Private Browsing

You can't do this in retrospect that I know of, but in the future, if the account in Mac OS X that the "someone" uses is separate (or you are willing to set one up), you can set up Safari in the Parental Controls to track what sites are visited and set up other restrictions. I think, though I'm not sure, that the tracking happens in spite of setting up private browsing.

Regards.

Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

Here is free solution filtered DNS service that may help you:
https://www.opendns.com/

It only requires changing you DNS settings in preferences > network.

For a complete solution there is kidsgogogo:
http://www.makienterprise.com/kggg/kidsgogogodetails.html

If you are using a router or router/modem combo it may have the ability to block websites as well.

I feel your pain, or rather I did feel your pain literally until I got kidsgogogo, a keylogger (keykext) and a vnc connection (vine server)! Now the Little Sweethearts are at MY mercy 24/7! heh heh.

Kj

The Parental Controls in Leopard have some filtering built in. In the Content tab, select "try to limit access to adult sites". That might be sufficient. If not, one of the aftermarket filtering packages such as KidsGoGoGo may be better, but none of them are going to keep a kid off the adult sites if they're determined. Many such sites deliberately try to set themselves up so that filters don't block them.

Regards.

Very true, but kidsgogogo can be set up to log their browser activity and/or real time screen capture.
That's powerful stuff when you confront them the next day about their surfing activities when they thought you were asleep or gone somewhere or busy doing something else.

I like the open dns solution as a safety net also if the kidsgogogo fails for some reason. It really is very effective. A router with configurable site filters gives an added layer of protection too.

VNC screen sharing is awesome too. you can be on another computer in another room wirelessly and take a peek at what they are doing in real time and don't forget about those good old keyloggers. I like the hardware type myself, though they cost a bit more, but they do a much better job at grabbing passwords than the software keylogger types.
http://www.keelog.com/
I like the keelog module. put that baby inside your keyboard and nobody is the wiser!
Warning: Be sure you OWN the equipment you bug!!!!

Kj

P.S. Makes you wonder what your boss is doing eh?????

True, but much of that functionality is built into 10.5. It may not be as sophisticated as KidsGoGoGo or other dedicated web filters and external DNS solutions, but it's already included at no extra cost, so it's worth people checking out before they spend money or effort on other solutions. 10.5 also has screen sharing/observing built in, so again, no real need to look for aftermarket solutions.

Keylogging and screen capture would require aftermarket software, but that's getting a bit much for all but the most egregious cases. I'm sure the OP appreciates the suggestion, though, in case things do get very problematic at their household.

Regards.

Vine Server IS free. Vine Client is not free. You do NOT need Vine client, Leo's built in remote management client works nicely, all you have to to is activate it in preferences. but on the machine you want to view you will need a vnc server solution. Vine Server is an excellent solution (and it is free).

OpenDns.com is a free DNS solution.

KeyKext is a free open source solution keylogger.

If you already have a router or dsl router/modem on a home LAN, most of those support some sort of website filtering solution and since thats a seperate piece of hardware it is not subject to hacking in to bypass (unless the password is compromised on the browser interface).

Kidsgogogo is (single user license) $30. - Screen capture is BUILT IN! - Web Logging is BUILT IN!

Let's see what we have so far:

vine server-- $000.00
open dns --- $000.00
config router $000.00
keykext ---- $000.00
kidsgogogo - $030.00
____________________
.------- total $30.00

I love bargains and I love free stuff and I love my kids and I did my homework! Did you?

I dare anyone to come up up with a cheaper comparable solution.

Even if you throw in the hardware key logger at 39.99 your still under $70.
That, my friends - is a bargain for a little piece of mind and your child's welfare.

Enjoy Everyone! - keep the Internet safe for your children - without breaking the Bank.

Kj

Again, 10.5 already has screen sharing built in, so a third-party VNC solution isn't needed if the systems are all 10.5. If someone has a 10.4 workstation, then Vine would be a solution, as would Chicken of the VNC, also free.

Many people are insufficiently skilled to set up DNS filtering, though it's an option for those who need more help than the easier solutions can provide. DNS filtering also really doesn't help much except for blocking specific sites. The same applies to router site filtering; they can block specific IPs or URLs, but for more parents that doesn't help much since the issue is usually to keep a kid away from any adult site. DNS and router filtering will be of most use to keep a kid off of a specific site such as Facebook.

Again, KidsGoGoGo is a great solution, but parents with 10.5 should try the controls built into Mac OS X before they try any aftermarket product. They may need more than 10.5 provides, but it's a place to start, particularly when a parent isn't certain that a problem exists.

