Filtering: AOL's parental controls As a parent you may ask yourself “why do they allow that on the net?” Heard across blogs and in conversation with other parents, many people feel that the web is not policed enough and that the ISPs are not doing enough to protect and shield our children from what is dangerous or unacceptable.

We might not be willing to entertain the freedom of expression debate when our children are at risk. We may have a cynical point of view when faced with the ability of technology to shield us from harm.

However, some ISPs have been looking out for their customers (and their children) for some time now. In the case of the provider AOL, it has been providing parental control tools to all who use its service and has made these tools available for free to all, whatever ISP we might be using.

Sorab Shroff, from AOL explains:
“AOL developed a web filtering infrastructure in 1997 in response to the explosion of content on the Internet and this aims to block inappropriate material based on its context and on keywords.”

The filter can therefore apply rules as to whether the content is about alcohol, drugs, hate, porn, tobacco, violence, weapons or contains mature content and then, given the settings provided by the parent, either allow or block the pages.

Parental choice is important. Sorab explains: “Web Browsing Controls give you the flexibility to decide which types of Web sites are appropriate for your child’s age and maturity. No one knows your own kids better than you do. AOL Parental Controls allows you to choose which web sites your child can access.”

Filters based on keywords have existed for some time but where the technology has advanced is in the study of the context. This makes the filter all the more reliable and undesirable content less likely to get through.

As a part of a set of tools, AOL’s parental controls also enables parents to have control over internet messenger (IM) and chat, e-mail and software downloads. It also provides activity reports on where your kids have been and enables parents to set how much time kids can spend online.

Find out more at: http://parentalcontrols.aol.com