Question:
"How can I automatically
ACTIVATE & LOCK
the 'safe search' feature in Google, Bing,
YouTube & many other leading sites?"
Answer:
Simply download and run our smart
little utility named SafeSearchLock
|
SafeSearchLock, making 'safe
search' the new web standard |
SafeSearchLock is a conveniently simple web safety tool designed
to AUTOMATICALLY enforce and LOCK ON the child safety 'strict
safe search' content screening features offered by ALL
major search engines and other key content providers,
providing a considerably safer online environment for young children
to explore and enjoy!
01.03.2016:
The SafeSearchLock project
has been discontinued & is no longer actively supported
or maintained. This site is for archive purposes only. |
Important:
Re New SafeSearchLock Registrations
31/08/2014
After years of constructing new rule sets
and workarounds to ensure continued compatibility with all
leading search engines / content providers (who have quietly
and habitually changed their 'Safe Search' methods), sadly
it's finally time for us to admit defeat.
In brief, due to the Internet's
increasing shift towards and reliance upon blanket HTTPS
(encrypted communications for everything)
we are no longer taking on new registrations*, as this has
began to create insurmountable service provider compatibility
issues. (And without any external funding we have to be
realistic).
*We will however continue
to support existing users for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile we'd like to give huge and sincere
thanks to all of the wonderful folks who have offered their
kind support and encouragement (family, friends, beta-testers,
end users) from the moment we first conceived this project.
(For those of
you interested, there's a little more detail in
our blog) |
Q:
"So exactly what is SafeSearchLock & what does it do?"
A: It's
exactly what it says; a 'universal safe search lock' for the web!
SafeSearchLock is a smart little web safety application that will
COLLECTIVELY ACTIVATE and LOCK ON the maximum 'strict safe search'
or 'family safe' content screening features provided by various
leading search engines and other key web content providers.
As a result, unsavory, adult or explicit search
results, images and videos from these sites will be generally
blocked out at the source, so young children don't get any nasty
surprises whilst using these popular services.
When you run SafeSearchLock (automatically or only
when required), ALL of these services will be INSTANTLY LOCKED
into their respective "child safe modes" without any
need to register with or 'sign-in' to any of them.
No fuss,
no hassle and no more worrying about individual safe search settings.
SafeSearchLock will finally enable
you as a parent, teacher, carer, guardian, or system administrator,
to automatically and universally enforce the child
safety settings provided by a multitude of web services from just
ONE PLACE, until YOU decide otherwise by simply entering a single
convenient password.
No
need to force kids to use a special search engine or special browser
Simply
install SafeSearchLock on any computer that your children may
use and make 'safe search' their new web standard
"SafeSearchLock,
giving you a little peace of mind
and your kids a little freedom to explore"
Q:
"How
do I use SafeSearchLock?"
A: Just download, install
and start it up!
Once installed, SafeSearchLock will run quietly
in the background displaying a small icon
in your taskbar. If you click on this icon at any time you will
be able to adjust your preferences (if you wish) and add a personal
password, so that then only YOU are able to deactivate it.
No
configuration or technical knowledge required!
Whilst running, SafeSearchLock will ACTIVATE and
LOCK ON the strictest safe search functionality provided by a
wide range of leading online service providers. (See
next topic for current compatibility list).
NB. SafeSearchLock may only be installed and managed
from a Windows account with administrator status.
Extra features & options:
Password protection: When you first install
and run SafeSearchLock it will have the default password "akumenta".
You can (and should) change this to a personal password of your
own choice. Keep it VERY safe and don't forget it as this will
then be your 'key' to SafeSearchLock, allowing you (and only you)
to access its settings and also deactivate it when required. (You
can change your password at any time).
Start with Windows: Just tick the "Start
with Windows" option and SafeSearchLock will automatically
start every time your computer boots up, providing constant protection.
Multiple Windows user protection: If you
are running several Windows user accounts on your computer,
then simply tick SafeSearchLock's "Start with Windows"
option and it will automatically protect ALL users!
Log visited websites:
If you have concerns and want to keep a record of your children's
browsing habits, SafeSearchLock also offers a logging feature
so you can see what sites they've been viewing. (This is OFF by
default when you initially install SafeSearchLock).
Anti-Tamper: Whilst primarily intended to
safeguard younger children, SafeSearchLock also employs various
sophisticated anti-tamper features to help prevent unauthorised
disabling by older more tenacious tech-savvy children. (Though
for obvious reasons we can't go into specific detail about this
here)!
