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Parental Controls – When Keyword Blocking Goes too Far

April 20th, 2010 by Rosemina Nazarali

Parental Controls – When Keyword Blocking Goes too Far

Source: www.Lstcccme.files.wordpress.com

Internet parental controls have become almost a necessity in many households and many Internet security suites have jumped on board to give parents a little bit more peace of mind about their kids’ Internet usage. However, one suite, might be taking these controls a little too far.

Describing themselves as an “all-in-one security suite” that “gives you maximum protection against viruses, spyware, and other Internet threats that can compromise your privacy and harm your PC,” CA Internet also promises to protect against identity theft with added parental controls to protect your kids.

Most parental control software uses keywords to help block your computer from accessing questionable websites. Among the most popular are terms such as “porn” and “nude,” however CA Internet has also added the term “gay” to their list of blocked keywords. According to a reviewer at NextAdvisor.com, “’gay’” is included in the adult blacklist, and there seems to be no way to edit the blacklist beyond “basic categories.” This means that there is no way for users to remove this term from their blacklist.

Though CA Internet leans on the conservative side, blocking random search terms does not make for an affective parental control system. There is an array of reasons why a user might want to search for the term ‘gay’, whether it’s because they question their sexuality or need to do research for a social studies project.  It is important to find the fine line between protective settings and shielding children from factual knowledge and understanding.

When looking for parental control software, ensure you are getting something where you have the control to block and allow keywords as you wish. Remember parents, the key to Internet safety is educating and keeping an open dialogue with your kids. While it is important to shield them from risks such as predators and inappropriate content, you do not want to shield them from a world of knowledge that can readily be available at their fingertips.

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  • A Very Concerned Mom of Three
    I've never been one to comment on things, but I saw your posting on Facebook about this an was just appalled. How could one company take it upon themselves to decide whether kids should learn about homosexuality.
  • ...
    It should be a choice of the parent. They shouldn't impose something like that. Why not impose the blocking of the word 'candy' because it brings up a proactive image of Madonna? At the same time, if you don't like it, don't use or recommend it. I know I won't.
  • Melissa
    Has anyone talked to CA about this? I'd really love hear what they have to say.
  • Cha
    The word "gay" does not just mean homosexual, it could also mean happiness. I know that while the latter is rarely used in this day and age, we shouldn't shelter the new generation from the realities of our time.

    We live in the information age, and if we properly inform and educate, I believe that kids will be better equipped in not only facing the world without all the sugar coating, but do so with an open mind. We won't always be there to protect those that depend on us, so the next best thing is to help young minds with their choices so that they can make informed decisions.
  • Uma
    While I agree that equating "gay" with "porn" is a problem, I think the issue here is that CA Internet assumes that ALL parents feel the same way on that topic.

    The software shouldn't have it as a permanent word on the blacklist. Parents should be able to make that decision on their own.
  • KiwiCommons
    Guest commenting isn't functioning at the moment. Please sign in or come back a little later when Disqus get's the system back up working again. Sorry for the inconvenience!

    We want to hear what you have to say :)
  • Rbowman
    I can't believe there would ever be a security company to block the word 'gay'! There's no stretch of the imagination that would make that a bad word, or a word that a child would be unsafe searching. They need to find a way to take the word off their blacklist for sure.
  • Nick
    Is this for real? Are people in this day and age really this ignorant and blind to the things around them? I must say, I am absolutely flabbergasted by the comments I am seeing here. This has gone from a discussion about the moral values behind internet safety, to a full-on rage fest for people and go on and on about whether or not it is okay to be gay?

    No, CA Internet should NOT have blocked out the word "gay." Don't get me wrong, I can understand the concerns of parents, but welcome to the 21st century people! Are you going to say that your kids should not be friends with people outside of their race and religion too? Should we just take society back to the days of segregation then? I feel like I've stepped back into the 1950's, and for those of you who don't remember, that era was full of big skirts, swing dancing, sexism and racism. I, for one, am glad its 2010.
  • KD
    Everything nowadays is about gay rights. I'm tired of hearing the gay community wail and moan about the injustices. I don't have an issue about them being gay as much as I do hearing about their agenda to take over the world and butcher the institution of marriage and the universal symbol aka the rainbow. Sure, be gay, but at the same time, respect our rights to not want to join in the parade and preserve our lifestyle and moral values. So what, CA blocked the word "gay". Big deal! The word "gay" in an image search yield results of fugly underdressed people celebrating their sexuality in the only way they know, which would be a sexually boastful and tasteless manner.
  • Concerned Dad
    The gay lifestyle is very sexual in nature, so it's understandable that people would want alot of it blocked. You don't see me flaunting the fact I'm straight in a parade wearing nothing but a bra and underwear.

