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TECHNOLOGY : SURF PROTECTION |
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What is
Surf Protection?
The term “Surf Protection” or
“URL / Content filtering” is typically used in the
technology space to describe Web filtering Content-control software or
Spam blocking solutions. Content-control software, also censorware and
web filtering, is a term for content-filtering software, especially
when it is used to filter content delivered over the Web.
Content-control software determines what content will be available on a
particular machine or network; the motive is often to prevent persons
from viewing content which the computer's owner(s) or other authorities
may consider objectionable. Common use cases of such software include
parents who wish to limit what sites their children may view from home
computers, schools performing the same function with regard to
computers found at school, and employers restricting what content may
be viewed by employees while on the job.
Targets of Surf Protection
Frequent targets of surf-Protection software include websites which do
(or are alleged to do) the following:
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Include
content which is illegal in the jurisdiction where the computer lies.
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Promote, enable, or discuss hacking, software piracy, criminal skills,
or other acts which are illegal in many jurisdictions.
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Include content which is
sexually explicit in nature, including pornography, erotica, and
non-erotic discussions of sexual topics such as sexuality or human
reproduction. |
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Promote, enable, or
discuss lifestyles which some might consider immoral, including
promiscuity, sexual orientations other than heterosexuality, or other
alternative lifestyles or sexual activity outside of marriage. |
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Contain violence or other
forms of graphic or "extreme" content. |
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Promote, enable, or
discuss bigotry or hate speech. |
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Promote, enable, or
discuss gambling, recreational drug use, alcohol, or other activities
frequently considered to be vice. |
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Are not related to a
student's studies, an employee's job function, or other tasks for which
the computer in question may be intended. Are contrary to the interests
of the authority in question, such as websites promoting organized
labor or criticizing a particular company or industry. |
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Promote or discuss
politics, religion, or other topics. |
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Social networking
websites. |
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Content-control software
can also be used to block Internet access entirely. |
Surf Protection Implementation
Filters can be implemented in
many different ways: by a software program on a personal computer or by
servers providing Internet access. Choosing an Internet Service
Provider (ISP) that blocks objectionable material before it enters the
home over software run on their own computer can help parents who worry
about their children viewing objectionable content. Those who
believe content-control software is useful may still not agree with
certain ways it is used, or with mandatory general regulation of
information. For example, many would disapprove of filtering viewpoints
on moral or political issues, agreeing that this could become support
for propaganda. Many would also find it unacceptable that an ISP,
whether by law or by the ISP's own choice, should deploy such software
without allowing the users to disable the filtering for their own
connections.
Bypassing Filters
Some software may be bypassed successfully
by using alternative protocols such as FTP, conducting searches in a
different language, or using a proxy server. Some of the more
poorly-designed filters can be shut down by killing their processes;
for example, in Microsoft Windows through the Windows Task Manager, or
in Mac OS X using Activity Monitor. Another option for bypassing
blocking software locally can be achieved by using a Linux Live CD,
such as the Ubuntu Live CD, which will run an entire operating system
"on-the-fly" using the RAM memory as the only medium, having the
advantage of not leaving any traces of the visited sites and leaving
the hard disk unmodified once the Live CD is removed. Keyloggers can be
surpassed by using an On-Screen Keyboard to type sensitive information.
You can also disable them through Windows Task Manager, and by using
Safe Mode. Many surf-Protection software products as well as the very
concept of surf-Protection software in general, especially in
government-funded services or those not age-restricted, can be
controversial. Many ISPs offer parental control options, among them
Earthlink, Yahoo!, and AOL; and more general software such as Norton
Internet Security includes "parental controls." Mac OS v10.4+ offers
parental controls for several applications (Mail, Finder, iChat, Safari
& Dictionary). The upcoming Windows Vista operating system may also
include "parental controls."
Summary
When enterprises do not want users to browse
questionable Internet sites, Syntensia Surf Protection provides
comprehensive web blocking. With Syntensia Surf Protection,
administrators can specify the types of web sites that are
inappropriate for groups of users in their organizations. As a web page
request is made, it checks a database of web addresses and either
records or blocks access to inappropriate sites. |
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