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Smart kids will outwit software monitoring
By Bill Husted |
January 11, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Q: I'm looking for a software that will run secretly in the background of my computer to monitor what my children are doing on the Internet. I saw one that took a screen shot every 1 and a 1/2 minutes and recorded data on everything done, but it didn't have good reviews. I would like to find a program that isn't too expensive, is reliable and cannot be hacked into or found by my very bright son. I have found Vista's parental controls a hassle and unuseful.
- Name withheld
A: I understand the appeal of these programs and would never second-guess a parent's desire to use them. However, my feeling is that even the best of these programs give parents a false sense of security. It is tempting to install security software and think the problem is solved.
But parents can't afford to cede their job to software. Even if the monitoring software works perfectly, kids live in a world of many computers and many ways to get online. And as my correspondent indicated, smart kids are sometimes capable of discovering and working around software like this. If things have gotten to the point that you need to monitor the child's computer use, a smart kid probably will realize that and take precautions.
If there is real reason to worry about a child's online activities, I'd restrict computer use to times I could monitor the activities in person. But that only controls home use, so the child also needs strong counseling from the parent about the dangers that lurk. Some honest talk about those dangers is a good start.
Q: When removing a USB memory stick from the drive, should you always click on the icon and wait for the message that tells you it is safe to remove the stick or can you just remove it?
- Lanelle Larue
A: Many times - maybe even most times - you can remove a memory stick with no damage after the computer has finished reading it. But it's those few exceptions that come back to bite a person. I strongly recommend you click on the "safe to remove" icon each time.
Generally the most dangerous times to remove a card, as far as corrupting the memory, is when the light is flashing on the memory card reader, showing that the card's memory is being accessed.
However, some programs will pause during the reading and, after that pause, try to access the card again.
- Name withheld
A: I understand the appeal of these programs and would never second-guess a parent's desire to use them. However, my feeling is that even the best of these programs give parents a false sense of security. It is tempting to install security software and think the problem is solved.
But parents can't afford to cede their job to software. Even if the monitoring software works perfectly, kids live in a world of many computers and many ways to get online. And as my correspondent indicated, smart kids are sometimes capable of discovering and working around software like this. If things have gotten to the point that you need to monitor the child's computer use, a smart kid probably will realize that and take precautions.
If there is real reason to worry about a child's online activities, I'd restrict computer use to times I could monitor the activities in person. But that only controls home use, so the child also needs strong counseling from the parent about the dangers that lurk. Some honest talk about those dangers is a good start.
Q: When removing a USB memory stick from the drive, should you always click on the icon and wait for the message that tells you it is safe to remove the stick or can you just remove it?
- Lanelle Larue
A: Many times - maybe even most times - you can remove a memory stick with no damage after the computer has finished reading it. But it's those few exceptions that come back to bite a person. I strongly recommend you click on the "safe to remove" icon each time.
Generally the most dangerous times to remove a card, as far as corrupting the memory, is when the light is flashing on the memory card reader, showing that the card's memory is being accessed.
However, some programs will pause during the reading and, after that pause, try to access the card again.
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