'nuff said, methinks.

Regards.

KJK555 wrote:
I love bargains and I love free stuff and I love my kids and I did my homework! Did you?

Of course I did. That's how I know that superfluous leading zeros to the left of the decimal point look terribly silly.

However much money you throw at the problem, your kids will more than likely outsmart you.

You REALLY should check out opendns.com before you pass judgement on it, as tennis shoe and crow really do taste terrible.

As far as implementing DNS goes, it is extremely simple:
Preferences > network > select lan interface (eth1, airport, etc.), in the DNS box enter 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 (put a comma in between the two numbers):208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
That's it!

Router blocking is great for keeping them off mail sites like gmail, pirate sites, proxies, blocking ports, protocols, etc. (things that may not be blocked normally be filtering software, of course kidsgogogo is configureable also.

A vnc server solution allows you to view their screen with them being unaware they are being viewed (as long as you don't take over their mouse). 🙂

Besides, never underestimate the computer IQ of the people reading these posts either. I simply try to offer accurate information as understandable as I am able to explain it and let the readers pick and choose as they may and make rational decisions as they see fit. I really have not investigated Apple's solution so I'm not qualified to pass judgement on it anyway, but I can tell you the kids got around Tiger's solution almost immediately, it was no challenge to them at all. They have been trying to hack on the kidsgogogo for some time now, unsuccessfully I might add, so I know it's a great solution, at least in my case. BTW it does have free trial period also to see if it is right for you.

An effective solution is going be different in almost every case, depending on a child's age and computer skill level, in fact, nothing short of locking a computer in a safe and welding the door shut may be good enough to keep some kids from hacking around your safeguards. I know a few kids that speak binary better than I do, It is a good thing they are good kids, that as far as I know, are responsible citizens that don't need all that monitoring.

If you think I like having to monitor someone's computer activities, then think again, my hours behind the keyboard are plenty long enough without that.

Best,
Kj

I'm not passing judgement on anything, and I don't see how you derive that from anything I said. All I said is that setting up DNS and router filtering is more than many people can or want to handle, and it's only suitable for blocking specific sites where you know the URL or IP address. That's not a criticism, it's just a fact of how such things work. Adult sites work very hard to get around such filtering, and even that in web-blocking solutions. I can't understand why that point seems so argumentative to you. Again, I'm not denigrating OpenDNS, but I don't feel that it's an appropriate solution for most people, unless what you're advocating is to use it so that someone doesn't need to know the IP address of the other computer as it changes, and that's OK but unlikely to be necessary since the computer's almost certainly in the same house.

I really have not investigated Apple's solution so I'm not qualified to pass judgement on it anyway, but I can tell you the kids got around Tiger's solution almost immediately.

Tiger only had a privacy block in Safari and a parental control that wasn't hard to get around. Leopard is better, though it's not perfect. Again, it's worth a parent checking out before they spend money for a third-party solution.

And I know what VNC does; I have installed in on multiple systems. But again, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard already has screen sharing built in, so for most people running Leopard there's probably no need to have to install anything else. I don't know why I'm unable to make that point clear, but there it is.

I'm done now.

"That's how I know that superfluous leading zeros to the left of the decimal point look terribly silly"

I Just put them there to match some of those superfluous statements. 😉

If all you cats want to make a circus out this then go ahead knock yourselves out, but you can do it without me.

Kj

I am asking someone, anyone, preferably two or more Apple gurus to go to opendns.com and actually see how it works and come back to tell me if I am way out in left field by recommending it for the average computer user. If I am, then so be it.

http://www.opendns.com/how/dns/turning-names-into-numbers

Thanks,

Kj

Here is some additional information about DNS web filtering. It is not from opendns.com, but rather from a "competitor" company. They use priority software software with their product that is most likely protecting their commercial interests more than anything else. OpenDns does not require nor need any software to work, never the less there is some really good information on the competitors web site that explains how DNS web filtering works, why it works and what content can be effectively filtered with this technique.
http://www.emeraldwebshield.com/howitworks.aspx
http://www.emeraldwebshield.com/web-filter-overview.aspx

The real beauty of using DNS web filtering is that it requires no cpu power from your machine, It can be applied to the whole network, or one machine, or any combination of machines.
Used in conjunction with web filtering built into Leo, properly implemented, it makes a stout flexible content filtering solution for Children, Teens, Home, School and even business.

Best
Kj