Types of Safety Tools

Protective software generally offers six types of "actions": suggest, search, monitor, inform, warn, or block. I've described in detail and provided practical application with examples, the types of tools available to protect children online.

1. Action: Suggest
White List: Suggested and/or approved sites for children.
Suggested List for Open System: White list of sites, not contained within a secure system, approved for children.
Suggested List for Closed System: White list of sites, protected within a closed, secure system and approved for children.

2. Action: Search
Internet search engines are software programs that allow users to enter a query and search all the indexed content that matches that query, using a string of words or phrases.

3. Action: Monitor
Some products and services monitor and track only incoming communications, while others log both incoming and outgoing communications.

4. Action: Inform
Some inform tools are designed to provide information about content whenever a user begins to access that content.

5. Action: Warn
Like tools that inform, warning tools provide information about content.

6. Action: Block/Filter
Blocking/filtering software prevents children from accessing inappropriate content. Blocking/filtering software can be categorized as server-based or end-user solutions.

Customizing Tools

• the ability to allow approved sites (white lists) and block unapproved sites (black lists)
  
  
• the targeting of key words and/or phrases to trigger actions
  
  
• the designation of whole categories of content to allow or block
  
  
• the choice of whether inappropriate content should trigger a block, a warning message, a log entry, or other actions
  
  
• the capacity to make different configurations for different children in your household