Parental Controls Needed!
 

Hello: I really like Limeware and the Gnutella community, but would be very pleased if there were parental controls that work and could be password protected from being changed. I'm sure that this is a request MANY parnets would see as immensly useful and I, for one, would be glad to donate $$ to this program to make that happen!

parental controls
 

This LimeWire was just downloaded today, and I am very upset that I can't find any parental contols. I will be wipping it off of my computer and downloading a program that is kid friendly.
In this day and age, with computers in almost every home, I would think that programers would be creating software that is family friendly (PARENTAL CONTROLS)!

As a parent I strongly dislike the idea that the electronics of today are an adequate substitute for a parent. I heard and saw the same arguments about TV's, VCR's and now video games and computers.

Kids who are brought up with these electronics, unsupervised, and unable to make moral choices about how to view and see them, suffer.

Yes, I know it's a reality for many parents today to think the government and everyone else makes sure everything is kid safe by the standards of the loudest, most righteous, and fundamentally irresponsible parents created by the self-indulgence of the sixties.

Sheesh. Computer access through the internet cannot be adequately made "kidsafe", any more than a video player is an adequate substitute for a babysitter. Information is amoral

Don't ask for better controls: ask for better parents. If you want to know more, google for the news about the failure of the last government attempt to set up a kid-safe domain.

In short--this a parent's job, not a programmers. I would not want LW deciding what my kids should see or think, no more than you would want me to decide for your kids. LW devs are not qualified to be parents to my kids, nor are you.

etc.

hey all you parents! you can take out adult content!!! just dont let your kid figure out how to change it ;) go to tools>options>filters.... click ignore adult content

The only reasonable way to implement this, would be tagging the checksum (SHA-1) of files as kiddy-safe - through Bitzi or a similar service. The question then is, who should decide what's safe and what isn't. In most countries, a TV series where kids appear in swim suits in an episode (b/c they visit a lake or whatever) wouldn't be an issue. However, there are amish, muslims or just weird people who see sexually abuse into (sic!) everything. Sure you can let the government or perhaps even the UNO decide what's good for your kids and what isn't. Do you want that? Do you really want that? If yes, sorry, then you either don't know what you're saying or I have to despise you.

Now filtering files that contain fvck, svck, pr0n etc. in the title is a nice cute attempt but it's about as safe as crossing a highway with your eyes closed. The industry has failed over and over again to make the internet (or web rather) kiddy-safe. It's not possible (unless you're willing to give up freedom of everyone for your selfish desires). The internet never was, isn't and shall never be safe for kids. As soon as they're old enough, they'll be able to deal with any kind of crap they'll find on the net.

just dont let your kid figure out how to change it

Unless your parents work in the IT business, they probably have far less of a clue about computers then you (as a kid). Even if the kids themselves aren't too bright, it's very likely they have some friends that are.

I really pity those kids that have such parents screaming for control. If you don't have the time to watch and educate your kids, just don't get any. It's not that hard, condoms have been invented. Maybe people should learn about birth control before they scream for parental control.

parents should be parental controls.

I like to think of the LW guys as my daddy. But only in a very sick and warped way.


Like any attempt at parental controls on their part are going to stop your kids from checkin out naked chicks or downloading 'fitty'. Pfft. Amateurs.

Jay-Z feat. Eminem | Renegade [MP3] Cable/DSL .-.

The parent should be the control. Your not a good parent if your letting them *illegally* download music anyways.

Parental Controls
 

Limewire already provides a filter, so all you who believe it's not a programmer's job to provide a filter or who think it's ONLY up to a parent to monitor the internet, go log on to some website where your comments are relevant and useful, but not here. The filter works adequately but it can be easily undone. Other, more basic programs, already have devised a general filter that can be password protected. I would simply like the LW guys to do the same.

I urge LimeWire to NOT implement this in order to protect children. As long as LimeWire doesn't imply that it's kiddy-safe parents will have to think twice before they let their children use it.
Unless the contents are pre-selected, there's absolutely no way to filter content that is not "safe" for kids.

Re: Parental Controls
 

what utter tosh, of course those opinions are valid.

Many people new and inexperienced to the world of p2p and some of whom are parents, have yet to grasp the notion of what it is all about.

P2P being an immensley powerful and liberating application for pcs, putting one in touch with millions and involving moral choices not often presented in everday life is unsuitable for unsupervised use by minors.

see what a lack of PARENTAL CONTROL leads to http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co....entPK=12669356

Unsupervised access
 

Dear Lassie

I agree with everything you have said in your post, especially:

However, not your conclusion in favour of parental controls, you have said that P2P is "unsuitable for unsupervised use by minors". Therefore, parents should supervise their children’s use of the family’s PC and not try to palm off their responsibilities to a third party. If parents cannot be bothered to look after their children, and supervision is looking after, why have them.

Lassie, it is far too easy nowadays for people to try to blame someone else for their own shortsightedness, responsibility is not something that can be given away it has to be borne.



UK Bob

Aside from the issues of parental responsibility, MikeyMike's request is quite reasonable.

If password protection of the "adult" filter is easy to code, then I agree it should be added.

Frankly though, I suspect it will create more confusion and bugs, so do not expect it can be done effectively.

Absolutely. I wasn't engaging with the password protection of filter options.

Re: Unsupervised access
 

Slightely confused here ukbobby01

when I said "...P2P being an immensely powerful and liberating application for PCs, putting one in touch with millions and involving moral choices not often presented in everyday life is unsuitable for unsupervised use by minors"

That was really my conclusion. When I say parental control I mean the parent supervising the child and not the parent relying on some software options like password protected filter switches - which in itself is not a bad feature.

So I believe we are in accord. Mind you, I know some parents could trust their kid to use p2p sensibly.

A password protection for the "adult" filter isn't very hard to code but the actual challenge is to protect the protection! This a nontrivial problem espeically if people have physical access to the computer or even worse if they use the same user account.

I have a quite precise idea how this can be done on Unix like systems but you (MikeyMike, caren) are likely no Unix users.

Limewire Audlt Filter Always On (LimewireFAO)
 

I have completed a version of Limewire with teh adult filter always on. Please email me at limewirefao@suscom.net if you are interested.

AMU

but a question to the parent, Why are you letting your children use this anyway?
you can get virus and aload other bad stuff also

You dont need parent control if you superviseing your child? if you there watching him what hes doing then that should be safe enough?

Re: Unsupervised access
 

Well put, UK Bob! If I had children I personally wouldn't want them using a p2p network until they were old enough, not to mention responsible enough, to use them.

Looking at most households now, the kids know a lot more about computers than their parents. Most kids will mess with the options to see their parents responses and wonder how to fix it, so unless you could get major encryption, the kid will probably figure it out. Amongst another users reply here, saying that downloading music is illegal, is not accurate. Downloading is not illegal, distribution and copying storage is illegal.