 | |
 The Net Nanny 6 interface, shown on a computer running Windows XP. | |
| Developer(s) | SafeToNet |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 10.8.0 / September 2021 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, Fire OS |
| Type | Content Control |
| License | Proprietary EULA |
| Website | Net Nanny Homepage |
Net Nanny is a content-control software suite marketed primarily towards parents as a way to monitor and control their child's computer and phone activity. [1]
The original version of Net Nanny released in 1994 was a Software Application that could filter any characters typed, read, or received by the computer, along with IRC content, block images, and mask profanity. [2] [3] Modern versions allow complete remote administration of child devices through a web portal or parent applications. Some of the features offered are:
Web pages (including dynamic pages) are blocked by content rather than URL, even over HTTPS. [6] [7] This prevents children from accessing blocked websites through proxies.[ citation needed ]
Net Nanny was designed, created and founded by Gordon Ross in 1994 in Vancouver and moved to Bellevue, Washington in 2000. [8] He became inspired to create an internet protection service for children, families and organizations, after viewing a sting operation on a pedophile soliciting a child online. [9] In 1998, the company expanded its offerings beyond family protection when it launched BioPassword, a bio metric security access system based on technology it acquired from Stanford University. [10] On November 14, 2002, Net Nanny filed for bankruptcy and was sold to BioNet Systems, LLC, a maker of bio metric security software in Issaquah, Washington. [11] LookSmart Ltd, a commercial web search company based in San Francisco acquired Net Nanny for $5.3 million in stock and cash in April 2004. [12]
In January 2007, Net Nanny was purchased by ContentWatch Inc and moved to Salt Lake City. [13] The product line was expanded to include security and business-oriented solutions. [14] Mobile browsers for iOS and Android were released in June 2012 at the Consumer Electronics Show. [15] These also allowed parents to monitor and manage the applications on the phone. [16] [17] In 2013, Net Nanny Social was launched to allow parents to monitor their children's social media activity and to protect against cyber bullying, cyber stalking, grooming by sexual predators, and the spread of sensitive images and videos. [18] Features were added to the desktop applications to help adults who wanted their internet content filtered. [19] In May 2014, the Brooklyn Public Library chose Net Nanny to filter content and applications on its Android tablets to ensure compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act. [20]
Zift, a digital parenting company, acquired Net Nanny from ContentWatch in 2016 and moved most operations to Philadelphia. In May 2019, Zift's applications were rebranded and launched as Net Nanny 10 for all supported platforms. [21] In 2021, Net Nanny merged with SafeToNet, a British cyber-safety company headquartered in London.
Net Nanny was rated first by TopTenReviews.com in "Internet Filter Software" and fourth in "Parental Control Software" in 2017. [22] [23] PCMag also posted an online review stating that "Net Nanny is fully at home in the modern, multi-device world of parental control, and it still has the best content filtering around." [24]
An Internet filter is software that restricts or controls the content an Internet user is capable to access, especially when utilized to restrict material delivered over the Internet via the Web, Email, or other means. Such restrictions can be applied at various levels: a government can attempt to apply them nationwide, or they can, for example, be applied by an Internet service provider to its clients, by an employer to its personnel, by a school to its students, by a library to its visitors, by a parent to a child's computer, or by an individual user to their own computers. The motive is often to prevent access to content which the computer's owner(s) or other authorities may consider objectionable. When imposed without the consent of the user, content control can be characterised as a form of internet censorship. Some filter software includes time control functions that empowers parents to set the amount of time that child may spend accessing the Internet or playing games or other computer activities.
V-chip is a technology used in television set receivers in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States, that allows the blocking of programs based on their ratings category. It is intended for use by parents to manage their children's television viewing based on blocking systems. Televisions manufactured for the United States market since January 2000 are required to have the V-chip technology. Since the idea for blocking programs in this way was patented and tested in Canada by Brett West and John P. Gardner in 1994, many devices using V-chip technology have been produced.
Ad blocking or ad filtering is a software capability for blocking or altering online advertising in a web browser, an application or a network. This may be done using browser extensions or other methods.
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Kaspersky Internet Security is a internet security suite developed by Kaspersky Lab compatible with Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Kaspersky Internet Security offers protection from malware, as well as email spam, phishing and hacking attempts, and data leaks. Kaspersky Lab Diagnostics results are distributed to relevant developers through the MIT License.
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Mobicip is a cloud-based Internet filter and parental control service that works on all major platforms of mobile Internet devices. Mobicip is supported on various types of devices used by families such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Windows, macOS and Chromebook. Mobicip was launched in 2008. Mobicip used to be a safe browser app but is now a VPN on iOS & Android that filters any browser. Mobicip is a parental control application that protects internet, regulates screentime, allows/blocks apps and tracks location as well, while allowing parents to customize the configuration and view activity reports. Using the web-based or mobile applications, parents can customize the filter to set up whitelists and blacklists, block categories of websites, and manage users and devices. In addition, the application lets parents monitor the Internet activity on the device, group the activity by user, by allowed or blocked websites, sort by time etc.
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Flipboard is a news aggregator and social network aggregation company based in Palo Alto, California, with offices in New York, Vancouver, and Beijing. Its software, also known as Flipboard, was first released in July 2010. It aggregates content from social media, news feeds, photo sharing sites, and other websites, presents it in magazine format, and allows users to "flip" through the articles, images, and videos being shared. Readers can also save stories into Flipboard magazines. As of March 2016 the company claims there have been 28 million magazines created by users on Flipboard. The service can be accessed via web browser, or by a Flipboard application for Microsoft Windows and macOS, and via mobile apps for iOS and Android. The client software is available at no charge and is localized in 21 languages.
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