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Internet filtering on iPhone?

C

cedricstudio

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 19, 2007
8
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The iPhone is incredible, but one thing that is keeping me from buying one is lack of any kind of internet filtering to keep out porn and other bad stuff. I've got filters on all my computers, and would love one for the iPhone as well.

So far I have contacted two filtering companies (Intego and Covenant Eyes), and neither has anything for the iPhone. I'm told AT&T offers some optional filtering on the Edge network (via the Parental Controls which you access by logging into their website), but I have no idea how good it is, and the AT&T sales rep told me you can't edit or customize it, i.e. you can't block a specific site for example.

Has anyone heard if there are any such 3rd party apps in development? Thanks.
 
cedricstudio said:
The iPhone is incredible, but one thing that is keeping me from buying one is lack of any kind of internet filtering to keep out porn and other bad stuff. I've got filters on all my computers, and would love one for the iPhone as well.

So far I have contacted two filtering companies (Intego and Covenant Eyes), and neither has anything for the iPhone. I'm told AT&T offers some optional filtering on the Edge network (via the Parental Controls which you access by logging into their website), but I have no idea how good it is, and the AT&T sales rep told me you can't edit or customize it, i.e. you can't block a specific site for example.

Has anyone heard if there are any such 3rd party apps in development? Thanks.
Click to expand...
The only thing I can think of is to use the VPNs proxy feature somehow.
 
There is no such thing as a good filter. Enough said. Anything can be circumvented.

No argument about it, there is nothing sacred.
 
switchy said:
There is no such thing as a good filter. Enough said. Anything can be circumvented.

No argument about it, there is nothing sacred.
Click to expand...

True, you can get around a filter if (a) you know what you are doing, and (b) you really really want to. But that doesn't describe everyone, so they are far from useless. I'm very thankful for my filters, and would love to have one on my iPhone.
 
Check out www.mobicip.com They have a new app thats about to be released on the app store for iphone filter. It is a separate browser app that filters web content (to keep kids away from porn or other harmful websites). Of course you would have to use the built in function to block access to safari iphone browser but at least the kids could still use the internet without someone always having to look over their shoulder.
 
If you've got a list of specific domains you want to "block", you can just use /etc/hosts

That said, consider this: any time you have to resort to technology in an attempt to limit the information available to someone, you might want to ask yourself "why?" If it's because you don't trust someone, shouldn't you consider attacking that problem before providing an easily-circumvented demonstration of your distrust?
 
It's not a question of trust, it's protecting them as well as removing a temptation. BTW, either of you two have kids?
 
MikePA said:
It's not a question of trust, it's protecting them as well as removing a temptation.
Click to expand...

Well... it is a question of trust. Let's be honest here: if you trusted your children not to visit sites that you deem inappropriate, you would be trying to find a way to disable such functionality.

Speaking as a former child myself, I can tell you: attempting to "block" inappropriate material doesn't remove the temptation to view it. If anything, it will provide more motivation to access said material, if only for the fun of the challenge and the feeling of satisfaction one gets from "outsmarting" someone else.

I know that you may think that you're protecting them from the "evils of the internet", but in reality you'd simply be demonstrating to them that you don't trust them enough to "do the right thing".

Try this: instead of immediately turning to technology for help, talk with your children about what is and is not appropriate material for them to view. If you must give them access to an iPhone*, try to do so when you're around to keep an eye on them.


* I can't easily imagine a scenario in which a child is old enough to need an iPhone, yet too young to be trusted to decide what information he does/does not view...
 
Thus the asterisk -- I think it's a pretty artificial situation to begin with: either the kid's old enough to have a communication device such as the iPhone, or he's not.
 
Trust?

Honestly, I don't trust myself, and I've seen how destructive porn has been in my own life. I don't have kids yet, but when we do, there will be open talks about the subject as well as internet monitoring, as I have for myself now. Not having accountability for a destructive habit is a sure indication of future failure.
 
Why are you guys on about trust?
If a child goes onto a website looking for wallpapers of their famous actress or something and finds some that could be deemed inappropriate how is that trusting the child not to go on the site if the content they were looking for is appropriate?

I think filters are good to block most of the content be it to stop them going on things or to actually protect them against what they aren't looking for.
How many times have you gone onto an innocent looking site and found a huge pair of tits flapping around on a banner on the side or something similar? lol
 
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