tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45493036360169944082024-02-19T06:03:29.835+00:00SafeSearchLock - Developers Blog<p align="right">Visit the main site at <a href="http://www.safesearchlock.com">www.safesearchlock.com</a></p>Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-21072566391462209682014-09-05T23:28:00.001+01:002014-09-05T23:28:59.970+01:00The Web is Open... But Registration is Closed<h3>
Why Stop New Registrations of SafeSearchLock?</h3>
To answer this question we need to look at the direction the web is going and what has changed recently. Since the famous scandals concerning 'Prism' and various government agencies around the world snooping on the Internet habbits of their citizens (and those of other countries), there has been a panic over privacy online. This has caused many online service providers to start switching over to http over TLS (Transport Layer Security) also referred to as https. This encrypts the communication between the client (e.g. your web browser) and the server (e.g. the machine delivering the web site).<br />
<br />Web sites such as YouTube and Google now redirect users to the https versions of their sites by default, or even only allow access via https entirely. Google are actively increasing the search rankings of sites which use https over those which don't, no matter what the site is actually used for in a move to make others take their lead. We are seeing this behaviour more and more as other search engines and service providers follow suit.<br />
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HTTPS and the Myth of Privacy</h3>
Secure web connections using https are often promoted as a way to protect your privacy. This is indeed partly true due to the encryption. Anyone intercepting (or 'sniffing') the traffic will be unable to see what information is being passed. This sounds great BUT there are still two issues with it. The first is that they can still see which web sites you have visited, when and for how long even if they cannot see what information you sent or received from them. The second and most disturbing is that it does not prevent any third parties who have embedded content on the web site from seeing exactly what pages you are visiting and what you are clicking on while you are there. In short, if a web site puts in a tag or two to support things like adverts, analytics or even links to 'Like' this page or share it on social media sites, those companies can still track pretty much everything you do even over https.<br />
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A https connection can give a false sense of security for people who think it means they are not being snooped upon. If the web site owner/administrator has put in any content which links to external services then they are basically giving them free reign to monitor where you go on their site and track you if you have been to other sites utilizing the same services.<br /><br />In conclusion, the move towards https for general web sites and the benefits that are being portrayed by such a move are not all that they seem. Obviously any site or web page which collects personal information or takes payments should always use https and encrypt communications for safety but we should also ensure that they do not contain any content (including links to javascript files or images) hosted by 3rd parties such as advertisers, analytics providers or social media.<br />
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Where Does This Leave SafeSearchLock?</h3>
The whole concept of SafeSearchLock was based around safety, ethics and doing everything above-board. The software does not send us usage information, there are no backdoors and there is nothing unethical about how it works. We use it ourselves for our own families so would never put their privacy at risk. The way it works is by looking at the URLs and pages you visit and it tweaks various settings and cookies in order to force safe searching (also known as family filters) on. As communication over https is encrypted, SafeSearchLock can only do this when you access these sites over http. Now that sites are increasingly only allowing access over https they can no longer be supported by SafeSearchLock.<br /><br />There are ways around this. Some 'professional' filtering solutions will intercept the handshaking which occurs when a web browser first talks to a secure web site and the encryption is set up. They can then use techniques such as replacing the certificate of the site with one of its own so the encryption and decryption can be done by itself. When this kind of action is taken without your permission it is known as a 'man in the middle' attack. We class this as unethical, a breach of privacy, a security risk and something which is potentially unsafe. We won't do that.<br /><br />So, unless there is a u-turn on sites which unnecessarily use https or we can think of an ethical and safe way to enforce safe searching while using a secure connection, the list of supported sites for SafeSearchLock will continue to decrease. The support requests we are receiving related to sites which can no longer be supported are increasing and taking up a lot of our time. This is making the software no longer economically viable. For this reason, and with a very heavy heart, we have decided to no longer accept new registrations. We will still support existing SafeSearchLock users for as long as we can as we have gathered an incredibly supportive customer base.<br /><br />We have thoroughly enjoyed making SafeSearchLock and helping parents, teachers, guardians and adults all over the world keep their children safer online. Our only regret is that with the current direction that the web is taking, we will no longer be able to help the people who have given us so much praise for the last five years.<br />
