need a free christian porn filter software

[davidwang]

I need a free christian internet porn filter software, currently I use the free trial version, (link removed due to advertisement) , it does a good job, but cost 24 bucks to buy, anyone knows some free software? I need to protect myself from stumbling into pornography by accident on the internet

[nChrist]

Hello,

Welcome to Christians Unite.

I think that one of the easiest ways to do this is get a good host list that you install in your windows directory. There are numerous places on the Internet to get excellent Host files for Christians. They are completely FREE and the host file simply causes your computer to do an internal loop to 127.0.0.1 when something on the host file comes up.

This is a very fast and efficient way to keep all kinds of garbage off your computer. I use a very small FREE program to make the Host file work even faster and more efficiently. It's called HostMan version 2.1. The last I checked, they had several links to excellent host files on the site:

http://www.abelhadigital.com

Numerous people keep updated Host files, and you spend absolutely nothing in keeping the porn garbage out of your computer.

[nChrist]

I gave you some outdated information. The program version is 3.1, and some of the links for Host files are with the program itself. Go to any of the links and you will see links for other Host files or do a Google search for "Christian Host File".

[john909]

I don't understand this request for a porn filter. I'm a Christian, and I surf the Internet constantly and I never run into porn, ever. If you you a browser besides Internet Explorer, such as Opera, you can keep everything simple. Opera features anti-popup filters, anti-phishing filters, and turns off the referrer logging if you so desire. Referrer logging means that when you go from site to site, the site you just went to can check your cookies to see where you just came from, and they can serve up ads based on your surfing history. Filters are fairly unreliable and it's akin to saying "I'm not responsible to surf on my own without a nanny."

I do IT for a living, and in all my years surfing the Internet, I have never, ever accidentally ran into a porn site. what used to happen before pop-up filters was a pop-up would occur and it would hijack your browser using javascript and redirect you. This only happens in Internet Explorer 6 and earlier. If you use IE 7 or Opera or Mozilla Firefox, you can surf safely as long as you don't download unknown software.

Filters are one thing if there are kids in the house, but you can control this with a Linksys/Belkin/D-Link router if you use DSL or a cable modem and put far less strain on your computer's RAM.

This filter stuff strikes me as being too controlling. The crazy school systems have gone so far with their nanny software, that kids that want to research innocent stuff like "breast" cancer cannot because an innocent word like breast is filtered out. Same goes for religion. Some schools filter religious content.

In all honesty, unless your computer has a worm or viruses onboard, your chances of hitting a porn site are slim. Using mainstream sites like Yahoo, Google, MSN, or almost any other search engine allows you to set a filter in the actual search engine which will not show any porn content. You can set it for violence, etc, as well, but be advised, there are some sites which will be filtered over innocent key words.

[Brother Jerry]

John

The only thing I can say is bravo to you for never having seen something questionable on the Internet.  I can say that I have not run across many true porn sites on the Internet by accident or otherwise.  However there have been many that I personally would have classified as porn.  And one pop up was actually originated from a childrens website (bought into the advertising scheme that was used).

And using a filter or anything of that nature is in no way saying that one is not responsible.  It actually shows another level of responsibility in a different area.  You have worked IT for a while which shows you have a advanced level of understanding when it comes to computers and the Internet.  You are a minority, put that in your mindset.  If people are asking for assistance on how to block out questionable subject matter you should be looking for material that will help those that are not as vesed in the wilds as yourself.  And net nannies and such are just such tools. 

I have worked at an ISP before and I know first hand how many people out there buy computers and never update them.  How many people get the trial version of Symantec or McAffee and think that will last them for years...even though it quit updating 6 months ago when the trial expired.  Also the lack of understand that a commercial website will never have .gov or that if it is gment related it will have a .gov.  Thus the old White House errors.

We the IT folks are the miority when it comes to these sorts of things.  So we must always be willing to assist our brothers and sisters from the possible typo or following what they thought was  a good link or similar.  Also consider these adult brothers and sisters who do not know that much about it and their children.  Filters and things of that nature help them to ensure their children do not accidentally run across material that is not needed.  Or even the person who may have pornography as a personal struggle in their life and a filter may assist them in that struggle.

There are many many reasons for anyone (christian or not) who would request some sort of filter.  Me personally I would go not only with a filter on the machine but also with a filtered ISP.  Not only do I not want that in my home but I do not want my 6 and 12 year old to run across that.  And that sort of protection makes me feel a little bit better when letting my children surf the net.

[john909]

Hello,

Agreed. I sometimes forget that not everyone is in IT. Honest mistake. I'd be more than willing to help anyone with an IT issue in here. I can even probably help people save money by pointing them to alternative software such as freeware/open source stuff that can run on Windows.

I have a problem with smoking. Still do. I try and avoid it, but I'm not going to go to stores that don't sell smokes just to avoid the temptation. It's up to me to put on the spiritual armor of Christ everyday and try and shun those things that are not God-pleasing things.

