(Not 100% sure if this is GQ, or IMHO. There is theoretically an answer, but may come down to a matter of opinion as to the “best”.)
I’ve been tasked with computer support by the brother & sister-in-law, who are currently having a run of issues with computer use, and a 13yo boy. (surprise surprise!!! :D)
As the family IT guy, they’ve asked me to investigate restricting access for an account that is used by the boy. They’d like to lock down which applications can be run by him, as well as filtering/blocking/restricting internet access (including P2P, chat, etc).
Anyone have any recommendations as to which software can be most easily administered on the fly by non-technical in-laws, and is reasonably secure to being overridden by “the boy.”
It can be fairly technical to set up, as I’m the one tasked to do that sort of thing.
First would be (assuming Windows XP) is to set up separate accounts for the parents and the boy. The parents account would be password protected and have administrative privileges (or power user, with administrator just on a password protected administrator’s account). The boy would be set up with user access. This will prevent the boy from installing software without permission.
I’d also password protect the parent’s screen saver, so if they go away, the kid can’t make changes.
Also, you can do various blocks on the boy’s abilities: set up permissions so he can’t read particular folders, for instance by making the folder private.
While it takes some IT knowledge to set this up, once everyone knows their own password (and no one else’s), no further technical skill is needed.
If its a machine that doesn’t require alot of changes or adjustments you might consider something like Deep Freeze to lock down settings and such like a public library does. Once configured its basically reboot and back to a clean machine. Kinda a pain if there is a lot of legit installing and adjusting or auto updating stuff like virus scanners and windows updates if set, but may suit your needs. you can download a free trial
I’ve already done the admin vs limited user parts, but now we’re looking to go a bit further, with regards to internet usage. I’ll also mention the permissions bit, as that’s pretty easy to do for them.
When logged in as the “admin” account, the SIL needes to do routine changes so the full lockdown suggested by drachillix probably wouldn’t work here (VPN user)
I’m an IT geek, but haven’t had to do this sort of research for a “home user level,” as all of my server/network work has been geared to business.
I hate to advocate “Net Nanny” type software, but that’s pretty much what they’re requesting at this point. I’m looking for recomendations along that sort of line.
If the kid has any technical computer savvy, it’s not hard to find a complete freeware package on the web that allows him to boot the computer from a CD, gain access to the computer where he can access/change the Administrator password, as well as his own, and obtain free rein computer access on the machine.
To stop this type of access you also need to prevent the kid from burning a CD. However, that won’t stop him from downloading the freeware and burning the CD on a friend’s computer. You actually need to disable the CD-ROM drive to prevent him from using a boot CD in the first place.
If the kid is smart enough to find this freeware, any net nanny software installed on the machine is a waste, not just because he can bypass it, but because net nanny software in and of itself is easily circumvented.
Ultimately, the problem has nothing to do with the inappropriate computer use. But you knew that already!
You don’t need any special software. You can lock down windows with the available administrator tools and easily monitor browsing by viewing the cache. Microsoft has extensive instructions for this available on their website.
Here’s a review/comparison chart for various parental control programs: Internet Filter Review 2006 @ TopTenReviews.com. (Note: This site seems to come up in a lot of paid Google ads, suggesting it’s somehow commercially backed… however, I’ve tested a lot of the programs on that page and I think the reviews are actually reasonably accurate).
But if you really want to do this and the boy really doesn’t want you to, you’re gonna be in for a looooong battle. It’s not a matter of locking the computer down completely versus not at all… depending on how computer savvy the kid is, he may circumvent some of all or the restrictions, and you’ll have to fix those with further restrictions, and he’ll break some more of them, and you’ll have to fix more of them… etc., etc. In the long term, I think it’d be better if the parents just talked to him about inappropriate sites and such every once in a while. Hell, we live in the year 2005. Even if you could block one computer, he’ll have access to a dozen more at various places. Hiding the stuff would just make it seem illicit (and thus more tempting). Pointless, IMHO
Also, I should point that a lot of those software packages generate false positives. Sites discussing things like sex education, breast cancer, popular culture, etc. may be blocked as inappropriate if you enable keyword blocking. This is probably not a big deal in practice (how many 13-year-old boys would really want to visit those sites anyway?), but it’s still something you might want to keep in mind.
Tell your relatives they should spend their time developing some trust in their child, and instilling appropriate moral beliefs in him. That’s a much better use of their time than working to install prisoner-like surveilance on him.
For you, this is likely to be a hopeless task.
Unless the child is really, really stupid, and so socially inept that he has no computer-savvy friends, you will never succeed at this. (Remember that a 13-year-old has much more free time to work at defeating your spy-stuff than you have to install it.)