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Thank you.Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-68401305588751876772013-02-12T08:34:00.000+00:002013-02-12T02:05:03.156+00:0018 countries & counting / Calling all network admins / New version imminent!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Wow, it’s been a while since our last post, but we’ve been very busy!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SafeSearchLock, our smart but simple e-safety tool, is now being used in 18 countries no less! Our users include parents, carers, schools, churches, businesses and various organisations around the world. We can’t begin to describe how proud we are! Thank you to everyone who has installed SafeSearchLock, and to everyone who has been in touch with such positive comments! YOU are what makes it all worth while.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Calling all network administrators, it's not just a SafeSearch Lock!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SafeSearchLock also activates various “self defence” features designed to prevent older ‘tech savvy’ children (or indeed adults!) from disabling it. Consequently a lot of positive feedback we’ve been getting has been from academic and also business users who are pleased that our tool not only universally enforces safe searching, but that it also blocks access to features such as Windows Task Manager / Reg Edit etc… a valuable feature in itself for organisations who don’t want their end users ‘getting under the hood’. A perfect cost effective solution for business and academic network administrators! (Just get in touch for discounted academic / enterprise license pricing).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>New developments!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, stopping access to Windows Task Manager has not been ideal for everyone. For various reasons, some personal users have asked us to make SafeSearchLock’s self defence features a controllable option. With this in mind we’re currently working on an update (V1.2), which will, amongst other small improvements, give users the setting option to turn on and off its “self defence” features. As a result this will enable users to choose whether whilst running SafeSearchLock, they also want to disable Windows features such as Windows Task Manager / Reg Edit etc… (Obviously though we would only recommend turning off SafeSearchLock’s self defence features, if you have younger children who won’t have the intent or knowledge to disable it).</span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613864391694748445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-58347071023362325202013-02-11T01:58:00.000+00:002013-02-12T02:09:27.359+00:00Problems locking Google SafeSearch recently? Try our universal SafeSearch enforcing tool for free!Since the beginning of 2013 there’s been quite a lot of chatter from web surfers unable to lock Google’s SafeSearch feature using normal methods (not using our esafety tool, named SafeSearchLock we might hasten to add!). When they try they are receiving a Google error message “Oops. There was a problem locking SafeSearch". <br />
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We’ve also received various enquiries as to whether our e-safety tool (named SafeSearchLock), will overcome this problem? Blissfully the answer is YES!<br />
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If you are experiencing problems and frustrations using the normal methods of locking Google’s SafeSearch feature, then installing our little tool will indeed fix this. :-)<br />
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Not only that, but it will also lock on SafeSearch and Family Safe Filtering in ALL major search engines, including Google (+ Google Images), YouTube, Bing and many many more. (See our main site for the current list).<br />
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So if you are having problems with Google SafeSearch, try out our smart but simple universal SafeSearch enforcing tool now for free! <a href="http://www.safesearchlock.com/">www.safesearchlock.com</a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613864391694748445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-6574092569042518082012-04-20T17:31:00.007+01:002012-04-20T17:31:00.536+01:00Help Us Help You to Help Your Kids<i>A brief history lesson:</i> SafeSearchLock came about from our own needs. Locking the filtering modes of popular sites to their safest setting in a secure way was something we felt was important for our own children. Then we thought that perhaps this was something other people would be interested in for their children. Since then, SafeSearchLock has evolved way beyond our original ideas into the tool available <a href="http://www.safesearchlock.com/" target="_blank">now</a>, not only being used when children go online but also protecting grown ups too.<br />
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What you may not realize is that this isn't just a journey we took on our own - there were lots of people helping us out. These alpha and beta testers came up with great ideas for improvements to make the tool friendlier, easier to use and more secure. It really was a team effort and there is no reason for this to stop. Since it was officially released, new users all over the world have been using SafeSearchLock, praising its simplicity and functionality but we know there is always more to do.<br />
