Mac OS X Leopard - ARCAism

Figure 4-47. The Simple Finder
The remaining options, “Can administer printers,” “Can burn CDs and DVDs,” “Can
change password,” and “Can modify the Dock,” are additional system actions you may choose
whether to allow access to.
The Content tab (Figure 4-48) allows you to attempt to limit the content that the user has
access to. The first selection limits access to words in the OS X dictionary. The Website Restrictions
options offer three choices for attempting to manage web content:
Allow unrestricted access to websites: Will not block any web sites.
CHAPTER 4 SYSTEM PREFERENCES 87
Try to limit access to adult websites automatically: Tries to filter out adult web sites using
a variety of methods. While somewhat effective, this is not foolproof, and may both block
sites that you don’t find objectionable and let some objectionable content through. The
Customize button allows you to fine-tune this behavior a bit by manually entering
acceptable and unacceptable web sites.
Allow access to only these websites: Allows you to specifically enter the addresses of
acceptable web sites. Only those entered will be accessible. Obviously, this will likely block
lots of valuable information, while at the same time this is really the only way to block
objectionable content with some certainty.
NOTE Content filtering has proponents and detractors from both political and technical
points of views. As a parent of two, I have mixed feelings about this sort of technology—
currently I don’t use any content filtering, but I reserve the right to change my mind if I notice
my kids doing something that really concerns me. That said, these filtering technologies are
not foolproof, and should not be relied upon to protect your children or anyone else from
unsavory elements of the Internet. The best advice I know of is to be honest with your kids
about things they may encounter on the Internet, and explain what your values are and why.
Most kids will get it.