[Brother Jerry]

Understood.  And you would be hard pressed to find a store that had all you needed and did not sell cigs   As sad as that is to say.  It is easier depending on the state you live in, to go into a store and find all you need and not have liquor around...but then that also depends on the state as well.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

The best course of action is to monitor children when they use the Internet. There's all kinds of stuff out there that sounds fairly innocent but isn't. As an example, there are some addresses on "You Tube" and "My Space" that have Christian content, but there's also a ton of absolute filth there. You never know what you will see there in advertising that isn't the pop-up variety, and there are also links to deal with. So, many of the problems have nothing to do with the capability of the browser, rather mixed sites one might go to and links that lead to who knows what. Some of the links are also disguised, so browsers have very little to do with controlling the problems unless you install filters for the browser to use. Clicking that disguised bad link with a really good Host file would result in nothing but a loop to 127.0.0.1. In other words - NOTHING. The bad stuff on the Internet changes all of the time, and that's the reason why really good Host files must be updated regularly. Good freeware Host file managers download and install updated Host files automatically. BUT, remember this isn't 100%.

For this and many other reasons, there are a lot of links that we don't allow from the forum. We want parents to trust Christians Unite enough to allow their children regular use here.

Parents should also know that there isn't a 100% filter. As an example, some of the worst things that set up kids to be victims on the Internet is chat rooms. Those that are popular for teens and younger to use are normally patrolled pretty heavily by child molesters. Some horrible things start in many of those places and might easily progress beyond just dirty messages on the Internet. Child predators of all kinds are reported to the police every day, and many of them are hard to stop and prosecute. Pornography is also passed back and forth in these chat rooms and on instant messenger type programs. So, if you add children to the original question, parental supervision is a must, even if you have good filters. As a retired police officer with 25 years of experience, I can tell any parent that they have no idea about all the horrible things that are done on the Internet, and many of them end up in a person to person crime. This is why children have parents - to supervise and protect them.

Some parents who know quite a bit about computers set up a browser just for their kids, and they do things in reverse. All of the Internet is blocked except for the sites that the parent specifically sets up in a menu and firewall. This would be as close to 100% as you could get if there was no instant messenger set up and email was monitored.

Love In Christ,
Tom

John 10:29-30 NASB  "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. "I and the Father are one."

[john909]

Some parents who know quite a bit about computers set up a browser just for their kids, and they do things in reverse. All of the Internet is blocked except for the sites that the parent specifically sets up in a menu and firewall. This would be as close to 100% as you could get if there was no instant messenger set up and email was monitored.

This is known as a "white list" and is the preferred method for keeping kids safe. I'll be doing this myself when mine is old enough to surf.

If you have DSL or a cable modem and a router, which you should have, either Linksys or D-Link, this can be done rather than making the computer do it. Less RAM wasted, less CPU cycles wasted. Basically, the router acts as a proxy server and forbids all access except what is programmed in. Computer-based whitelists and HOST files can be beat very easily by savvy teens by using a proxy server on the Internet to bypass the host file. Very simple, and you'll never know. There are websites which will also strip out keystrokes made, so keystrokes are not logged while on those sites. All done using the magic of javascript and plug-ins.

Linksys router or D-Link router hooked up to the cable modem stops this cold. No getting around a hardware proxy server that actually sits between the computer and the modem.

When in doubt, whitelist. It's easier to allow new sites every week than to block them.

[nChrist]

Hello john909,

I'm still using old and slow dial-up. I have a fairly nice computer, but I haven't had the money for the fast connections, routers, cables, satellites, etc. yet. Heavy competition might bring the prices down so that I can afford them soon. So, I haven't gotten into the fast lane yet.

I really haven't had many needs for speed since I rarely do anything that requires speed. Most of what I do on the Internet is Bible study. If I had a fast connection, the first thing I would do is download some audio sermons that I've been wanting to listen to for a long time. I also have to spend a lot of time getting family pictures from my kids. I would probably try some other things that really require high speed connections, but the vast majority of what I like to do works fine with the lower speeds. 38.8 usually averages out to be my highest speed, and I know many younger folks couldn't handle slow speeds like that.

[john909]

blackeyedpeas,

Understood. Depending on where you live, you can get DSL for as little as $14.95 a month. Yahoo/SBC offers this. Verizon has a $14.95 a month DSL deal as well. Depending on how far you live from the ILC/CO would determine your signal strength. Hughesnet may be an option for you as well. Yet another provider is Clearwire, which uses a modem that picks up the signal from cell phone towers.

Trust me, unless you live in the outback someplace, you have an option. Dial-up is at least 10-15 dollars a month, so if you can get DSL, go for it. Now, for those prices you'll get 384 down, but it will seem like lightning.

[nChrist]

Hello john909,

I'm looking right now, but one of my priorities when I change will be getting about 2 GIG of server space for a new web site I've been working on. I currently only have 10 MEG, and that isn't enough. I have a list of core services I want on the server, and I don't want to ever worry about anything dirty associated with my selection. I've got quite a bit already done, so I'm starting to look pretty seriously now. At this point, I really don't care if my ISP is the same as the server provider. There are quite a few affordable options now, so it's really just a matter of doing some homework and changing everything.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 8:31-32 NASB  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

[Brother Jerry]

And options even for those living further out are Wireless ISP's.  They are growing here in the states as well.  They usually provide an affordable last mile connection where local telco's are unable to.

[nChrist]

Hello Brother Jerry,

Wireless is something I am considering. I had hoped that I might be able to get some sort of package deal with the phone company, but my area isn't served with that yet. Cable is also an option, but it's pretty expensive and does not get very good reviews in my area for being stable. Satellite is the only remaining option and there is a chance with that.  Besides, I expect to see Ed McMahon with Publishers Clearing House on my porch any day now.   

[Brother Jerry]

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"

I guess that would be faith waiting on ole Ed.