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This is where <b>YOU</b> come in. If you have any suggestions for improvements to SafeSearchLock, let us know by using the <a href="http://www.safesearchlock.com/enquiries.php" target="_blank">enquiries form</a> on the main site. We have already improved our neat little application countless times by listening and incorporating suggestions from everyday users. Only a few days ago we were asked if we could make it work with the <a href="http://www.dogpile.com/" target="_blank">Dogpile</a> and <a href="http://www.metacrawler.com/" target="_blank">Metacrawler</a> search engines. Within a few hours of receiving the suggestion we had added support for their sites and automatically updated all of our users with the new features. Of course, there are some suggestions which we feel aren't appropriate for our beloved SafeSearchLock and some which cannot be implemented for technical reasons, but we keep all suggestions on file for possible inclusion in future versions of the software.<br />
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<i><span style="color: red;">Remember, once you have purchased your license for SafeSearchLock, you get all automatic updates for </span><b style="color: red;">FREE!</b><span style="color: red;"></span></i>Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-76463243912550026802012-03-09T19:03:00.010+00:002012-03-09T19:03:00.839+00:00Protecting Your Personal InformationThere has been a growing concern in the last few months about the amount of personal information people give away online. If you haven't thought about it, perhaps you should.<br />
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One such worry for the general public is the ability for sites to identify visitors and track their browsing and searching habits using cookies. For example, in the UK the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) is introducing laws to try and give users the choice of allowing cookies to be set on a site by site basis and forcing sites to inform visitors what cookies are being set and the reason why. Cookies on their own are not a huge issue as they rarely contain personal information themselves. The problem comes when a cookie can be linked to an account held online and when that cookie can be read by any site. Some people don't mind their browsing being analysed so they can be shown targeted/personalised advertising for things they might actually be interested in, rather than random and inappropriate stuff. Personally I feel a little uneasy about anyone being able to track my browsing and know it is me. For example, I don't really want anyone knowing I have an online account with a particular bank - purely for security reasons. The same goes for the site I use to access my Webmail, do my shopping at or do freelance work for. Call me paranoid but I don't think that is anyone else's business but my own.<br />
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<b>Do you know how many sites you have given your name, email address or other personal details to?</b> This includes sites you have made purchases from, social networking sites, those running competitions that you have entered, those that have a contact form you have used to enquire about something etc. I'll bet most people have no idea. And when was the last time you checked their privacy policy (if they even have one) to see how the information will be stored and used?<br />
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The purpose of this post is just to remind people that the details you give to online services can be used for much more than you might expect. One of the side benefits of using <a href="http://www.safesearchlock.com/" target="_blank">SafeSearchLock</a> means that you can lock on the safe searching and family filters for many websites without having to give them your personal details, create an account, or log in to them. That feature alone has to be worth £2! ;-)Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-34978544931520141332011-10-20T08:31:00.007+01:002011-10-20T08:31:00.240+01:00Don't Just Think of the ChildrenSafeSearchLock isn't just for keeping the kids safe - it can help prevent identity theft and costly visits to your local PC technician to 'clean' your PC. Some 'adult' search results link to unscrupulous web sites that are merely a means to infect visitor’s computers with viruses, trojans, spyware or other nasty surprises. They often rely on the fact that visitors won't tell anyone which sites they have been to in order to get them shut down or prosecuted. There are several ways these infections can transpire, including:<br />
<ul><li><b>Social Engineering.</b> This is where a site pretends that a potentially dangerous file (whether that is an executable, video, document or something else) is safe and legitimate and gets the visitor to click or download it. Even entire sites can pretend to be something they are not.</li>
<li><b>Vulnerabilities.</b> Bugs in web browsers, plugins or other programs that open up content from the web can sometimes allow bad things to run on your computer. This includes files which you wouldn't normally associate with having executable content such as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files, ActiveX applets and videos. Vulnerabilities in the past have allowed these nasty bits of code to live inside innocent looking files which then get run automatically by the web browser. This is another good reason to always keep your browsers, plugins and operating system up to date with updates and patches issued only by their creators.</li>
<li><b>Third Party Interference.</b> Sometimes web sites get hacked and the contents get changed. If it is a subtle change to files made available to download it can be some time before anyone notices. It isn't always the sites themselves either which are the culprit, there have been several cases in the past where the companies who provide adult banner adverts have allowed nasty code to slip through with the adverts that get embedded into other peoples web sites.</li>
</ul>The best way to prevent yourself being a victim of crooked adult web sites is to not visit them. SafeSearchLock can prevent them being found in search engines and therefore prevent them being visited - even accidentally by you or anyone using your computer.<br />
