Well not really porn filter, but close. This is kind of unusual but here goes. My hormone filled 16 year old has been downloading large quantities of porn files on his computer. Nothing out of the mainstream, and it hasn't cost; mostly just photos and streaming videos. That's not a problem for me; boys will be boys, he has no credit card access and we're cable connected so no chance of major surprise phone bills.
Problem is that spouse found this stuff. She's vehemently anti -porn, to the point of being obseessedly crazed by it.
I am familiar with the porn filtering programs out there, but want to try to avoid those, as they seem to be too restrictive.
Seems to me that I have seen pop ups for programs that will
scan a computer and root out files, folders and the like that
contain porn; think I even downloaded one to test it.
I've done some research, and I've found the monitoring programs that do screen shots and records keystrokes. I'm trying to avoid those, as they seem a but more intrusive than I would like. I also have a fear that spouse may want to take the program and check up on my surfing habits. She's not real tech savvy, but this episode has piqued her curiousity. (And yes, I clear cookies, delete history and temp Internet files after each session). I am basically looking for something that would enable me or spouse to check the kid's computer now that he has promised that he will avoid the porn sites at the risk of never obtaining his already delayed driver's license. But, I'd rather not have the keystroke and screenshot monitor as I would still like to allow him some privacy. (he has his head on straight as far as normal computer security). He also writes, composes and sequences music, so that's another reason I'm not wild about the filters.
Would appreciate any advice, here, or b/c and thank everyone for indulging me. Now back to the regularly scheduled activities...
I'd just LOVE to hear the story you tell your S.O. if (when?) she finds out you're a member of this site. I have to believe that if your 16 y.o is madly downloading porn, isn't it a matter of time before your "wildly anti-porn" S.O. starts checking the 'puter. It's real easy to check what sites a computer has visited and who has visited them.
You may want to consider the ramifications of the 1st sentence above. My brother has his physician's office in a two-family. He has never rented the apt above his office for this very reason. A word to the wise...
JJ -
If you post your home PC setup, I may be able to recommend some items. Something to look into is a web address logging tool. It is not as intrusive as a keystroke logger, but will capture every web address that someone visits (such as 'http://www.eroticreview.com/discussion/national/index.asp'). Depending on your PC's operating system (that is, if your son has a login separate from yours), you may be able to set it to only record his visits.
Locating porn on a PC is a hit-or-miss thing. LE searching for patently illegal stuff will snatch a hard drive, search for every major still picture and movie file type, then look at each one (even if they have been deleted by the user). This is something you can do, too, but it is time consuming.
Porn filters work by combining up-to-date web address lists of porn sites as well as keyword listings. No consumer-oriented, commercially available software can analyze a picture or movie to determine if it is porn by virtue of its contents.
Backchannel me if you want more info.
You're looking for something like http://www.netnanny.com/index.html or http://www.cyberpatrol.com/
Thanx for the response, but those are filters; not really what I'm looking for. Appreciate you taking the time, though.
Can you restate what it is your looking for? You want a program that keeps your son from visiting porn sites? A program that alerts you if he does visit porn sites? Or a program that finds porn on your computer? The last is damn near impossible. You would have an easier time doing a search for image and video files created in a specific time frame.
BTW, this whole thread goes against my ideology. I think what you need is a Eugene Levy/Jason Biggs American Pie moment with your son. Buy the kid a Hustler, and tell him if his mom finds it you don't know shit about it. And let him know he's put a real crimp in your own porn surfing.
jjkool
Be VERY VERY careful...if this upsets your wife as much as you say she MAY talk to her friends about it to get recommendations and without your knowledge put a key logger on your computer and catch more than she was fishing for....namely YOU
Make sure your Spybot and Adaware are up to date(they can find SOME of the key loggers) and check your CC receipts(for a purchase of the key logger) though by the time you see anything there it may be too late for you
If possible get your son his own computer so anything you do to stop HIM doesn't bite YOU in the ass(preferably buy a laptop for YOURSELF and password protect it)...otherwise...
If out of curiosity your wife DOES get a key logger program she may on general principle put it on YOUR computer as well
This is the voice of experience talking here...my EX-girlfriend put one of those programs on my computer(we were living together...this was BEFORE I got in this hobby but she hated porn too)....they are damnably difficult to find and remove...especially the expensive ones(money was no object as my girlfriend used MY CC to buy the stupid program in my case)
Good luck on whatever you decide to do but do it fast or you're doomed
Two answers for you: VMWare and/or Linux (if you're technically savvy). VMWare is a virtual operating system manager. You can have more than one OS running on your PC, set one up for yourself, password protect it, and have fun. Works like a charm and you can tell your SO that it is to keep things separated between you and your son. I use it at home and at the office to run different OSes. Alternatively, you can get a second PC. Or, run Linux. Your SO would have to be really savvy to figure out how to get a keystroke logger onto a Linux box!
For those with keystroke logging worries, I wrote one last year for a client and it looks like Norton Anti-virus when someone looks in memory. AdAware, etc. can't find it. If you're paranoid, re-format the box, load a registry change tracking tool (assuming it's a windows PC), and scan it from time to time.