IMPORTANT: As a parent, guardian or IT support
admin, once you have chosen and entered your personal SafeSearchLock
password NEVER MISPLACE OR FORGET IT!
Q:
"Which
popular online services can I use SafeSearchLock with?"
A: SafeSearchLock is
a web safety application designed to universally activate and
enforce the 'safe search' / 'family filter' features offered by...
Automatic updates: SafeSearchLock
intelligently checks for the latest compatibility rules each
time it starts
SafeSearchLock also works with many other search sites that draw
upon these services
SafeSearchLock also works with the installed 'browser bar' versions
of any of the above
SafeSearchLock is also designed to work across multiple Windows
user accounts
SafeSearchLock is also designed to work with the above online
services in any country
No need to force your children to use a special web browser or
a special search engine
SafeSearchLock also now prevents
the new Google Encrypted Search feature from
being used to circumvent strict SafeSearch settings
* Compatible service
providers AMENDED 20/06/2014 *
What changed? Yahoo was removed from our compatibility list:
Yahoo is now forcing HTTPS encryption by default. As a result,
SafeSearchLock can no longer enforce safe filtering with Yahoo.
Additionally YouTube has began to force HTTPS encryption
once a user has signed in to a registered account. Because
of this SafeSearchLock can no-longer enforce safe content
filtering if a user has signed in.
On a positive note, Google also adopted HTTPS features some
time ago, but this wasnt an issue as they also provided
a non-encrypted work-around, which SafeSearchLock successfully
utilises.
As yet, neither Yahoo nor YouTube offer a similar work-around,
however we have high hopes that they soon will. If / when
they do, we will let you know and automatically update SafeSearchLocks
rules to suit.
> Some notes on compatibility and automatic updates <
Q:
"Tell
me about the 'safe search' features offered by these service providers"
A: Many leading online service
providers offer the ability to activate a 'safe search' or 'family
filter' content screening feature...
SafeSearchLock is a smart little internet safety
utility that automatically and collectively activates
and locks on this behavior. (See current compatibility list in
the item above).
Generally speaking, once 'safe search' has been
activated with any of these leading online search and content
providers, then results containing pornography, explicit sexual
content, profanity, and other types of 'hate content' will, on
the whole, be filtered out and removed at the source so that children
don't get any nasty surprises (this also applies to video or image
searches). Additionally, searches being performed using 'inappropriate
words or phrases' will be blocked outright.
It's also worth mentioning that
with YouTube's own particular 'child safety'
feature activated, then in addition to the search screening characteristics
mentioned above, many inappropriate videos will also be blocked
from viewing even if your child uses a direct link or web address
(with the message "This video is unavailable with Safety
Mode enabled"). The user comments
below videos shown in YouTube (usually shown by default) will
also be hidden unless you choose to view them, where upon
many expletives will be replaced by asterisks. (So you don't have
to worry so much about the appalling bad language which, unfortunately,
can often be displayed within discussions shown directly beneath
a perfectly harmless video). Furthermore any subsequent 'recommended'
videos being presented will also be content moderated.
For specific details on the content screening features
being provided by each particular service provider please review
their respective websites. Please also consider that no service
provider claims to guarantee 100% totally infallible safety screening
features, however activating them is considered by most as a crucial
first step for any parent or carer before allowing young children
Internet access.
(See our Useful Links page for more
good advice regarding online safety for kids)
Q:
"But
don't I need to 'sign in' (and have a registered account) with all
of these service providers in order to lock on their safe search features?"
A: No, not with SafeSearchLock
installed!
Typically though, you would indeed have to be signed-in
(and registered) with each and every respective service
provider in order to manually configure / activate and then lock
on their own particular 'strict safe search' or 'family filter'
features (where any kind of locking ability is actually offered).
This can be time consuming, even impractical, and
due to its nature, still relatively easy to turn off even if 'locked'.
Additionally, if you want to enable and lock 'safe search' functionality
on multiple user profiles on the same computer, then you will
need to do this using each individual Windows user account. Equally,
if the computer is running more than one web browser, then you
will need to activate and lock any respective 'safe search' functionality
individually via each browser package.
Finally, how can you really be sure that you will
have 'safe search' permanently configured and locked on
with any particular service provider, let alone across multiple
service providers (e.g. Google + Bing + YouTube), especially just
on the off-chance that your children may only occasionally or
suddenly want to use one of them? It's all a bit of a nightmare
for parents, which is why we have created this effortless and
smart solution...
