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ARE YOUR KIDS SAFE ONLINE?

Safe Surfing For Kids
Keeping your kids safe while they enjoy the benefits of the internet
Are your kids at risk online?
Fact: 1 in 4 children had unwanted exposure to pornography over the internet last year. -protectkids.org
Fact: Only 1/3 of the households with Internet access are proactively protecting their children with filtering or blocking software -Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Fact: One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet say they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. (Crimes Against Children Research Center)

The internet gives every family instant access to a wealth of information not even kings or presidents could have dreamed of a few years ago. Like all media, there are risks associated with the great benefits of using this information conduit. While children need a certain amount of privacy, they also require parental supervision when learning to use this powerful tool effectively and safely. The same general parenting skills used in real world situations should also apply to cyberspace. Use the Internet with your kids. While you're spending time with them, you can help them to be safe and responsible online. Here are a few areas to warn your children about:

Acceptable and Unacceptable websites: Teach your kids what they can do if they land on inappropriate web sites. Filtering software can help, but cannot keep out every inappropriate website.

Instant messenger: Many kids use IM for social networking and interaction, and need to know it is unacceptable to give out personal information on IM, since the communications are not encrypted and anyone outside the conversation could mead your messages. Do not allow them to add unknown users to their contact lists.

Chat Rooms: Block chat rooms if you are concerned about the dangers of sexual predators using chat rooms to gain access to your kids. Makes sure they never give out personal information in chat rooms and never arrange to meet anyone they meet in a chat room.

Downloading content: Most spy ware is loaded onto your computer while downloading. Talk to your kids about piracy and copyright issues, and perhaps have them ask you before installing any downloaded programs or executable files.

Activity Logs: Your filtering software and computer can record internet sessions in a log file. Let your kids know that you will be checking those files periodically.

Internet History: Simply pressing CRL+H in Internet Explorer will give you a history of the websites visited by that computer user the past 20 days by default. Let your tech savvy teens know they may not delete the history if they want computer privileges.

Direct Communications offers a content filter via proxy server. Call 208 548 2345 for instructions on how to set that up filter on your home computer for only $1.50 per month.

For protection on your email ask us bout Postini, our customizable spam and virus
filter we can add to your internet account for only $0.50 a month.

For more parenting and internet safety tips visit www.protectkids.org

Call us to sign up today.
208 548 2345

WEB CONTENT FILTER
Get the peace of mind knowing your family is protected from online pornography, offensive content and dangerous websites.
	Only $1.50 per month
Installation is now FREE. Call 548 2345 to add protection to your internet today.
How does the Web Filter block Web sites? The Direct Communications Web Content Filter includes 58 categories of Web sites that are updated regularly. These categories include Web sites known to include pornography, spyware and other offensive materials. The Web Filter blocks access to these sites so that problems, such as spyware downloads from these sites, are avoided. The filter also works by blocking sites, web pages and searches that contain offensive or pornographic keywords . All the traffic going from your PC to the internet is filtered through a proxy server maintained and updated daily by Barracuda—the worldwide leader in web security.
Our Barracuda Proxy Server/ Content Filter
Comprehensive Content Filtering (The following description comes from the Barracuda website, http://www.barracudanetworks.com The Barracuda Web Filter combines multiple techniques, including URL filtering, URL rewriting, and MIME type blocking to provide powerful control. Capabilities include: URL filtering by content category. The Barracuda Web Filter includes definitions for 58 content categories, including pornography, violence, hacking, dating, and chat sites. URL filtering by domain name or URL pattern. Image Safe Search integration (URL rewriting). The Barracuda Web Filter takes advantage of the “safe search” content filtering capabilities built into image search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. If enabled, the Barracuda Web Filter Image Safe Search feature rewrites URLs for these image search engines to include the URL parameters that restrict display of objectionable content in cached image search results. File type blocking. Can legitimate Web sites be blocked? How do you handle this? Sometimes, certain safe sites might also be blocked. If the Web Filter is blocking a Web site that you need to access, let us know, and we will request that the URL be placed on a whitelist. How does the Barracuda Web Filter block spyware downloads and viruses? The Barracuda Web Filter both blocks access to known spyware sites and analyzes all downloaded files against its database of known spyware and known viruses. These databases are updated every hour with the latest spyware and virus definitions so that your network is always protected Does the Barracuda Web Filter remove or clean spyware from an infected PC? Yes. The Barracuda Web Filter includes the Barracuda Spyware Removal Tool, an ActiveX control that removes spyware from Windows computers. When the Barracuda Web Filter detects spyware protocol activity (“phoning home”), it can automatically redirect the user’s Web browser to a page that serves up the Barracuda Spyware Removal Tool. Spyware detection and removal definitions are updated hourly. Should I deploy desktop anti-spyware tools even if I have a Barracuda Web Filter? It is generally beneficial to layer security solutions. The Barracuda Web Filter is an effective gateway-based solution to act as a primary line of defense to both prevent spyware from entering the network and to remove spyware from desktop computers once it is detected on the network. The preponderance of spyware infection attempts can be effectively blocked at the gateway. That said, adding an extra layer of protection with a traditional desktop spyware solution can be beneficial to prevent spyware infections in cases where spyware threats infiltrate through means other than the network, including via laptops, USB keys, CD-ROMs, or floppy discs.