 months.

Net Nanny currently supports Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, and 2000; however, it doesn't support networks or the Mac OS.

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Net Nanny breaks from complex installations required by earlier versions to provide a simpler, less intimidating setup and configuration procedure. Parents can now customize Net Nanny through simple on-screen instructions. You decide when and how long your child may go online and which Web sites, newsgroups, and IRC chat rooms they may access. You can also specify words and phrases to block, as well as turning off all .jpg and .gif graphics.

Net Nanny may be configured for up to 12 individual users. Through the new icon and tabbed interface, you can configure each user's access for Web sites, newsgroups, words and phrases, and IRC chat rooms. You control Web site access with customizable Can Go and Can't Go lists; you can also turn access on or off.

The software works with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and higher and Netscape 4.72 and higher, as well as with certain AOL setups, depending on your version and configuration. Although Net Nanny does not support instant messaging applications, such as ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, or Yahoo Messenger, it will catch a link sent through an instant message. Net Nanny can block or monitor IRC chats but not Java or HTML chats. Parents can, however, enter chat site URLs into the Can't Go list and block them. For newsgroups and IRC chat rooms, you can block all, allow all, or define a custom Can Go list.

Browse away...almost

Once installed, Net Nanny starts at boot time and runs in the background. When a PC user opens a browser, Net Nanny pops up a login screen before allowing access to the Web. If the user doesn't log in, Net Nanny blocks all Internet access. Parents (or the PC administrator) can globally deactivate the system with the administrator password to gain unrestricted Internet access.

However, unlike stealth programs that run totally transparently and block without explanation, Net Nanny places an icon in the tool tray giving the administrator quick access to the program settings and blocks with a customizable screen.

The Net Nanny documentation encourages parents to discuss filtering with their kids and provides family contract template to act as a guideline for safe Internet use that can be printed and signed by all.

One configuration is not for all users

Net Nanny now comes preloaded with two editable lists of Web sites, Can't Go and Can Go. While Net Nanny previously required you to download and install these lists before using the product, this is a nice timesaver.

The Can't Go list is a group of Web sites deemed by Net Nanny to be inappropriate, as judged by the following criteria: sexual explicitness, hate, violence, crime, and drugs. The Can Go list presents sites that have been selected by Jean Armour Polly, the author of the Internet Kids & Family Yellow Pages. Net Nanny also incorporates the Internet Content Rating Association and SafeSurf systems. You may add or delete sites of your own choosing at any time, and clicking any item in the list will bring it up for your review. You can also download free list updates manually or set the program to download them automatically on daily, weekly, or monthly schedules.

The editable Words and Phrase list is independent of the Can Go and Can't Go lists. When the Words and Phrases list is activated, Net Nanny blocks specifics words, such as cybersex, on searches, Web pages, or in a URL. Objectionable words and phrases are blocked by a series of pound signs (#) in Web pages and POP3-based e-mail. Chats can also be fully recorded, although this eats up disk space.

You can configure Net Nanny to just log violations, display a messages to block, or shut down the browser if someone tries to access an unauthorized site. Net Nanny can keep a log of most actions, including violations, URLs visited, entire chat conversations, and newsgroup activity. By clicking a logged URL, the administrator can go right to the site.

In addition to monitoring where your child is going, Net Nanny also lets you control how much time your child spends online when using a Web browser. The graphical schedule access screen provides a weeklong timeline to set each person's usage profile. The screen provides a grid of days, with each day divided into half-hour increments. To make adjustments, the administrator simply clicks and drags the cursor over the time blocks they want to allow or block for the child's online access.

Surfing on the wrong side of the track

In testing, Net Nanny blocked unsuitable content fairly well and appropriately. However, occasionally a page would open with a Net Nanny warning message that didn't follow through and revealed indecorous pictures. For example, since Net Nanny blocks Web sites based on URLs, when we searched on sex, we got a search page with explicit targeted banners and images that weren't blocked. However, if we selected any of the resulting porn links, we were immediately blocked.

When we had words and phrases blocked, we got a message warning of inappropriate material and the search page had inappropriate words blocked out. While the days of getting blocked when trying to research breast cancer are gone, no filter can catch everything--due to the volatility of the Web and the multiple contexts of certain words--without overblocking the good sites. With respect to monitoring and logging, Net Nanny proved excellent.

The software allows you to prevent your kids from sending personal information. Names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, financial information, and school and work names may all be entered into a form; all future outgoing information (whether entered into a Web-based form or an e-mail) will then be checked against this master list. If it matches the software will replace it with pound signs (###).

In order for this system to be effective, it's important to remember to list all variations of nicknames, abbreviations (Street, St., and so on), and phone numbers (1-234-555-6789, 12345556789, 234-555-6789). If you need to fill out an online form, just temporarily deactivate Net Nanny with your administrator password.

While no filtering utility can replace the vigilance of a caring parent, Net Nanny 4 can make the job a little easier. By providing easily editable lists, Net Nanny 4 lets busy parents take charge of their children's surfing, and even less-computer-savvy parents will find the installation and configuration simple and therefore be more likely to use it.

Prestige Review

CNN.com - Technology - Review: Net Nanny 4 monitors child's habits

Big picture

Browse away...almost

One configuration is not for all users

Surfing on the wrong side of the track

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