TIPS FOR PARENTS
Further tips get posted here…
(because adults don’t need filters), or…
How to protect yourself or your children from the Internet nasties…
In many ways the Howard government’s NetAlert scheme was more effective.
My top (evolving) tips:
1. If you have children, put the computer in a communal space, such as the Family room.
2. Talk to your children if they’re younger.
3. Trust your children if they’re older.
4. Don’t be scared.
5. Don’t be evil.
I have spent a long time in my life advising people on these issues (and discussing them with people who are actually parents).
I promise to refine that list. But it’s late and deserves further consideration.
(Yes, I will take personal responsibility for this particular page, not use a collective pronoun and undersign it with my standard sig).
cb
–
disable the webcam…
lock down administrative access… and check it hasn’t been compromised
[...] TIPS [...]
configure your home router – block ports
This one’s ironic – but on the mark. If it’s good enough for what we do at work, it’s good enough for your family:
USE A PROXY
(but maybe not one of ours!)
I’m starting to feel that this page should probably become the primary focus of this web site.
The concept of the proxymate.net service has never been about encouraging people to do evil, moreso about demonstrating how ineffective the Clean Feed is and providing a demonstrable tool to circumvent it – one that is actually useful for legitimate purposes.
At the same time I’m concerned that the average Internet user is going to be lulled into a false sense of security by Conroy’s filter. And I believe that this endangers those that it purportedly was designed to protect.
So we will continue towards offering this as a legitimate commercial service, and at the same time aim to educate you on what you actually need to do if you want to achieve any of the objectives laid out by the government, ostensibly in the interests of your family, but which will not be achieved.
For the record, I actually feel a bit sorry for Stephen Conroy, he got handed a bum deal. But he accepted the portfolio and continues to push a dead message. That’s politics.
New product idea: clean feed compliant proxy server and the instructions to configure your home adsl/cable modem/router to force all traffic in your home through Conroy’s filter – something that they can’t guarantee themselves due to poor design.
thinking out loud… shhh. Not good for business
But that’s probably what people want from the filter – the option/choice/discretion/ability to actually enforce it.
Have you ever asked your children to help you fix your computer?
Think about it…