Any kid who knows how to google will soon find peacefire.org, with explicit instructions on how to disable all the common nannyware programs. Including how to set up a ‘circumvention server’ on a friends’ computer (or one at the school or library), so he can go thru that to get to anything on the web. Or how to use a circumventor that’s already set up for the benefit of Chinese or Iranian surfers who want to get around their Government’s censorship. Like the one at www.Stupid Censorship.com, for example.
Like I say, it’s a hopeless task. Best never to start on it.
If they are using XP Pro, then Group Policy is your friend. Start> Run> gpedit.msc. Since the local policy will affect all local users including admins, show them how to rename the GP folder that hidden under \System32, log off and log in and the policy is removed. But they’ll have to rename it back to GroupPolicy verbatim in order for the lockdown to take place again.
There needs to be some serious communication here.
The parents and the kid need to work this out.
Do I have any advice on how? Nope…I’m just workin’ on gut instinct here. I know the kid will be better off in the long run with trust and clear expectations.
I’m eight credits away from a computer science degree, for what it’s worth. Listen to the advice of others. Two points I’d like to emphasize:
The problem is with the parents or (possibly) with the teenager, not with the computer. Most likely, the parents are being stupid. If the teenager has a history for screwing up computers with inapproriate downloads, then they’re not, but he is. In either case, this is not a problem that can be solved technically.
2: Even if it was, there exists a whole bunch of pre-existing solutions for most problems you could throw at him. In addition, as long as he has physical access to the box, he can compromise the system. It may involve using bolt-cutters to get through the locks surrounding the case, re-flashing the BIOS, and working up from there, but he can gain root access.
I cannot comment on the specifics of the situation, but I would decline the request, and try to get the parents and the teen to sit down and discuss why they parents feel the need for the software. Barring all else, they can simply physically lock up the computer, and only allow access when one of them is watching.
Move the computer to a room where the parents are when he is online (if the ‘rents watch TV after dinner in the living room when lil’ Johnny uses the computer, set up the computer in the living room and position the screen that the 'rents can view the screen from the couch).
(after all isn’t this what ‘parental supervision’ is suppose to be)
I third or whatever the suggestion to take the very basic social engineering step of putting the computer in family space rather than the kid’s room, if that hasn’t already been done. And maybe get the family involved in using the computer together for constructive purposes. Since the “dark forces” are pretty aggressive about marketing themselves, some positive efforts to counteract them could be beneficial. What are some of the kid’s healthier interests? Can he and his parents participate in some net communities related to sports, cars, money, etc.?
I wouldn’t completely rule out the tracking software, though. If nothing else, it provides a specific “thou shalt not” for the kid. He can be punished, grounded, whatever is the family rule for circumventing the software.
When my son was 13, we had a computer problem too. Not inappropriate sites, though. He hacked into the system at his school with a key logger and spent a couple of weeks roaming around. (Did I mention that the school he went to was also the school that employed me? Ouch, that hurt.) He was suspended for three days and prohibited from using the computers at school for the rest of the semester. We, of course, removed his computer all together and banned him from the internet. He said he did it for the challenge it presented.
So, by god, if he wanted a challenge, I’d get him one. I called a bunch of IT companies and got one that agreed to let him be an unpaid intern after school. They POURED challenges on him. He did the scut work so they didn’t have to. He got an real education, and an avocation.
It really wasn’t a computer problem. I agree with the others who said any half-way tech savvy kid will be able to undo any restrictions placed on him. It’s a problem that needs communication, not software.
As far as the “refuse” crowd. Sorry, isn’t going to happen. While many are opposed to censorship in any form, I have no problem with enforcing censorship in a private home. Just my opinion, I’m not going to debate that concept here. Besides, we’d be installing software not “in place of” discussions/behavior modification/location, but rather “in addition to.”
For the boot-disk, and “get around it” crowd,… perhaps… But I’m betting that he now knows that if he is to disable features and filtering that is currently set up, I’m the one that will be called in to repair his damage, and he’s now being charged for my services. Nothing prevents damage better than the threat of financial impact. “The boy” needs to learn that there are consequences to his actions, and some of the consequences may result in limitations of his personal liberties. Without getting into details, there is conflict caused by his bio-dad’s “poor choices” which don’t help the matter at all, but in the BIL/SIL’s home, the rules are the rules.
While they’ve done the “talk”, sometimes one needs to implement additional measures in the mean time. I leave it to his parents to decide what actions are best, and if it’s in my power to help them, I’ll do what they ask. (If it doesn’t work, I’ll skip it for the Butlerette, still only 8mo)