SafeSearchLock will instantly
activate and lock on the strictest 'safe search'
functionality available from a multitude of leading online
service providers,
even when you're not signed in to them.
Q:
"Will
SafeSearchLock work on my computer?"
A: SafeSearchLock is
designed to work with all modern Windows PC's
One size fits all!
SafeSearchLock
has been designed to work with all modern operating systems
(Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, including 64 bit versions)
and all leading up-to-date web browsers including
(but not limited to) Internet Explorer (version 7 & upwards),
Firefox (version 3.6.4 & upwards), Google Chrome, Opera and
Safari.
SafeSearchLock
is not a limited "browser specific add-on", instead
it installs on your computer and works with ANY modern web browser
and ANY Windows operating system. Better still, it even works
if you have several different web browser packages installed and
/ or multiple Windows user accounts in use. It's not complicated,
over bloated or resource hungry.
To see for yourself we
encourage all users to download and try out a free
trial of SafeSearchLock. Once installed you'll have 20
minutes to play with it and make sure it works perfectly on your
system. If you're happy, you can then easily register / fully
activate your already installed trial version.
Q:
"How
can I get hold of SafeSearchLock?"
A: Click
here to download a free trial of SafeSearchLock and try it
out!
Once you've downloaded SafeSearchLock
you'll have a 20 minute trial period to try it out.
Then if you're happy, you can
fully activate and register your installed
trial copy for JUST £2 UK pounds! (or your local
currency equivalent). Wherever you may
be in the world, it's a very simple and secure process via PayPal.
(You don't need an account with PayPal and you can pay by most
credit or debit cards).
This will license you to use the SafeSearchLock
utility on one PC for as long as you wish, and also receive free
automatic updates for as long
as this project remains active and viable.
(Did we mention it's just £2! And if you wish
to install SafeSearchLock on multiple PC's for a school or business,
just get in touch for discounted site
licensing and also the opportunity of a free custom MSI build)
(A simple installation and activation overview is available in
our support area)
Q:
"Why
is SafeSearchLock so cheap?" *or alternatively
"Hey why isn't this free?!"
A: SafeSearchLock
costs just £2 (that's about $3 US Dollars / €2.4 Euros
or your local currency equivalent). This is a straightforward
one-off charge with automatic compatibility updates thrown
in for FREE.
But don't let our small token fee fool you, SafeSearchLock was
neither an easy or quick project to put together! Extensive time
and effort (and money) has gone (and is still going) into this
project. On the other hand, due to it's very positive nature,
we did actually consider giving the utility away for free...
Ultimately though, it was decided that we can't
live off the positive karma alone (we all have bills to pay and
ongoing costs to cover!), so without any external funding, at
least for now we have opted to charge a very small nominal fee.
Additionally we're not a fan of bombarding users with advertising
or other nonsense, so we didn't want to go down that root in order
to support this project. Instead we'd rather supply you with an
honest, clean and friendly product for a small token contribution.
Hopefully our smart little internet safety utility
will be embraced by many and prove popular enough to cover all
development, hosting, support costs...
Q:
"Who's
behind SafeSearchLock & what are its origins?"
A: SafeSearchLock
is an internet safety innovation from the good folks at Akumenta,
a humble but popular and well regarded digital media enterprise
based in Staffordshire, England, UK.
With young families of their own, the Akumenta team
originally devised the SafeSearchLock project out of concern for
their own children's online safety, and the often overly involved
and varying ways in which popular service providers offer the
ability to properly enforce their respective 'child safe' screening
functions.
Instead of having to worry about this kind of manual
'safe search' activation for each and every leading service provider,
they simply wanted an effortless and uncomplicated solution;
something that would collectively activate and lock on
this safety functionality across multiple leading online
service providers.
Additionally they wanted to create something that
would focus on this primary task and do it well, without being
over bloated, overly involved or resource hungry.
It was soon realised that this primarily 'in-house'
initiative could clearly offer a little instant peace of mind
to concerned and conscientious parents everywhere, hence the somewhat
'evolved' product that you may now download
here and try out for yourself!
"We feel that this is a long overdue
natural development for the web
and we are extremely proud to be behind such a progressive and
clear-cut child safety initiative" - Akumenta
Q:
"So
why do I need SafeSearchLock?!"