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The 7th to 11th November 2011 is the annual <b>Get Safe Online</b> week to raise awareness of internet safety issues. We are proud friends of the campaign so if you want to know more, please click the badge below.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.getsafeonline.org/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lrCoI25WOy4mpOZg9NUmObeLliowvsYCDu6JC-CHPTkE4S8qsZcl3Ek8X04wYm8iIYIe-rd6sbhRPWwv3MYfhGqDCCn1rAJgebPu0IYpa6kw_YmFvovFdPDzvjoqDGlNAvKfOplMb-M/s1600/GetSafeOnline.gif" /></a></div>Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-44129869472675921292011-10-02T08:24:00.007+01:002011-10-02T08:24:00.637+01:00MSI (or MS Why?)SafeSearchLock is now available as an MSI for our corporate customers.<br />
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You may have previously received software which arrived as an MSI file (i.e. a file with the extension '.msi'). This is a Windows Installer file, previous known as a <b>M</b>icro<b>S</b>oft <b>I</b>nstaller file, hence MSI. There are many features of an MSI but one important one is that they can be pushed out to computers on an Active Directory network. This can be done pretty much silently requiring no user interaction, making it an ideal installation method for schools, other educational establishments and corporate networks. Our custom built MSI allows us to set a default password of the customers choice and also automatically set the <i>'Start with Windows'</i> flag.<br />
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We still recommend the normal interactive installer for single computer users and especially home users. It has the benefit of providing some extra information during the install and the user has more control. However, if you are a corporate user of SafeSearchLock and would prefer a custom MSI installer for it (at no additional cost), please just get in touch.Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-10302795327891659022011-09-26T13:25:00.001+01:002011-09-26T13:34:57.119+01:00Keep it Simple Stupid!<div>There's an acronym used in our industry called KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid!). Importantly for the customer, KISS is there to remind us that ultimately a busy human being will be using the product we are creating. This is the ethos at the very heart of the SafeSearchLock project...</div><div><br /></div><div>There are so many parental control products out there aimed at parents, but all too often they can be overly involved, time demanding and even bafflingly complicated. Just installing or setting up some of them can be a real chore if you're not an expert. </div><div><br /></div><div>Instead of this we wanted to create a product that was incredibly straightforward and truly effortless; something that could be easily installed and then essentially forgotten about! (whilst it quietly goes about its job in the background). This is exactly how SafeSearchLock works, here's why...</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Anyone can install SafeSearchLock because our single installation file works with XP, Vista, Windows 7 and 64 bit versions. So no need to find the right installation to suit your computer.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Once installed SafeSearchLock just does what it says! Other than choosing a personal password and deciding whether you want it to start automatically, there’s no setting up! Job done!</div><div><br /></div><div>3. There are no complicated controls, just a small friendly user interface with a couple of simple straightforward options. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. No need to worry about web browser compatibility, like so many other products. SafeSearchLock works with all top modern web browsers (not just one of two). It will even work with several different web browsers running on one computer. Simple!</div><div><br /></div><div>5. No need to worry about protecting multiple Windows user accounts. Just tick the "Start with Windows" option and SafeSearchLock will protect every user on your computer.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. No need to worry about downloading updates to keep it working if a compatible service provider suddenly changes things their end (e.g. Google, YouTube, Bing etc). SafeSearchLock quietly takes care of this for you, as and when needed without bothering anyone.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Put simply, we've done all the hard work so you don’t have to!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13613864391694748445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-75690789868831973412011-09-25T08:14:00.009+01:002011-09-25T08:14:00.721+01:00Teaching Kids About Web SearchingPersonally I think keeping children safe when they go online has a lot to do with trust. Your children need to know that there are bad things on the Internet - things they don't want to see. Hiding this fact from them by relying totally on filtering wont always work. No filters are 100% effective and not all computers they may use have the same levels of protection. SafeSearchLock is an essential first step but sadly not all computers have it (yet). If children do accidentally come across anything they think is inappropriate they need to know they can tell you about it without fear of being yelled at or made to feel like it was their fault. It isn't just a case of you trusting them online, but they need to trust YOU and be able to discuss what they do and see on the Web.<br />
