Net Nanny Frequently
Asked Questions:
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Does Net Nanny allow parents full discretion over what is blocked?
Net Nanny’s screening lists are
completely user-defined and allows parents to screen and block any words, phrases, sites
and content according to their particular values - not a developer’s arbitrary
selection or the Government’s!
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Does Net Nanny provide any site lists?
We provide Net Nanny users with site lists,
researched by our staff and other 3rd party children’s advocacy groups but they are
fully editable. They are always free and downloadable from our web site. The site lists
are every two weeks.
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Does Net Nanny screen all Internet activity?
Simply speaking Net Nanny monitors all
activity and applications taking place on your PC - everything! The program monitors all
Internet utilities like Web browsers, News Groups, FTPs, IRC and e-mail but goes further.
Net Nanny operates with all applications running on the PC both online or off. That means
it handles programs like Word or WinFax and BBSs that are not part of the Internet where
some of the most inappropriate material resides. Of all the products introduced in this
field to date only Net Nanny can monitor, screen and block e-mail content and
transmissions, both incoming and outgoing. Say a kid’s friend sends some pornographic
gif files via e-mail in an attachment? Only Net Nanny can catch this. Also the other
programs block access based on file names only - that’s only one-way screening. What
if children find other ways into a site? Net Nanny monitors not only the entry point to a
file or address but watches the activity or content taking place inside the site - in real
time.
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Can Net Nanny block access to only sites I select?
Yes. Net Nanny now has the option of
"CAN GO" Web Site URL screening so you can limit access to only those sites
which you deem suitable for users.
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What can Net Nanny do about personal information?
To protect family members from uninvited
electronic visitors parents can load personal information like children’s names, home
address and telephone numbers. To keep kids from using credit cards online for various
unauthorized transactions the appropriate numbers can be loaded into Net Nanny’s
screening lists. At least they won’t be using your cards!
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Can Net Nanny block more than pornography?
Net Nanny isn’t limited in terms of
type of content. So you can screen and block anything you don’t want running on your
PC like bomb-making formulas, designer drugs, hate literature, Neo-Nazi teachings, car
theft tips - whatever you’re concerned about. If you can define it Net Nanny can
block it!
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Will Net Nanny screen incoming material as well?
It’s two-way, real-time screening! So
if your kids do a lot of e-mailing or go into chat rooms within IRC you can still take
action. Say your kid’s friend e-mails him a pipe bomb recipe. If "bomb" is
in your dictionary Net Nanny goes to work.
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How about images?
Net Nanny can block specific image files you
select, for example, Playmate.gif. Or if a high measure of control is required Net Nanny
can block access to all images of a particular type like GIFs or JPGs.
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Does Net Nanny only shut down when violations occur?
You can also set up Net Nanny to simply
monitor what hits occur and when without shutting the system down. This allows the parent
to address the situation without "coming down hard" at least to begin with. Net
Nanny’s "Audit Trail" logs PC activity including start-up, hits,
violations, shut-downs and in what applications they took place in. We have not designed
Net Nanny like a tough "cop" to "bust" kids but as tool to help steer
them back on course.
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What other action options are available?
A number of options are at your disposable
when violations occur. Log, Warn, Mask, Block or Application Shutdown.
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Does that mean there are multiple-user passwords?
The administrator can set up multiple user
accounts and passwords so each user’s activities can be monitored and logged. A
variety of screening properties can also be set up for each user.
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What else can Net Nanny do?
There’s many violent and adult programs
out there. You can set up Net Nanny to prevent the loading of unauthorized software
diskettes and CD-ROMs such as violent games. Worried about file erasures? Configure Net
Nanny to prevent disks and hard drives from being tampered with or manipulated without
your knowledge.
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Will Net Nanny work with major online services?
Yes. Compuserve, MSN, Prodigy and
others. But due to the nature of America Online's service, Net Nanny currently cannot block web
sites through the use of a website list when the browser is one supplied by AOL
(Technical Support at AOL is examining this problem, and we hope to have a fix
for this in the coming weeks).
If it happens on the PC then Net Nanny can be set up to monitor, screen and block.
Internet screening will not function within the proprietary access program, you must be
dialing into your ISP and using NetScape or Internet Explorer as a browser for Internet
screening to work.
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Is it easy to disable and enable Net Nanny when adults use the PC?
Net Nanny’s administration program is
very simple to use and manipulate. If you’re a passworded user with admin privileges
you simply disable Net Nanny for your session.
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Will Net Nanny work with Windows 95?
Net Nanny is a full 32 & 16-bit Windows
95/Windows program (not including Windows NT).
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How can I figure out what sites to load into the screening lists?
Net Nanny provides free lists of
"nasty" sites which users may download from our Internet Web Site and import
into their Net Nanny programs. Again it is fully editable but you must make the decision
to put it in yourself - we don’t want to be making your value judgments. Best of all
it will be free - no monthly subscriptions and we update it every two weeks. Also you can
import any ASCII text based list or database of sites which are increasingly available
from a wide range of 3rd party organizations. Choose one that fits your values.
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Are there other products in the works?
Net Nanny for corporate LAN applications (NNPro) is
in development. Also watch for another program in our stable - BioPassword, which will
bring "keystroke dynamics" and biometric technology into personal password
protection. |
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