A: For convenience
and to help protect kids from potentially upsetting search
results, images and videos whilst they use the web's leading services.
The chances are, if you're a conscientious
parent or guardian with young children then you've likely stumbled
upon our little application because you already know what you're
looking for and why you need it. You've likely been searching
for an effortless, uncomplicated and inexpensive solution
like SafeSearchLock for some time!
To give the dilemma some clear perspective, just
consider for a moment that here in the UK, (and in many other
countries), TV stations are not allowed to broadcast anything
that might be considered harmful to children until later in the
evening, when most children will not be watching. Clearly this
is sensible and necessary, yet conversely, the internet has potentially
MUCH WORSE than evening TV on offer to children 24 hours a
day!
Here are a few potential example scenarios:
e.g. 1) Your young child
performs a quick search in Google or Google Images (or another
popular search engine, or a service such as YouTube) for the most
innocent of search terms, but one or more of the results may inexplicably
turn out to be alarmingly inappropriate or adult in nature and
clearly not something that your child should be exposed to.
e.g. 2) Your young child has unfortunately picked up a
fairly 'adult' word or phrase, and curiously types it into Google
(or another popular search provider). They are then inundated
with highly explicit and totally inappropriate search results.
(Even if you have content filtering software installed to help
block adult websites, remember that just search results alone
can still be extremely explicit).
e.g. 3) Whilst on YouTube your
young child views a particularly 'dramatic chipmunk', but just
below the video there may be a string of profanities or hateful
and abusive comments added by a 'global village idiot'; clearly
not something you want your child exposed to. Not only that, but
some of the "recommended" or "related" videos
being offered may not be suitable for a young audience. Additionally
of course, just like in any search engine, a search in YouTube
can bring up scores of results unsuitable for a young audience.
There are plenty of other examples, but you get
the idea; whilst you want to give your young children some freedom
to explore the web and its leading services, just the thought
of what they may inadvertently be exposed to is a HUGE concern.
So how can you help protect
young children?
Well, attentively many leading
service providers offer the ability to resolve all of the above
potential scenarios and filter out or block most inappropriate
search results or content by providing 'strict safe search'
or 'family filter' functions. Activating such filters is a fairly
CRUCIAL first step for any caring parent concerned about what
their children may be inadvertently exposed to whilst using
leading services such as Google or YouTube etc...
However, the problem is that
each and every one of these online service providers has to
be manually configured individually in order to activate
and lock their respective child safety screening features, and
the way to achieve this varies.
It's time consuming and most
critically you need to have a registered account and
to "sign-in" with each and every service provider
before you can even consider being able to lock on any
respective 'safe search' or 'family filter' mode (where locking
is even offered). After all, if you can't lock on safe search
setting then what's the point! And of course, since any 'locking'
relies upon signing in, it's open to fairly obvious abuse.
Plus of course, if you want
to enable and lock 'safe search' functionality on multiple user
profiles on the same computer, then you will need to do this
using each individual Windows user account. Equally, if the
computer is running more than one web browser, then you will
need to activate and lock any respective 'safe search' functionality
individually via each browser package.
Finally, how can you really
be sure that you will have 'safe search' always configured
and locked on with any particular service provider, let alone
across multiple service providers (e.g. Google + Bing
+ YouTube), especially just on the off-chance that your children
may only occasionally or suddenly want to use one of them?
Until
now it's all been a bit of a nightmare for parents, which is
why we created SafeSearchLock; An effortless, smart and simple
"one size fits all" solution, providing a little
instant peace of mind for anyone looking to offer young children
safer web access (all for just £2!).
Finally a quick note
on protection vs censorship:
The underlying principle behind
SafeSearchLock is one of caring, open and positive protection.
SafeSearchLock exists to help protect children from accidentally
or unwittingly accessing potentially upsetting web content and
other dangers whilst using leading search engines and content
providers.
In other words, rather than 'censorship', SafeSearchLock's
chief purpose is to protect younger children from being exposed
to unsavoury search results, images, videos and sites that they
actually don't want or expect to see!
In keeping with this rationale we recommend
that where SafeSearchLock is installed, children are informed
about its use and its very positive function. Often referred
to as "e-safety", this kind of educational and open
approach should be the cornerstone of any parent or carer's
web safety strategy.
SafeSearchLock will also help prevent older children from intentionally
searching for unsuitable content. Accordingly it incorporates
various anti-tamper features to help prevent unauthorised disabling.
|