    Maybe it's not right to force people to block it altogether, but if I was given the chance to block on my 14 year olds computer (along with "porn" and "sex") I sure would.

  • Jessica F.
    Why don't you Google image search "gay" and then try "straight" right after....and now tell me that term is okay for kids to search.
  • ElizabethGemstone
    What seems liked a ridiculous comment has some truth in it. But I agree with "concerned dad." We should be able to choose what we deems as inappropriate for our kids. What does CA have to say about this? I'm curious.
  • Victoria
    Fantastic article and excellent discussion. The author brings up a valid point regarding the realities of society and the ultimate purpose and enablement of the internet. Use of the term 'gay' through CA internet, automatically concludes a negative connotation, as opposed to the true definition of the word. That is as rediculous as removing the word "gay" from a word-processing software. There are multiple uses and meaning for the term and unfortunately through the oversight of a programming professional and enabled parent, some members of society may never realize that.
  • seema
    It is extrememly important to edcuate our children on internet safety. These days students are being encouraged to use the internet and use technology in their everyday lives. As parents it is our duty to educate our children and help them understand what is appropriate what is not.

    This does not mean that we should shelter our children from the realities of the world. We live in a very diverse world...it is important for us as parents to be able to raise open minded and educated young minds.
  • Jenn
    I agree with jgrace0172 on this one. If you place a negative connotation on a word, then people are going to see it as such. And Mommo, no way! I think you're the one off the mark here! You clearly have other issues going on with your son, but I think if you took a step back from that, you would understand why this is an issue. Do you have any gay friends or family members? My guess is probably not.
  • MOMMO
    No, you're off the mark! As a parent adding the word Gay is not discrimination - my son at 10 starting searching on key terms and at 17 still has a porn addiction - I just wish I was smart enough to have had a blocking sw at that time. If s/he needs to do research, and use the word Gay, then Mom or Dad should be looking at what school, especially grade school, is teaching and/or having children do research on. If its a teen, then Mom or Dad should be aware of that as well and have oversight on the research and/or learning content. Good job CA for not bowing to pressure - the individual who wrote this blog is off the mark on this.
  • Mackenzie
    Mommo, are you then saying that the word "gay" is just as obscene as the word "porn?" You would classify both those terms as the same thing? If so, I would have to say that you suffer from sheer ignorance. What if the same son you mention, the 17 year-old with a porn addiction (don't even get me started on that one), did not have a porn addiction but instead was having homosexual thoughts and was confused. What if this same 17-year-old went looking for some form of solace and support online? Would you, as his mother, shun him? Would you tell him that being gay was not okay?

    By placing the word "gay" with the word "porn," all we are doing is giving in to the homophones and biggits out there. You can join in the prejudices, or you can stand against them. You can enable people to hate each other, or as a parent, you can educate your kids and teach them to accept all walks of life. By saying that the word gay is obscene, and should not be a valid search term, all you are doing is being ignorant to the types of things a teenager might be curious about. What if your son has a gay friend and wants to understand them better. You would stop him from doing so? If you would answer yes to that question, then I just feel bad for you.
  • daniel
    I agree, internet security has go way to far these days. Something that parents need to understand is that today's kids grew up with the web and find it as a necessity rather than something that could be an issue. Internet safety is something that should be taught to kids at an early age so they can get used to it. Here is a great example of what you can do.
    http://yovia.com/blogs/chatman/2010/05/04/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-on-internet-safety/?gcid=1677
  • But isn't parental control software just reinforcing what has already been used in other media for many years? You wouldn't buy a DVD with 'porn' in the title for a 10 year old... you wouldn't give a magazine with 'nude' all over the front cover to a 6 year old... so why any different with the web?
  • jgrace0172
    I think you missed the point. It is not about blocking the porn and nudity. It is about what else is being blocked in addition to those things. While I wouldn't give my 10 year old porn, I would hope that if my 13 or 14 year old were looking for information to help them figure out their sexuality that they would have access to it. Their is a big difference between "gay" and porn.
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