Why you need an internet filter
Author: Jhoana Cooper The Internet is filled with content that can certainly make everyone’s lives easier. After all, with all the information the Internet holds, one need not exert effort to find out certain information. However, with this power comes the inevitable responsibility. The Internet, despite having a vast range of useful content, is also filled with innumerable trash and unwanted content. This is why where an Internet filter comes in. An Internet filter, as the name already suggest, screens websites to see if they are suitable for viewing. Much like a penetration testing system, an Internet filter is an indispensable tool that everyone can and should—from businesses who want the accessible websites on their network to be limited to parents who want to prevent their children from accessing unwanted and possibly unwholesome content.
Obviously, like the popular penetration testing system, an Internet filter has many uses. But for the greenhorns who do not understand why such program is necessary, what are the advantages of the Internet filter?
First, an Internet filter can protect one’s children from content that are deemed too mature for them. This is why this program is popular in schools and homes. These websites would include pornographic mature, sites that encourage violence, among others. Children, after all, can access websites that are pornographic in nature, for instance, unintentionally or deliberately. In any of these cases, the filter can screen out the sites.
Consequently, the filter also protects children from online predators who prey on unsuspecting kids on the Internet. Many children have fallen victim to online predators mainly because they inadvertently accesses dangerous sites such as adult chat rooms or forums. With this, parents can be at ease, limiting adult supervision when children go online.
Likewise, in businesses, establishments, and schools, Internet filter programs are used to prevent employees and students from accessing websites that are not related to their work. This means the filtering can increase their productivity because these individuals will no longer have access to popular websites such as Facebook or MySpace, both of which are popular time killers at work and school.
In a way, the Internet filter functions like a penetration testing system; while penetration testing keeps people from hacking one’s system from the outside, the filter keeps people from accessing certain sites.
However, with most things, there are certain things that people should remember about filtering. For instance, such programs can filter websites that are not dangerous and are actually useful because of its blocking parameters. These internet protector programs also create a false sense of security for parents and employers. Some web content filter programs (especially those acquired from unreliable sources) can easily be bypassed with the right programs and even the right websites.
But just the same, these internet filters are useful in so many ways. The disadvantages of these programs are easily usurped by the advantages. As aforementioned, the Internet is not the safe place one would want it to be. Internet filters make the online landscape safer and more useful for everyone.
About the Author:Programs such as a penetration testing systems and a Internet filter are indispensable today, with the current landscape of today’s technology.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/why-you-need-an-internet-filter-946207.html
