Parental controls in Linux

[Gregory Pittman]

Dave Gavin wrote:

>On Sun, January 8, 2006 3:26 pm, WipeOut wrote:
>  
>
>>Andy Green wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>WipeOut wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>The problem now is that he is getting far to wrapped up in looking at
>>>>porn and not the innocent kind..
>>>>
>>>>Is there any parental control software for Linux available??
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>Another way to come at this is to move the PC into an area that is
>>>frequented by the rest of the family.  You could also proxy his http
>>>connectivity transparently through another box and let him know
>>>everything is logged.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>The PC is already in a fairly "public" place but there are still lots of
>>times when nobody is around and thats when he is diving into the porn
>>sites..
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Ultimately though with USB memory sticks, myspace pr0n and so on
>>>nannying software is a losing proposition.
>>>
>>>-Andy
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>Yes, I know what you are saying but I think its still worth trying
>>attempt some control rather than banning him from the internet which
>>would be a shame because the internet is a great place to learn about
>>things... other than hard core sex..
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>
> You might try building an IPCop firewall with Dan's Guardian added to it.
>IPCop is a great firewall (I use it at home and at my office) and I've
>heard that Dan's Guardian is a pretty effective proxy that will block
>most porn sites. Might take some attention to keep it up to date, but
>it'd be worth a try. IPCop will also log all outgoing connections, so
>even if he can get to those site, knowing that it's all logged on a
>separate box might give him reason to think twice.
>  
>
I don't know the answer to this, but I wonder whether there might be a 
way of restricting access to the internet during certain hours, as long 
as he doesn't have root access.

Ultimately, you may need to get out the big stick of temporarily 
changing his password if and when you know he's doing things you don't 
want (I did this with my son and he got the message).  Aside from the 
technology aspect, this is a generic parenting issue where it's being 
decided who is boss and who has the upper hand.

Greg