The internet is great tool and a great temptation. From some the temptation is to waste time but for others the temptation can be pornography. Research shows that an incredibly large ratio of children has been exposed to pornography on the internet—most accidentally. A simple image search can bring back some very smutty images.
For that reason it is important to make sure that protection is in place for both you and your family. I have an internet filter on my computer, but no filter is perfect. Other measures can be taken. For example, you can check which search engines have the best safety controls to block pornographic images. For example, with the right settings in place, Google does a much better job than Yahoo at blocking such images. You can also use filter control software to block internet access at certain times of day. I have my filter set to block access between 10 pm and 4 am in the morning.
Some filters have a reporting service that can send a summary of your internet usage and the websites that you visit to anyone you name. I use that option on my computer.
Here are a list of sites that you might want to check if you are interested in more about internet filters and reporting services:
Covenant Eyes (http://www.covenanteyes.com/) This service has a content filter and reporting service for a fee.
See No Evil (http://seenoevil.com/default.asp) This is a relatively new service that seems to cost less that other services. The attractive part is that it has image blocking.
BSafeonline (http://www.bsafehome.com/?170288) This is the filter that I use.
XXX Church (http://xxxchurch.com/gethelp/x3watch.php) Don’t let the name scare you. This is a ministry for those struggling with pornography or who have been victims of the pornography industry. There is a free reporting service as well as filter and reporting service for a fee.
Internet Filter Reviews (click here) This sight reviews several internet content filters.
Thanks for speaking out about this problem.
I invite you to go to http://www.covenanteyes.com and enter promocode ‘onefree’ to receive a free 30 day trial of the program. That promo code is open to anyone who wants it! Try out Covenant Eyes for free!
I recently posted a blog on the Covenant Eyes blog site about breaking free from pornography myself: http://blogs.covenanteyes.com/2008/02/20/how-a-porn-addict-found-hope-between-the-altar-and-the-door/
Thanks again!
In His Grip,
Luke Gilkerson
Internet Community Manager
Covenant Eyes
I think Safe Eyes is probably the best filter out there, from my experience
. X3 Watch and some others are easy to get around — and while Safe Eyes isn’t perfect, it’s pretty darn close. It also logs everything that’s visited, including emails and instant message chats, so if your kids are talking with older adults on messengers you’ll be able to know.
I agree that X3watch is easy to get around. Check out my blog post on http://blogs.covenanteyes.com/2008/02/14/x3watch-and-covenant-eyes-what-are-key-the-differences/
Luke Gilkerson
Internet Community Manager
Covenant Eyes
Thanks to both of you for stopping by and explaining some of the differences between the filters. Having tried different ones, I’ve seen too where some are easy to get around. Thanks for your input.
You may also be interested in on of my recent blog posts. I’ve recently read some more comments from women with husbands who watch porn. I wrote a blog about it at: http://www.covenanteyes.com/blog/2008/03/11/husbands-who-watch-porn-what-are-their-wives-saying/
Luke Gilkerson
http://www.covenanteyes.com