Internet service provider TalkTalk is to offer customers the opportunity of filtering malicious or offensive material out of their broadband service as they claim to be the first major provider to offer centralised blocking at server level.
Not only will this stop malicious software, but parents will have the chance to prevent their children accessing adult material.
Conventional systems rely on the security software installed on users’ PCs.
TalkTalk’s Home Safe runs on their central computer system, sitting between the web and individual home connections.
Its anti-virus system scans a site that someone wants to visit to check if it harbours malicious programs. Sites found to be clean are to be put on a “white list” for 24 hours.
Sites containing pornography or online gambling can be blocked completely.
There is also the option to put time locks on certain websites. For example, parents can stop their children from viewing sites such as Facebook when they should be doing their school homework.
Comments
A step in the right direction?
We all know that protecting children from some of the obscene material on the internet is a very high priority for most parents and this it appears is certainly a step in the right direction. It would seem that there has been a shift in attitude in recent months from original arguments of "we dont want ISPs policing the internet" to a more engaged approach between customers and service providers by offering this functionality as an additional service.
For many parents, knowing how to use 'net nanny' home software can be very confusing so I'm sure for many this will be a breath of fresh air to know that you can simply pay your ISP to manage it for you.
If talktalk can make this a profitable strategy for their business whilst offering their customers a reliable service then i'm certainly on board with it. That said, trusting a centralised system also brings along with it its own problems of security so I would recommend anyone taking up this offer to remain vigilant of their childs internet usage and behaviour as things can and will slip through the net.
Post new comment