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FIRST LOOKS
SOFTWARE
BUYING GUIDE
Parental Controls
Control settings, alerts, and
logs with the menu bar
Vary settings
by user account
MORE ON THE WEB
For in-depth reviews of
parental-control software and
hardware, visit us online at
go.pcmag.com/
parentalcontrols
IN A PERFECT WORLD, YOU’D GUIDE YOUR
children through the vast resources of the
Internet, and they’d follow your guidance.
They’d use the computer only when permitted,
eschew violent games, and avoid inappropriate
sites. But this isn’t a perfect world.
You may not be able to supervise your kids all the time:
Maybe they get home before you do, maybe they have
computers in their rooms—and maybe they don’t do
what they’re told. Parental-control software can help.
Most of these programs filter HTML traffic and
block access to Web sites that match from a dozen-odd
to 40 or more specific categories. The products use a
SAFE EYES 2006
Keep your kids away from bad
sites and control how much time
they spend online. If they go wild
on the Web, Safe Eyes rats them
out so you can take control from
wherever you are. The product is
tough—I tried but failed to get around its
site blocking and could not gain access outside
scheduled hours. One license allows installation
on three PCs or Macs, which can
conveniently share the same online user
profiles—that’s great for the multicomputer
family. And filtering happens at the server
level, so it works with any browser. Add logging
of Web and IM activity, and you’ve got
near-complete parental control.
$49.95 per year for up to three computers
go.pcmag.com/safeeyes2006
llllm
local or online database to categorize Web sites; a few
actually analyze each page. You may have the option of
logging violations without blocking them or just displaying
a warning. Naturally, you should have the option
of overriding the category filtering to allow access
to specific sites; the database won’t always be right.
But don’t even look at a product that relies solely on
lists of good and bad sites. And be sure the filter blocks
inappropriate sites regardless of the browser used.
Time Management
In most cases, these products let you limit time
children spend on the computer to a daily or weekly
HOW THEY RATE
Site blocking
Image
blocking
Time control
Alerts &
remote access Robustness Overall
ContentProtect llllm N/A llllm lllmm lllhm lllhm
iShield N/A lllhm N/A N/A lllmm lllhm
PC Moderator N/A N/A llllm N/A lllll llllh
Safe Eyes 2006 llllm N/A llllm llllh llllm llllm
RED denotes Editors' Choice.
YYePG Proudly Presents, Thx for Support
N/A—Not applicable: The product does not perform this function.
44 PC MAGAZINE MAY 9, 2006