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Parental guidance on the Web is essential, especially with younger children. We all know there are some basic rules to adhere to, such as keeping computers in public areas and NOT in children's bedrooms. Remember, some modern games consoles have Web browsers inside too (e.g. Wii, PS3, DSi) so if you let them have online access for gaming they may well be able to browse and search the Web too. You should be able to see what your children are doing online. Sitting the computer in the corner of your living room is no good if you never look at the screen. Kids need to know that you can not only see what they are doing but that you are available to ask for help or advice if they need it. If they aren't confident in being able to use the Web safely then sit with them while they use it. Make it a fun group activity. Similarly, overconfidence where they think they know everything there is to know about the Web can be even more dangerous.<br />
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Education on good Web searching is vital for children and adults. If your children know more about the Web than you do then you are always going to have an uphill battle ensuring they are using it properly. Take time to practice, ask other parents or friends for advice, or better still see if there is a local course you can attend to polish up your skills. There is an art to coming up with good search terms to find what you are looking for. Start with very focused search terms or phrases and then broaden your terms if you don't get the results you want. For example, it is no good searching for <i>'car'</i> if you want to find out about the rear break disks on a 2004 Honda Civic. Try searching for <i>'rear brake disks 2004 honda civic'</i> first. Then if you don't find what you want, broaden your terms to <i>'brake disks honda civic'</i>. Everybody learns better by 'doing'. Sit with your children and guide them in the best ways to do searches for the best results. A great activity is to set them fun tasks to find out about things they are interested in. For example, find out who invented Lego, or who wrote 'Little Red Riding Hood'. You might be surprised and learn something yourself.<br />
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Ask your children what they have been doing. Even if you have been watching what they do, ask them about what they have found out or learnt. Take an interest in it and perhaps get them to show you how they found these things out for themselves. Kids thrive on praise and want to make you proud by showing you what they can do. A classic three stage teaching technique works great and makes them remember things better - <i> </i><br />
<ol><li>tell them what they are going to do,</li>
<li> get them to do it,</li>
<li>tell them what they have done.</li>
</ol>Or alternatively turn them into the teacher -<br />
<ol><li>get them to tell you what they are going to do,</li>
<li>get them to do it,</li>
<li>get them to tell you what they have done.</li>
</ol>Using the Web doesn't need to be thought of as a lone activity - join in!Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-63147104187055287802011-09-24T07:42:00.005+01:002011-09-24T07:42:00.292+01:00You Get What You Pay For?Even now I hear people use the phrase, <i>"You get what you pay for"</i>. In a lot of markets this holds a lot of truth, but in the realms of software it often does not. Just take a look at free software like Linux and Open Office, and mobile apps and games which only cost a few quid. Okay, there are hidden costs in learning to use software which doesn't come with a printed manual but then a growing number of commercial packages don't either (when was the last time you saw a PC with Windows preinstalled that came with a Windows manual?!). Support is usually very limited from free or cheap software suppliers due to them trying to keep costs down, but often there is good community support, i.e. users helping each other online.<br />
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SafeSearchLock took a long time to develop and test, so why did we decide to charge only £2? Ideally we would love to have given it away for free. We feel that it is an important tool for all parents with children who want to use the Internet. Actually, we think it is a <b>VITAL</b> tool for anyone responsible for children using the Web at home, school, in the library etc. Sadly we cannot live on good Karma alone. Many, many man (and woman) hours have been put into its development and actually quite a bit of hard cash too. Website hosting costs money, so does authentication certificates, marketing and customer support. We could have charged £25 for SafeSearchLock and I am sure it would have sold well (especially to those who still think <i>'you get what you pay for'</i>). We could have charged a monthly or annual subscription fee and again, I am sure it would have sold well. But we wanted to make it accessible and affordable to everyone. Microtransactions and taking small payments for software has proven really successful for systems like Apple's App Store and Google's Android Marketplace. We believe that by charging such a small fee we can cover costs and develop more child safety software, but still allow everyone to benefit from our product. It's cheap enough to sway those sitting on the fence and after all, £2 is less than 1 pint of beer nowadays and surely children's safety is worth more than that?!Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-73054957087479233502011-09-23T08:30:00.006+01:002011-09-23T11:22:37.691+01:00Alternatives to SafeSearchLockAs with any new product idea it is always best to look at what alternatives already exist in the market. SafeSearchLock doesn't really have any, after all - it would be a waste of time developing something which already exists! There are several types of product which are related to what SafeSearchLock does, but I will try and explain how we differ.<br />
