Help Us Help You to Help Your Kids

A brief history lesson: 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 now, not only being used when children go online but also protecting grown ups too.

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.

This is where YOU come in. If you have any suggestions for improvements to SafeSearchLock, let us know by using the enquiries form 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 Dogpile and Metacrawler 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.

Remember, once you have purchased your license for SafeSearchLock, you get all automatic updates for FREE!

Protecting Your Personal Information

There 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.

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.

Do you know how many sites you have given your name, email address or other personal details to? 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?

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 SafeSearchLock 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! ;-)

Don't Just Think of the Children

SafeSearchLock 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:

• Social Engineering. 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.
• Vulnerabilities. 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.
• Third Party Interference. 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.

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.

The 7th to 11th November 2011 is the annual Get Safe Online 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.

MSI (or MS Why?)

SafeSearchLock is now available as an MSI for our corporate customers.

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 MicroSoft Installer 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 'Start with Windows' flag.

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.

Keep it Simple Stupid!

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...

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.

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...

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.

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!

3. There are no complicated controls, just a small friendly user interface with a couple of simple straightforward options.

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!

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.

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.

Put simply, we've done all the hard work so you don’t have to!

Teaching Kids About Web Searching

Personally 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.

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.

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 'car' if you want to find out about the rear break disks on a 2004 Honda Civic. Try searching for 'rear brake disks 2004 honda civic' first. Then if you don't find what you want, broaden your terms to 'brake disks honda civic'. 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.

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 -  

1. tell them what they are going to do,
2. get them to do it,
3. tell them what they have done.

Or alternatively turn them into the teacher -

1. get them to tell you what they are going to do,
2. get them to do it,
3. get them to tell you what they have done.

Using the Web doesn't need to be thought of as a lone activity - join in!

You Get What You Pay For?

Even now I hear people use the phrase, "You get what you pay for". 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.

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 VITAL 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 'you get what you pay for'). 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?!