<ol><li><b>Web Filtering Software.</b> These are the kinds of packages which block Websites. They either rely on <i>(a)</i>downloading huge blacklists of bad sites, <i>(b)</i>putting all of the sites you browse through a third party server to check (and log and analyse) or <i>(c)</i>make the user create a 'whitelist' of good sites that can be accessed while blacklisting everything else. Depending upon the method used these can slow down Web browsing or require lots of setting up and frequent administration. They don't usually block sites at the search stage but rather after the user has clicked to access them. We saw this as a flaw, especially when it comes to image and video searching where unsavoury images or descriptions can be seen in search engines even before visiting a bad site. In addition, why should we (or you the user) have to update and administer a potentially huge list of sites when companies like Google and Bing with their massive resources have already done this for us? SafeSearchLock stops sites at the search stage so in most cases the user doesn't even become aware that the sites exist. SafeSearchLock has the technology inside to block sites using blacklists but we chose to keep it small, fast and specialised in one job, i.e. to make searching safe.</li>
<li><b>Special Child Friendly Search Engines.</b> The vast majority of these seem to be simply a front end to Google. They set the safesearch mode to strict and don't give the user the option of turning it off. Simple. Sadly this relies on the user never visiting any other search engine or going directly to Google. That is just not going to happen, especially when kids become aware of other search engines at school, from TV or from friends. SafeSearchLock works with all the leading search engines and other sites children like to visit.</li>
<li><b>Special Child Safe Browsers.</b> These can limit the search engines (or sites) available to the user. Unfortunately these rely on the user not switching to an alternative browser. For a start, almost every Windows OS comes with Internet Explorer preinstalled so that isn't going to be hard for kids to find and use. It is also not hard to find and download alternative browsers such as Firefox, Chrome or Safari. You may already have these installed on your computer. Another problem comes when children get a little older and should really be learning how to use the same software they use at school, at the library, at friends houses etc. and will go on to use at college or in the workplace. If they aren't familiar with using a proper full Web browser because the one they are forced to use at home works differently, they are instantly at a disadvantage. SafeSearchLock works with all the leading browsers so you don't have to make your children use something different to you.</li>
</ol>Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-35374522695798819242011-09-22T07:22:00.001+01:002011-09-22T07:22:00.060+01:00Stealth Monitoring vs EducationMany 'child-safety' applications (web filters, monitoring tools etc.) use 'stealth' techniques to hide their presence. The reason they give for this is because they consider it the parents choice to let their children know if they are being monitored or not. I do not agree with this type of covert action.<br />
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Personally I believe that children (just like anyone else) should be made aware if their activity is being monitored or filtered. If you feel that your children cannot be trusted to use the Internet wisely then perhaps they should not be allowed to use it unsupervised. It is not just a matter of trust but education too. Children should be taught safe Web use and by having a visible symbol showing that their activity is being monitored they may think twice about their actions and learn why filtering is taking place. If you filter their browsing but don't tell them why then they will expect to sit down at any computer and have the same kind of invisible protection. This false sense of security is dangerous.<br />
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This is why SafeSearchLock has the visible icon in the corner and we urge parents to tell their children why it is there and how it is helping to protect them, rather than let them think it's because you don't trust them.Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4549303636016994408.post-91539983144111196452011-09-21T08:00:00.000+01:002011-09-21T12:31:04.785+01:00First Past the Post<div style="color: #073763;"><b>Welcome to the SafeSearchLock Developers Blog!</b></div>This is the first post just to introduce the blog and explain why it is here. This site is really for those interested in what happens behind the scenes with SafeSearchLock. It will contain some technical information on changes and also some of the reasoning behind why we have made the software work the way it does. The vast majority of users will probably not be interested in the contents here and should go directly to the main SafeSearchLock Web site located here:<br />
<a href="http://www.safesearchlock.com/">http://www.safesearchlock.com</a><br />
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This blog will also contain some of our personal views regarding the Web and especially online use by children. Even though we are the developers behind SafeSearchLock, our views should not be seen as officially endorsed by SafeSearchLock. You may disagree with some of our observations and opinions but hopefully you will find some of the information provided here useful, or at the very least interesting.<br />
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Feel free to comment on any posts which allow comments, but obviously keep it legal, decent, honest and truthful. We reserve the right to remove posts and comments which we feel are not in other visitors interest. We have a strict 'no spam' and 'no advertising' policy so please... just don't.Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16772847699738588687noreply@blogger.com0